Hilarious Generosity

While the New Testament does not include direct commands that God's people tithe, it is worth noting that we are never commanded to not tithe. We could even assume that tithing was so ingrained in the New Testament believers' lifestyles, nothing more needed to be written regarding it—though, under grace, giving a tithe was no longer an obligation but an appropriate starting point for all who wished to cultivate the habit of joyful generosity.

Whether we are single or married, younger or older, wear a hard hat or a top hat, are self-employed or climbing the corporate ladder or retired from that pressured, stressful world, God's Word provides wisdom found nowhere else in literature…and not just wisdom but inspired wisdom. Expressed in ways that are easily understood, some of the most helpful counsel has to do with managing our money wisely.

Becoming a faithful and generous follower of Christ does not depend on our accumulation of money as much as it does on our attitude toward money. (Pause and reread that statement.) As we will discover in this lesson, the less we depend on material things to make us happy, the more likely we are to model generosity.

For too long, Christians have regarded serving Christ as a heavy burden. Because that attitude is so widespread, Christians often put on grim, gloomy, whipped, and weather-beaten faces when a pastor mentions the word serve.

When grace fuels us to forgive someone who has offended us, we abundantly release every hint of any offence. When grace is cultivated in our relationship with a friend, an abundance of bountiful freedom marks our friendship. The same bountiful abundance occurs when grace is the motivating factor prompting our giving. In other words, living by faith includes giving by grace.