I want to start with a story most of us skip past. In Hebrews 11, the list of people who lived by faith begins with Abel, and I do not think that is an accident.
Abel is the first name on the "faith hall of fame" list because he gave God his best, not just what was required.
"It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel's offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man and God showed his approval of his gifts. And although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith." (Hebrews 11:4, NLT)
Cain brought what was required, but his heart was not in it. He felt like giving to God meant losing something.
Abel took the time to look for his best and bring it. He understood that he was gaining something by giving to God, not losing something. That difference in attitude is why his offering is still remembered.
Enoch pleased God simply by believing that God exists and that he rewards those who diligently seek him.
"It was by faith that Enoch was taken up into heaven without dying. He disappeared because God took him. For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." (Hebrews 11:5-6, NLT)
Some people think God is pleased when we see him mainly as a punisher of the disobedient. Enoch's example says otherwise.
He believed God was a rewarder, and that belief is what pleased God enough to take him up without dying.
Your level of generosity determines your level of harvest, and that principle works for everyone, not just believers.
"Remember this: A farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, 'They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.'" (2 Corinthians 9:6-9, NLT)
A farmer who plants a few seeds gets a small crop. A farmer who plants generously gets a generous crop.
That is true for anyone, Christian or not, because it is a spiritual law God built into creation. If you are assessing your own life honestly, ask which farmer you have been.
Everything you have to give, including your ability to earn it, came from God first, so giving it away costs you nothing you actually owned to begin with.
"For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you." (2 Corinthians 9:10, NLT)
We are not owners of what we have. We are stewards of what belongs to God. The whole earth and everything in it belongs to him, and we are here to steward what he created.
Any increase in your life, a smart investment, a raise, a new skill, came from God providing the wisdom or opportunity behind it. If we live trying to impress God with what we have accomplished, we will be disappointed. What pleases God is believing that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him, the same thing that pleased him about Enoch.
Reluctant or pressured giving is not what God is asking for, but once giving becomes cheerful, it becomes the fuel for God's provision in your life.
I want to read this same passage again, this time from the Amplified translation, because it adds language worth sitting with.
"He who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly. And he who sows generously that blessings may come to someone will also reap generously and with blessings. Let each one give as he has made up in his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves. He takes pleasure in prizes above other things and is unwilling to abandon or do without a cheerful, joyous, prompt to do it giver whose heart is in his giving." (2 Corinthians 9:6-7, Amplified)
If you feel reluctant about giving, that is a sign to wait, not force it. If you feel pressured to give, that is also a sign to wait.
God is not withholding his provision from you until you have earned it. He simply told us the road to it, the way you would give someone directions to your house instead of just saying good luck finding it.
A possession is anything you are unwilling to give up when God asks for it, and holding onto possessions reveals where you actually trust God.
The rich man in the Gospels had many possessions, but having wealth is not the same as having possessions in this sense. A possession is something God says "give me that," and your response is "no, that's mine."
If God says it is time to move and your response is "but I love my house," that reveals a lack of trust. It shows you believe God might move you to something worse instead of trusting that he always takes you from glory to glory.
Jesus modeled a life where he never worried about finances because he only did what he saw the Father doing.
We are told to live as Jesus lived, which means we can look at how he actually managed money. When he was born, the wise men showed up with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. He was resourced before his ministry even began.
Multiple women financially supported Jesus' ministry throughout his life. His garment was valuable enough that soldiers gambled for it at the cross, which tells you it was not the clothing of a poor man.
When it came time to pay the temple tax and the disciples had no money on hand, Jesus did not call an emergency meeting to raise funds. He told Peter to go fishing and find a coin in the mouth of the first fish he caught. Peter's willingness to actually go was the action tied to his faith in what Jesus said.
Everything given up for the kingdom, whether relationships, resources, or comfort, is returned a hundredfold in this life.
Jesus said whoever gives up relationships, houses, or possessions for his sake will receive a hundred times as much in this life. A personal testimony was shared about losing every relationship from one season of life and later receiving even better relationships as a direct result.
Zero is not a problem unless you let zero be a problem. Trusting God when your savings account is stacked is easy. Trusting him when you have nothing to lean on is where real trust gets proven.
Generosity produces prosperity as a consistent, built-in principle, and that promise is part of what this church states publicly.
"The godly can look forward to a reward, while the wicked can only expect judgment. Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. People curse those who hoard their grain, but they bless the one who sells in time of need. If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you. Trust in your money and down you go, but the godly flourish like leaves in spring. Those who bring trouble on their families inherit the wind, and the fool will be a servant to the wise. The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life, and a wise person wins friends. If the righteous are rewarded here on earth, what will happen to wicked sinners?" (Proverbs 11:23-31, NLT)
"The generous will prosper" is listed as something this church believes, right on the website. We would rather people know where we stand before they walk through the door than be surprised by it later.
Whatever you sow, you will reap, and choosing not to grow weary while doing good is a decision you get to make.
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will reap of the flesh corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap." (Galatians 6:7-9, NKJV)
That last verse gets quoted often, but the full sentence matters. It does not say we might reap, it says we shall reap, which is as absolute a statement as Scripture makes.
Not growing weary does not mean you stop doing good because you are tired of it. It means you keep going while you are doing it.
A cheerful giver is not just happy to give, but prompt to give, meaning you do not wait for someone else to step up first.
Looking closer at the Amplified wording of 2 Corinthians 9:7, the phrase is "a cheerful, joyous, prompt to do it giver." Prompt is the word that stands out.
It is easy to wait and see if someone else will meet a need first, and let the moment pass you by. Being a cheerful giver means being the first to respond when a need is in front of you, not the last.
What does it mean that God loves a cheerful giver? It means giving that comes from a settled, joyful decision rather than reluctance or pressure. The Amplified translation expands "cheerful" to "cheerful, joyous, prompt to do it," meaning a cheerful giver acts quickly instead of waiting to see if someone else will meet the need first.
Does the Bible say generosity leads to prosperity? Yes, this is stated directly in Proverbs 11:24-25 NLT, which says giving freely leads to growing richer and that the generous will prosper. The teaching is that generosity produces prosperity as a spiritual law that works for anyone, whether or not they are a Christian.
What is the difference between Cain's and Abel's offerings? Abel brought his best to God out of a belief that he was gaining something by giving. Cain brought what was required but resented giving, believing he was losing something. Hebrews 11:4 says Abel's offering was more acceptable because of that difference in heart.
What does it mean to be "comfortable at zero" financially? It refers to trusting God fully even when you have no savings or safety net to fall back on. The teaching is that real trust in God is most tested and proven when there is nothing else to lean on, not when your finances are already secure.
What is a "possession" according to this message? A possession is defined as anything you are unwilling to give up when God asks for it. It is not about how much wealth someone has, but about what they are holding onto out of a lack of trust in God's provision.
What is the hundredfold return mentioned in the message? It refers to Jesus' promise that anyone who gives up relationships, houses, or possessions for the sake of the kingdom will receive a hundred times as much in this life. A personal testimony of relationships lost and later replaced with even better ones was shared as an example of this principle.
How did Jesus handle money during his ministry? Jesus received gold, frankincense, and myrrh at his birth, was financially supported by women throughout his ministry, and found provision through a miracle involving a fish and a coin for the temple tax. The point made is that Jesus never had to worry about finances because he only did what he saw the Father doing.
What does Galatians 6:7-9 teach about sowing and reaping? It teaches that whatever a person sows, they will reap, whether that sowing is toward the flesh or toward the Spirit. It also teaches that believers should not grow weary while doing good, because the harvest is described as a certainty in due season, not just a possibility.
