I was doing some work on my laptop recently, and an ad for a clothing company popped up:

“Hey, shopped 30% off yet? Our generosity won’t last forever. “

Seeing that ad, my work came to a screeching halt. Not because I wanted to run to catch that sale, but because I found myself bothered that this company had co-opted the concept of generosity, and made it into something completely different than the original meaning.

What is generosity?

According to Dictionary.com, if someone is generous, they are “liberal in giving or sharing, unselfish.” Liberal in this context means “given freely or abundantly.” So, generosity means that giving or sharing is done in an unselfish, free, and often plentiful manner. Generosity has a wideness to it, a feeling of giving without bounds, mixed with a bit of awe that someone would be so open-handed and abundant in their sharing with others.

This probably goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: a 30% off sale that has a time limit doesn’t show generosity at all. The company and its leadership aren’t being generous; they are running a sale so that they can sell more goods for more of a profit.

What is generosity in the Bible?

In the Bible, generosity is ascribed both to people and to God. Here is an example of someone described as generous in the Bible:

In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God.

Acts 10:1-2

We see that Cornelius not only shares freely of his money with people in need (alms are food or monies given to people in need), he also reveres God, encourages his household to revere God, and consistently cultivates his relationship with God through prayer.

In this short description of Cornelius, we learn that generosity is often connected to a robust faith and spirituality. Cornelius is active in following God and listening for God’s leading; he is also generous with those in need. These two characteristics are typically connected with those of faith who are generous– they are both seekers of God and seekers of opportunities to abundantly share.

God is also described as generous in Scripture:

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given to you.

James 1:5

God does not begrudge anyone, but gives to all people, generously!

God’s Generosity

Unlike that particular clothing company’s “generosity,” God’s generosity lasts forever. There is no time limit to God’s grace and generosity. God gives love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy to all, unconditionally.

And because God is generous with us, no strings attached, we can be generous with others, no strings attached. We can generously share with those in need, freely and abundantly.

King David, in a prayer to God, says:

But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

1 Chronicles 29:14

David’s words remind us that we are able to give and share because God gives and shares with us first. We are able to love others with generous love, because God generously loves us first.

How is God calling you to live and love generously, showing God’s love by giving and sharing with others?

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