The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3
“Abram’s part is expressed in a single though searching command, while the heaped up I will’s reveal how much greater is the Lord’s part. At the same time their futurity emphasizes the bare faith that was required: Abram must exchange the known for the unknown and find his reward in what he could not live to see (a great nation), in what was intangible (name), and in what he would impart (blessing).”
Derek Kidner in Genesis (Downers Grove: IVP, 1967) 114.
It’s fitting to note that the lineage in Matthew’s Gospel starts with Abraham and charts the 42 generations that connect him with Jesus (cf. Matthew 1). In other words, God accomplished precisely what He promised.
It’s also important to remember Abram’s role as it mirrors ours today: bare faith. Following Jesus is about exchanging the known for the unknown and finding our reward in what we cannot see.
At this point, you may be asking the question: What does this have to do with generosity?” Again, my answer is, “Everything!”
If you want to be generous, don’t try to make a lot of money. To be a conduit of blessing to the world, like Abram, you must align yourself with the Source of all blessing, God, and do what He says. That requires bare faith.