READ

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Romans 8:31-33

CONSIDER

God is a giver. It’s part of His nature. We should expect God to give us good gifts. It’s what He does. God is naturally generous.

Think about the many ways the Bible describes God’s generous nature:

• God gives us His image (Gen. 1:27).
• God gives us dominion over His creation (Ps. 8:6).
• God gives rain to the righteous and the unrighteous (Matt. 5:45).
• God gives us daily bread (Matt. 6:11).

God is also happy. He is filled with delight. He finds joy in giving. He does not have to constrain Himself to give good things to us. He doesn’t have to work Himself into a certain mood to be charitable to us. In fact, He would have to constrain Himself to withhold things from us.

God finds joy in giving us good gifts. When we doubt God’s generous nature, Paul encourages us to consider the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son in whom God delights. What does He do with His Son? He gives His Son to us. We can never be separated from this gift, because nothing will ever separate us from the love of God in Christ.

As Christians, we should expect God to be generous because the history of our relationship with Him is characterized by generosity, from creation to Christ. Every Christian sometimes doubts God’s goodness and generosity. We think of Him as somehow reluctant or hesitant to bless us. Rather, Paul tells us we should expect God to “graciously give us all things.”

How would your life as a Christian change if you believed God would “do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20)? Among many things, you would likely be more generous with your own gifts, skills, and resources. You would feel free to give while trusting in God to supply all your needs.

God is a fountain of goodness. God gives and does not diminish His resources in the process. In other words, God always has more to give. When it comes to God’s generosity, John Calvin wrote, “We may assure ourselves that He is the fountain which never dries up, nor can ever become exhausted.”

God gives and yet never lacks. God refreshes others while always being refreshed. God invites us to experience the joy of replenishment through our own generosity. We refresh others through sacrificial giving with the expectation we ourselves will be refreshed.

If we want to be refreshed, then we must be imitators of God as His deeply loved children (Eph. 5:1). Generosity is divine. What does it mean to be like God? In part, it is to be generous and delight in giving gifts. At the heart of the Christian faith is the simple truth, “For God so loved the world, that He gave…” (John 3:16).

The good news is God gives. He gives us His Son, His Spirit, and His promises. He invites us to imitate Him and be refreshed through the joy of giving.

APPLY

1. Think about the gifts God has given you over the past day. List items, no matter how trivial they may seem. Take time to thank God for His generosity in your own life.
2. If you could imitate God and give one thing today to one person in your life, what would it be? Why?

PRAY

Father, help us to believe in Your joyful generosity. Increase our faith as we consider the sacrificial gift of Your Son. By the power of Your Spirit, produce the fruit of giving in our lives. Open our eyes to see Your generosity all around us, be thankful for Your many gifts, and seek to reflect Your character in our own lives. We praise You that You are good and that Your mercies endure forever!