Generosity : The Beginning of Gratitude
Trudy Cathy White
Both generosity and gratitude are part of our family values , but I always place generosity before gratitude when listing or explaining them . Why ? Because generosity is the beginning of gratitude . Generosity forces us to move away from doing only what makes ourselves comfortable and move closer toward becoming dependent on God . When we hold loosely with open hands on to what He has given us , we are showing faith that He will provide more when we need it . We don ’ t have to cling to what we have today , because we know He will be with us tomorrow as well . This is the lesson God was trying to teach the Israelites during their wandering in the desert :
“ Then the Lord said to Moses , ‘ Look , I ’ m going to rain down food from heaven for you . Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day . I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions .’” ( Exodus 16:4 , NLT )
God provided quail and manna for food every day , and He told the people to collect only what they needed for that day . They learned every morning that God was still with them , providing for them .
In God Owns It All , author Ron Blue argues that generous giving breaks the power of money in our lives . An unwillingness to give reveals our discontentment and lack of trust in God . We are scared to give because we are scared He won ’ t provide more for us in the future . We think we cannot afford to give because we have gotten used to living on
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