How to Become Generous

Great givers aren’t born; they’re made. Here’s how it starts.

If you want your life to make a big impact on the world, you need to learn how to become generous. Years ago, I witnessed someone write a check for $40,000 and give it to some foreign missionaries. In the country where they worked, that was enough to buy a home outright. That encounter made an impact on me. It amazed me that anyone had that much money to spare. And not only that, but they gave it away to buy a house for someone else. If you want to be a big giver someday, start by learning to give now. tweet this! I was also inspired, and decided that I wanted to be able to write checks like that someday too. That person was practicing radical generosity, which is part of God’s Master Plan for Your Money. But generosity doesn’t happen overnight. If you want to be a big giver someday, start by learning to give now.

A Picture of Giving

II Corinthians 9:6-8 paints a great picture of God-inspired generosity:

⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

God wants us to give, and it’s our privilege to do so. Because when we give generously, we’re not only meeting the needs of people, but we’re also impacting our own futures.

Starting Small

You may not have much money to spare right now. But don’t let that hold you back from giving. Generosity is like a muscle — the more you exercise it, the better it gets. One act of generosity trains your heart to look for the next. And the more you give, the more resources God entrusts to you. If you want to know how to become generous, start by giving something to somebody. Even if the gift is small. Because generosity grows in your heart over time. A small gift today will grow into a bigger gift tomorrow. The more you give, the more resources God entrusts to you. tweet this! The generous givers who wrote the $40,000 check made a difference in a lot of people’s lives. And even though I can’t write a check with that many zeros yet, I’m excited to give what I can to the ministries that are close to my heart. And you can too. If you’re faithful to give what you can now, God will increase your ability to give later.