We are all very generous. In fact, we are born that way. We are naturally very generous towards ourselves. Now that is often called selfishness but Satan deceives us into believing it is a good thing and that we deserve to have the best the world has to offer.
The primary goal of income is not for my personal benefit alone. Yes, we must work to take care of our families and ourselves but we must also overcome selfishness. The Bible is very clear that we are to share our resources with those around us. In Acts 20:35, Paul notes, “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
Giving to support God’s kingdom, grow the Church and to help others should be one of our top financial priorities. A paraphrase of Acts 20:35 is simply – Giving is good for you! It is to our personal advantage to learn to give, not to ourselves, but to others.
Our significance is determined by what we give, not by what we keep. Make it your ambition to go beyond donating the national average of 2.6% of your annual income to a full 10%. I have always believed God would do far better helping me to live on 90% of my income than I can do trying to manage 100% without His help. Honor him by putting giving as your first priority and trust him as you grow to be more and more generous.
