156 Cardio: A Generous Heart

Stuff is very important to us.  We see Stuff.  We want Stuff.  We buy Stuff.  We compare our Stuff with other people’s Stuff. Stuff has a way of getting hold of us and how we view and use our Stuff affects our walk with God.

But David, “the man after God’s own heart,” illustrates the kind of heart that is needed to keep Stuff from controlling us. He displayed a generous heart.

After God said no to David’s desire to build the Temple, he didn’t get angry or sulk. Rather, in an extraordinary display of maturity, he said, “Okay then.  Maybe I can’t lead the way in building, but I can lead the way in giving.”

David threw his financial weight behind a building project he will never see, to construct a Temple in which he will never worship.  

He opened not only the nation’s treasury, he opened his own wallet, and gave generously. David knew that his stuff was not really his stuff. It all came from God. It all belongs to God.

One day, all of us – whether we had a lot of stuff or not so much stuff – will stand before God and He will say, “What did you do with the Stuff that I gave you to use?”  And our response will carry eternal implications.

Do you have a generous heart? One way to assess that is this:

Consider your attitude in giving.

When the people were invited to give toward the Temple project, the word that describes the spirit in which they gave was... “willingly.” Freely, voluntarily, and joyfully.

2 Corinthians 9:7 says that when we give it shouldn’t be reluctantly or under compulsion. Why? Because God loves a “cheerful” giver. Literally… a hilarious giver! Someone who just loves to give and give generously.

You will never live a life of real discipleship if you never enter into a life of generous stewardship.

Text: 1 Chronicles 28-29

Originally recorded on August 27, 2006, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN.