can't out-give God.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8

One of the motives of a generous lifestyle is that God is Himself generous to us. We ought to be willing to give and share what we have as a result. God is gracious and holds nothing back from us in that grace. He gave His Son for our sin. He freely shares all that we need in that love. God is generous and that kind of giving love is supposed to mark His people.

Paul's point in this short verse is that God pours His grace on us so that we might have the means to be His grace. His grace does not just give us a little of what we need, but rather, His grace creates an all-sufficiency in all things at all times. The result is an overflowing abundance of good work in us. God's overflowing grace in our lives should give us the means to share what we have generously in the work of the gospel and the needs of others.

This is the theology that ought to drive our thoughts as we think about the way we give. It ought to be what is in our hearts when the offering plate is passed. But more than that, it ought to be the kind of thankfulness that flows into our daily interactions. Generosity is a lifestyle of grace. It is a way in which we live like God. It is a way in which God uses us as a means of His grace to reach others and help overflow His grace into their lives. And we are always learning to give like God. We can never match His gift, but we can learn to give in His grace.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13