Generosity

Generosity is the free and willing giving of one's money, goods, or help to others. Giving to the poor and cheerful giving are commended, and God is the giver of every good gift.

A cheerful giver

• 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
  ⁶But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
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• Deuteronomy 15:10
  Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything to which you put your hand.
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• Acts 20:35
  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
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Giving to the poor

• Proverbs 19:17
  He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.
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• Proverbs 22:9
  He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.A generous man will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.
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• Deuteronomy 15:11
  For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.
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• Luke 3:11
  He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”
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Giving in secret

• Matthew 6:2-4
  ²Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. ³But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
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Generous living

• Proverbs 11:24-25
  ²⁴There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor. ²⁵The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
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• Luke 6:38
  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
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• 1 Timothy 6:17-18
  ¹⁷Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. ¹⁸That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share,
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• Hebrews 13:16
  But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
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Examples of giving

• Mark 12:41-44
  ⁴¹And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts. ⁴²And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius. ⁴³And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more than all the others into the treasury. ⁴⁴For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
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• 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
  ¹Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;Now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia. ²How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity. ³For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;For I testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond it. Of their own accord, ⁴Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.they earnestly pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. ⁵And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.And not only did they do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, because it was the will of God.
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• Acts 4:32-35
  ³²And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.The multitude of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they owned. ³³And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.With great power the apostles continued to give their testimony about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And abundant grace was upon them all. ³⁴Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales, ³⁵And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.and lay them at the apostles’ feet for distribution to anyone as he had need.
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God the giver

• John 3:16
  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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• James 1:17
  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
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• 2 Corinthians 9:15
  Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
  Show context · Read 2 Corinthians 9 →

See also

• Money
• Tithing
• Poverty
• Greed
• Hospitality

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.