There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18
“The root of an ungenerous heart is not mere stinginess or greed but fearfulness. Accruing resources is often a way we try to take control of our own world and fend for ourselves because we fear we can’t trust God… That is why we become crushed by suffering rather than growing through it. And that is why we are so ungenerous with ourselves and our assets. America is filled with comfortably prosperous people who mostly feel they don’t have enough. They are dominated and controlled by a pervasive sense of resource scarcity and precariousness.”
Timothy Keller in the foreword to The God Guarantee: Finding Freedom from the Fear of Not Having Enough by Jack Alexander (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2017).
In my exploration of abundance and its relationship to generosity between meetings with students this weekend, I discovered this profound, concise thought: “The root of an ungenerous heart is not mere stinginess or greed but fearfulness.” Does fear hinder your generosity?
Numerous times in my life I have wrestled with worry and fear. I have found that focusing on the love of God dispels my fears. To grow in generosity in 2018, consider God’s perfect love for you and start the year by driving out fear! Read Psalm 136, a celebration of the faithful and everlasting love of God!