God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.
Billy Graham - American Evangelist 1918-2018
God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.
Billy Graham - American Evangelist 1918-2018
Fasting is not a no to the goodness of food or the generosity of God in providing it. Rather it is a way of saying, from time to time that having more of the Giver surpasses having the gift
John Piper
From the book "A Hunger For God"
Make it your aim to be the most generous person you know. Be generous with your money, your possessions, your time and your love. You cannot out-give God. The more you give the more you will harvest and the more you will enjoy the favour of God on your life.
Nicky Gumbel - UK Vicar, Alpha Course (1955- )
Generosity is the authenticating symbol of resilience, and it is the antithesis of a life trapped in materialism, self centredness and an obsession with pleasure.
Gordon McDonald
From the book "A Resilient Life"
And then Paul taught them in the process to be disciplined and methodical in this generosity, not just spontaneous or impulsive. So when he was collecting gifts for the poor he wrote to the Corinthians, “Now concerning the collection for the saints. . . . On the first day of every week [each Sunday, not Saturday], each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper” (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). For Paul, discipline and regularity went hand in hand with joy. God loves a cheerful giver. God loves to see that joy overflow with disciplined regularity.
John Piper
From the book "The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving (Lifechange Books)"
God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving
Randy Alcorn
From the book "The Treasure Principle"
It’s like the story of the sailor who was shipwrecked on a South Sea island. He was seized by the natives who carried him to their village and set him on a crude throne. They treated him as royalty. Soon he learned that their custom was once each year to make a man king, king for a year. He thought this was a pretty good deal until he started wondering what happened to all the former kings after their year was up. He found out that after the year, the king was banished to a deserted island where he starved to death. That worried him, but he was a smart king, so he put his carpenters to work making boats and his gardeners to work transplanting fruit trees and other crops to the island where he would be banished. His carpenters built a nice home there. So when his year was over, he was banished, not to a barren island, but to an island of abundance
Unless what we give away devastates our standard of living and throws us onto God’s mercy daily, then we aren’t giving enough away
Phil Moore
From the book "Gagging Jesus: Things Jesus Said We Wish He Hadn't"