Preschool
God created man in his own image. Genesis 1:27
The Rewards of Generosity
Memory Verses
Primary
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him. Genesis 1:27
Junior
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:27
Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 25:2-42
Lesson Scripture: 1 Samuel 25:2-3, 9-11, 14-19, 35, 37-38
Introduction
God blesses those who have a generous heart. Those who willingly reach out to others in need and share with them will experience a reward in their hearts and find favor with God and man.
How we treat our neighbors and businessmen is an integral part of our witness. It can either be a drawing to them or it can be a reproach on us. Stinginess is a very negative attitude and will hinder us in making friends. Most people do not appreciate dealing with someone who drives a hard bargain.
This lesson should give us a better understanding of Christian generosity and help us to practice it in everyday life.
Key Verse
The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself (Prov. 11:25).
Lesson Scripture
1 Samuel 25:2 And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
3 Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.
9 And when David’s young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.
10 And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.
11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?
14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them.
15 But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:
16 They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.
17 Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.
18 Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.
19 And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.
35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.
37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
38 And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died.
Studying the Lesson
This account in the lesson helps illustrate the rewards of generosity. We can see that there were both positive and negative mind-sets at work in the incident. There is more than one lesson to be learned, but today’s emphasis is on generosity.
In contrast to his wife, Nabal was not generous. Nabal refused to share anything with David and his men, but Abigail brought them a very generous peace offering. Nabal paid dearly for being stingy with his abundant possessions. It appears that God ended his life primarily because of his selfish and contemptuous behavior. On the other hand, Abigail was rewarded with continued life for herself as well as Nabal’s men.
Was it acceptable for Abigail to take the initiative to help David without telling her husband what she was doing? Or did she know him so well and therefore followed an inner conviction that God blessed?
David’s planned retribution on Nabal may seem rash to us, but when Abigail insinuated that the Lord was keeping him from taking revenge, David humbled himself and acknowledged that she was sent by God with advice to keep him from bloodshed. This proved to be a great blessing.
Nabal should have felt indebted to David and his men for what they had done for him. In what ways might we be indebted to show generosity to our government, neighbors, or anyone who does things to protect us and our possessions?
Practical Truths for Today
We do not need great possessions to be an unselfish giver. In Acts 3:6 we find an example of this truth. Peter said to the lame man, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” The widow and her contribution of two mites is another example of giving what we have (Mark 12:42).
As Christians, we have something more valuable to share than our wealth. To share the love that God has put in our hearts together with the gospel of Jesus Christ is perhaps the most important way to be generous. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all wrote about a sower who went out to sow. He apparently sowed liberally on all ground, whether it was good ground or poor ground. When we give freely and unselfishly, we never know where the increase might come. God is very generous, “gracious . . . and plenteous in mercy” (Ps. 103:8). “For he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). To give freely of ourselves and our time to help those who need emotional support or who are struggling in their spiritual life is a blessed privilege.
In Matthew 25:34-40 we find vivid examples of spontaneous generosity. Those who had done good deeds for others were not mindful of having done anything outstanding. They were doing only what seemed right to them, and they reaped an eternal reward. We will freely give when we remember that we were born with nothing and that we will leave this life in the same way—with nothing. See Job 1:21. The Good Samaritan is another example of spontaneous generosity. His rewards are not mentioned; however, because voluntary generosity is a rewarding experience, we know God blessed him.
A study conducted by the University of Zurich in Switzerland found that people who practiced generosity were happier than people who acted selfishly. They found that if people were even slightly generous, they still experienced pleasant feelings. The researchers measured activity in areas of the brain linked to contentment and generosity. Interestingly, the feeling of happiness that one experiences when giving was termed a “warm glow.”
Is there merit in doing good deeds only because we feel it is our duty? This could be called coerced generosity, or is it generosity at all? Generosity with a wrong motive may be little better than stinginess; however, it may be better to reluctantly give or help than not at all.
Generosity to others is an expression of our love to God for His gifts to us and is our payment to others in recognition of our debt to all men. Gratefulness spawns authentic generosity and moves us to contribute to the needs of others. Our inner motive may be more important than the actual deed of generosity.
Undue concern about one’s provisions and welfare can be a serious deterrent to freewill giving. However, Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Confidence in this truth promotes liberal giving.
Willingly doing what we feel is our Christian responsibility requires self-denial. This brings the reward of a free conscience and a sense of worth, plus the satisfaction of having helped someone in need. Perhaps we can relieve, or at least diminish, someone’s suffering, misfortune, or failure. Perhaps we can lighten their burden, lessen their stress, or impart new hope. Maybe our spontaneity will be just what someone needs to lift their spirit and make their day pleasant. Even a small and seemingly insignificant act of generosity can have far-reaching, positive effects.
Generous hospitality has the potential reward of bringing heartfelt thanksgiving to both the giver and the recipient. Your kindness may cause someone to thank God for the care and help they received from a fellow human being.
Even though there is much good in generously giving, moderation may be needed for some who in their zeal to be generous are so liberal that their intended goodwill fosters irresponsibility in the recipient. Although this may not happen often, intemperate giving could cause the recipient to fail to meet his personal obligations.
Doing loving deeds of kindness is like making a deposit in one’s heavenly treasury. “Sell that ye have, and give alms [be generous]; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth” (Luke 12:33). Though giving is known to be a great help in promoting happiness among the children of men in this life, the rewards for making heavenly deposits have great potential in the hereafter!
Questions
- What are some ways for young Christians to use their youthful energy in deeds of generosity?
- Why do people tend to be more generous in difficult economic times than in times of affluence?
- Are some people too generous? If so, give an example.
- How is congregational generosity defined, and how can it be fostered and practiced?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).