By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. Galatians 5:22-23
“If a man worth a billion dollars, if that man exists, if he’s worth a billion dollars and he gives away a million, he’s that much the poorer. If he gains a million, he’s that much the richer. But God can give away grace and still not be any less rich in grace. You can refuse His grace and still God won’t have any more grace because God can’t have any more grace than He has now because He has an infinite grace, which is boundless and limitless. And there isn’t any way possible for God to have any more kindness than he has now. But somebody says, didn’t Jesus, when He died on the tree, didn’t that make God gracious and kind to us? No, it’s exactly the other way. Christ died on the tree because God was gracious and kind, not to make God gracious and kind.”
A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) in his sermon entitled “Thou Art Good and Doest Good” delivered on 18 November 1956.
I love this sermon. Tozer taps into the implications of God’s abundant economy.
To explain this to stewards that I disciple around the world, I often use an illustration. I say, if I am kind to a person at the train station on the way to work, and kind to a barista that makes me a coffee in the morning, do I run out of kindness by lunchtime. Of course, I do not.
Why? Because the abundant nature of the fruit of the Spirit in God’s economy.
When God works in us and produces fruit, we don’t end up empty when we share it, but rather enriched for every good work. We have more love, more peace, more patience, more kindness, and more generosity. We can continue to thrive with more faithfulness, more gentleness, and more self-control. It never runs out.
So whether you have a billion dollars, a million dollars, or just a few dollars, give generously. Why?
The world tells you not to do this because you will end up empty. Or it says that you will find yourself in need. I say that you don’t figure it out until you live it out that His grace will abound toward you and you will have all that you need. Try it. Tozer put his finger on it!
And notice, one more thing about God’s abundant economy.
God cannot have any more grace or kindness toward us because it never diminishes. And if you flip that back on us. We cannot ever accumulate enough money because it always diminishes. What does that prove? It proves that accumulation represents a foolish relationship to money. Generosity comes into view as only wise pattern that brings life.
Read this sermon to get the full picture. It’s time well spent.