“The liberal soul shall be made fat… A generous person will prosper, and anyone who gives water will receive a flood in return… whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (PV 11:25)

God promises that if you practice generosity you shall become (spiritually) fat! (I was trying to diet and lose some weight when I saw this scripture…I am joking…). The word ‘fat’ means to be ‘oily’, to be prosperous in all things and anointed for ministry!

In Hebrew the word ‘liberal’ means to be generous and noble. In the past people believed that kings were chosen by God. The ordinary people expected their rulers to behave like God. One of the royal attributes was to be kind and generous with their resources. Low class people were seen as stingy and wicked. Generosity of spirit was valued as a royal quality. This generosity is not only about money. It is an attitude of life. You can be generous with your time, emotions, words of encouragement and your desire to help others. Spiritually speaking, a generous person is someone who is willing to be a channel of blessing, to be used by God to bless others. God promised to greatly bless such a willing person!

A greedy man sees generosity as a waste of resources. He is afraid that generosity will lead to poverty. But it is not so! A greedy man is a foolish man! The Bible encourages us to be noble and generous; investing in the work of God and helping others. Why? The first reason is because God is the most generous Person in the universe! God is the Original Giver! And we must be like God! The second reason is that generosity really works! It is a good business! This is God’s Law: if you plant mercy, help, kindness and encouragement into the lives of others, you shall have a harvest of the same. The giver is blessed and the receiver is blessed! If you are generous, people are attracted to you. Nobody likes a greedy man.

This is a good practical advice: If you are lonely or you desire to be married, then be generous in your attitude to others. Soon, you will become a spiritual ‘magnet’. This is another of God’s laws: If you sow sparingly you shall reap sparingly. If you sow generously, you shall reap generously (2Cor 9:6). By your present sacrificially planting, you dictate the size of your harvest in the future!

This is my testimony: as an unbeliever I was a selfish and greedy coward. I was afraid to share. I was afraid to become poor. I was afraid to be cheated by others. Things changed after I became saved. I saw that God sent His Son to die for me, to be my Savior. There is no greater sacrifice than that! I also saw that my Lord Jesus Christ went to the Cross for me and by His death He paid all my debt of sin. I was overwhelmed by this most generous God. I wanted to be like Him! I wanted to be free to come into His presence and worship Him! I prayed and was filled with His generous Spirit. Little by little I started practicing generosity in every way I could. I gave to the people not just money but especially my heart. I gave them my best prayers and my most ‘expensive’ sermons. Little by little, my heart became free and I started rejoicing in this adventure of giving! Then I started to reap from my sowing! This life style became a flood of blessings to me! Now, at the hour of my need, I testify that there are so many people who pray for me, encourage me and refresh me. I testify that the Word of God is true! God is faithful to His Word!

Child of God, you are a royal spiritual priesthood! Behave like one! Be a generous and noble soul! Better said, be like Jesus! Your reward will be great on earth and also in heaven! Be filled with the Holy Spirit! Start by praising God today for revealing the truth to you! Freely you have received! Freely give to others! In Christ I declare  (un-apologetically and unashamedly) that I am fat, favored and free! I am risen, refreshed and revived! Hallelujah!