Purity, Love, & Generosity
A pure heart implies greater love (1 Tim 1:5, NCV) – and great love implies great giving (Jn 3:16). Hence, as we become more mature believers, our generosity should become greater. Yet, being generous does not mean foolishly giving what we don’t have. God doesn’t ask for that. He doesn’t want us to so sacrificially give that the recipient of our giving lives at ease while we are struggling (2 Cor 8:12-13, GW). He accepts whatever we are able to give. He doesn’t want us to give so much to financially prospering individuals or ministries that we experience financial troubles.
So how do we determine what we should give? As 2 Cor 9:7 (Phillips-2nd ed) indicates, we should be guided, not by rigid rules, but by our heart. But what does this mean? According to 1 Tim 1:5, our heart is to be guided by a clear conscience. This is a conscience that is sensitive to God’s Spirit and will be free from self-reproach (Rom 14:23). In other words, we are to give what our Spirit-directed conscience tells us to give.
Eventually, our giving will be rewarded (Prov 19:17, LB). Whether the reward comes sooner or later is irrelevant to us since we love and trust Him. We know He pays wonderful interest on our giving. Yet, we give primarily because we love the Lord and also because we love others. This is the goal which the apostle has for us (1 Tim 1:5, NCV).
Loving trust is more important than mere head knowledge.