Generosity (III)

“A generous person will be made rich, and whoever satisfies others will himself be satisfied.” Proverbs 11.25

We have been looking at generosity. Generosity is the readiness and act of giving more of something than is strictly necessary or expected.

Generosity is first of all a disposition which in turn powers our action.

“It sometimes helps to go back to the Latin meaning of a word. Generosity is one of those words. In Latin, generosus means “of noble birth, noble, excellent in kind, of superior quality.” It’s related to the verb genero, which means, “to beget, produce, bring to life, generate.”

With those ideas in mind, we can see that generosity is a virtue, a power, which goes far deeper than being kind, charitable or thoughtful. Generosity is something that issues forth from one’s heart, not simply from one’s kindly feelings. We are not talking here about nice feelings; we are talking about something that comes from one’s heart and generates hope, even new life. It is, quite evidently, at the opposite pole from selfishness.” Father Charles Irvin

Generosity has many benefits.

It pleases God.

“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:16.

Produces blessings.

“The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.” Proverbs 11.24-25 Message.

Proverbs 22:9 NIV says, “A generous man will himself be blessed for he shares his food with the poor.”

It shows our love for the Lord.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3.16-18

Generosity is an investment for eternity. “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:18-19 NIV.

“Everyone wants to be happy in life, and generosity appears to be a key ingredient: 74% of high-generosity respondents reported satisfaction with their lives, compared to 60% of low-generosity respondents. High-generosity respondents were also more than twice as likely to report that they were “very satisfied” with life.

This wasn’t limited to one aspect of life, either; it was across the board. The high-generosity group was happier overall in every aspect we asked about, including friendships, family, romance, and finances.

READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE