Defining Biblical Generosity

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why.

Recently some of the Christian Financial Alliance members addressed the following: "In your own words, define biblical generosity."

Here's my answer:

“Loving your neighbor by using money to make his life better in some way.”

What I was trying to get at -- and probably needed to explain a bit more -- was that biblical generosity is an other-focused sacrifice. It's something you give up to help someone else, without care for what you might have been able to do with the gift yourself. When you can get to that point, you're being biblically generous IMO. 

I'm interested in knowing your take on this issue. How do you define "biblical generosity"?

Comments

[Dave]

I think you nailed it on the head. The only thing I would add is that it's not just money. It's also time and resources that you might have used in some other way. Hopefully at some point you will be able to also share your biblical knowledge.

[Rich A.]

FMF, I like your definition of biblical generosity. I also think of it as being "open-handed" instead of "close-fisted" with the resources God has entrusted to me, and being a "channel" instead of a "reservoir."

[Georgia]

They always say, "Give until it hurts." I always say, "Give until you are giddy with the happiness it brings."