A generous life involves giving in many ways beside money

13 Bible Verses on the Generous Life

13 Bible Verses on the Generous Life

by Bill High

What does the Bible have to say about living generously? Here are 13 Bible verses about giving and the generous life.

As you’ll see, I included verses about the generous life and not just about giving money. The topic of giving in the Bible includes many verses about giving financially, but generosity goes far beyond that. It reflects a mindset and a lifestyle. The second set of passages offers examples of individuals and groups giving something other than money.

Consider these verses in light of living a generous lifestyle:

  • Proverbs 11.25 — A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
  • I Chronicles 29.14 — “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.
  • I Timothy 6.18 — Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
  • II Corinthians 9.11 — You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
  • Acts 28.7 — There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days.
  • Acts 10.2 — He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
  • Psalm 37.26 — They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.

 

 6 Passages on Giving Other than Money

Because we usually think about giving money when the topic comes up, I wanted to gather examples from the Bible of giving in other ways.

There are many times people gave from their other resources in the Bible, but here are six generosity verses that illustrate giving from all resources:

  • The Good Samaritan compassion helped a wounded man in Luke 10.25-37. The Samaritan traveler in Jesus’ parable stopped and gave of his time and care first before he gave money. Others passed by—unwilling to give even of their time.
  • Bezalel and Oholiab in Exodus 31 gave of their skills to build the tent of the meeting for the Israelites. The Lord speaks of Bezalel, “…and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.” (Exodus 31:3-5)
  • Joseph interprets dreams in Genesis 41. Joseph is called upon to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. He gives credit to God, saying that this is a skill freely given to him.
  • The gift of music—we don’t often think about it but the Bible refers to musicians appointed by David in the court of the temple. For instance, in I Chronicles 16.5 Asaph and other musicians used their gifts to sing praise accompanied with lyre, harp and cymbals.
  • They gave of their possessions. In Exodus 35.22, Moses made an appeal to the people to give to the tent of the meeting. They gave of their possessions—not just money. “Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who presented an offering of gold to the LORD.”
  • They sold property. In Acts 2.45, as the early church was starting, people sold property and possessions to support fellow believers in need.

These scripture passages offer many examples, descriptions and instruction about living the generous life. Let these inspire you to press on in your journey. Be creative, be intentional and be generous!

Of course, there are many more Bible verses about giving and generosity. Do you have a favorite? Share it in the comments.

 

 

Photo by Alyson McPhee on Unsplash

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Published March 4, 2020

Topics: A Life of Faith

BibleFaithGenerosityGiving

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