Latest / Your Daily Grace / FOUNDATIONS – Episode 123 –  Grace and Generosity

Transcript

FOUNDATIONS – Episode 123 –  Grace and Generosity · Your Daily Grace

• 0:00
  Hello, welcome to your Daily Grace by Timothy Wilder Foundations Episode 123 Grace and Generosity what generosity Reveals about the Heart as we've walked through this series on grace and generosity, one truth keeps rising to the surface. Generosity is about far more than money. It's about the heart.
• 0:27
  If I'm honest, there have been seasons in my life when giving felt easy and seasons when it felt difficult.
• 0:35
  Not because God had changed, but because my heart had drifted. Sometimes generosity flowed naturally because I was deeply aware of God's goodness.
• 0:47
  Other times, I found myself holding on a little tighter, worrying a little more and trusting a little less.
• 0:55
  That's what makes generosity such a powerful spiritual mirror. It has a way of revealing what's happening beneath the surface.
• 1:04
  Jesus said, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
• 1:10
  Matthew 6:21 what we value most often becomes evident in how we spend our time, energy, and resources.
• 1:19
  I don't think Jesus said this to make us feel guilty. I think he said it to help us see ourselves honestly.
• 1:26
  When I find it difficult to be generous, it's worth asking, why? Am I afraid there won't be enough? Am I placing my security in what I have, rather than in the God who provides?
• 1:39
  Those questions aren't always comfortable, but they often reveal more about my heart than I'd like to admit.
• 1:46
  Luke records Jesus saying something similar for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
• 1:54
  Luke 12:34 if our trust is in possessions, we'll constantly seek more. If our trust is in God, we'll learn to hold our possessions with open hands. That's why Proverbs 4:23 tells us above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it. Generosity begins long before a gift is ever given.
• 2:18
  It begins with surrender. It begins with recognizing that everything we have is ultimately a gift from God.
• 2:26
  One of my favorite examples of this truth is the widow Jesus noticed at the temple. Mark 12:41 44 wealthy people were putting large amounts into the offering. Yet Jesus attention was drawn to a woman who gave two small coins. By every earthly measure, her offering seemed insignificant. Yet Yet Jesus declared that she had given more than everyone else. Why? Because God wasn't looking at the amount he was looking at her heart. Her gift revealed trust.
• 3:02
  She believed God was worthy of everything she had, even when that wasn't much by the world's standards. Her offering reminds us that generosity is measured differently in God's kingdom.
• 3:15
  Paul reinforced this truth when he encouraged believers not to put their hope in wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy first Timothy 6:17 19 wealth comes and goes, but God remains faithful. Generosity reveals where our confidence truly rests.
• 3:37
  As this series comes to a close, perhaps the most important question isn't how generous am I?
• 3:43
  But rather, what does my generosity reveal about my heart? Does it reveal trust or fear? Gratitude or entitlement?
• 3:52
  Open hands or tightly closed fists?
• 3:56
  The beautiful thing about God's grace is that he doesn't reveal these things to condemn us. He reveals them so he can transform us. As we draw closer to him, generosity becomes less about obligation and and more about gratitude.
• 4:12
  Open hands become evidence of a heart shaped by the generosity of God Himself.
• 4:18
  Thanks for listening. If you are being fed and or uplifted by these messages, we encourage you to like, comment, share and subscribe. These things help us spread the message of grace.