You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.

Haggai 1:9

Stingy people limit what they give to the church and to mission work, calling their tightfistedness “good financial sense.” They don’t realise that by doing so, they are actually making themselves poorer. Their excuse is often that they need to look after their own families—but they forget that neglecting God’s work is the surest way to bring hardship on their own homes.

God, in His providence, can either bless our efforts far beyond our expectations or frustrate our plans completely. With a simple turn of His hand, He can guide our lives toward success and abundance, or allow us to run aground in poverty and failure. Scripture teaches that the Lord enriches those who are generous, while those who hold back too tightly end up in want.

In all my experience, I’ve noticed that the most generous Christians I’ve known are also the happiest—and almost always the most prosperous. I’ve seen open-handed givers rise to wealth they never imagined, and I’ve just as often seen the stingy and selfish fall into poverty through the very miserliness by which they hoped to prosper. Just as people trust faithful stewards with greater and greater responsibility, so the Lord often entrusts more to those who give freely. He gives in abundance to those who give generously.

Even when great wealth isn’t granted, God blesses what little we have, filling it with contentment when our hearts are devoted to Him and when we’ve set apart a portion for His work. Selfishness focuses on one’s own needs first, but godliness puts God’s kingdom and righteousness before all else—and in the end, selfishness leads to loss, while godliness brings great gain.

It takes faith to give freely to God, but surely He deserves no less from us. Even our greatest generosity is only a small token of gratitude for the vast goodness and mercy He has shown us.

“Father God. I thank you that are a generous God who delights in pouring out good gifts onto his children. I thank you for the gift of your life on the Cross, for the gift of your Holy Spirit who’s constantly teaching me your ways and every other lavish gift you’ve bestowed on me. Help me to be generous in the same Spirit, help me to be a cheerful giver, help me to put your Kingdom and helping others beyond my own needs. And as I give I trust that you will continue to give to me so that I give and give again. Amen“