In Heavenly math, what you give is measured by how much you sacrificed.
As believers, we are called to live generous lives, resembling the character of our Father. God has been generous to us, and as His children, we must also be generous. We must freely give as we have freely received.
I have learned this in my own life – how practicing generosity invites the movement of God, especially as we give sacrificially in response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Early in my Christian life, I was a successful Iranian professional with an established and forward-moving career in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. But when the Lord called me to have a part in the salvation of Iran, I knew I had to make sacrifices. What He has done for me and what He planned to do through me moved me so deeply that I relinquished my salary, career, and success to dedicate my life to sharing the gospel with Iranians full-time.
When I made that choice to be obedient, God brought others to provide generous seed gifts so we could launch a ministry to the people of Iran. He has remained faithful in using His people to meet our ministry’s needs and has continued to bless me so that I can continue to sow back into the ministry generously, as well.
As a result, we are seeing a historical move of God in Iran. Millions of Muslims have rejected Islam and are open to the message of the gospel. The global body of Christ has a unique opportunity and limited time to harvest these souls and change the trajectory of the future of Christianity in Iran. We all have a lifetime opportunity to make history. We need to work together not just to reap a great harvest of souls but to establish His church in Iran, which will impact not only the Middle East but the whole world—until His return.
But to do that, it requires us to be sacrificially generous. We need to be generous with our time, talent, and treasure.
Developing Radical Generosity
So, how do we learn to live in radical generosity, giving with an earnest spirit? The following will help us get past the hurdle of merely feeling obligated to give to developing genuine hearts of Christlike generosity.
We are generous because He has been generous to us.
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32
He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:3). As Christians, we are abundantly blessed so that we will be a blessing to others abundantly. This way, we reveal the character of God. This is how we glorify (reveal His glory) to the world.
We are generous because we love Him and love others.
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39
Love always gives and does so generously. God so loved the world that he gave what was the most valuable to Him—Jesus. As we learn God’s heart, we cannot help but be transformed by the Holy Spirit. First, we are called to love the Lord with all we have, and second, we must love others as ourselves. When we do these two things, sacrificial generosity becomes more natural to us.
We are generous because we are one family.
“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Acts 2:44-45
There is only one Church. The global Church is God’s family, and as a family, we take care of each other’s needs. We are one body and when one member of the body is in pain and in need, all members feel that pain and move to help and support. As we are generous to our beloved family members, we must be generous to God’s family members.
We are generous because we have faith in God.
“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
We give generously because we believe what God says in His word when He promises to bless us abundantly so that in all things, we will lack nothing, but have abundance so that we can abound in every good work. We give by faith because we know that not only will we not lack, but we will have even more so we can bless others more abundantly.
We are generous no matter how much we have.
“‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.’” Mark 12:43-44
We can make all kinds of excuses for withholding generosity, whether it be fear of financial struggles, lack of motivation, perceived stagnation with past contributions, or discouragement stemming from not being able to give very much. No matter the excuse, we must remember that God’s ways are not our ways. His math is not our math, and oftentimes it does not make sense. In Heavenly math, what you give is measured by how much you sacrificed. The widow gave more than all the others because her sacrifice was greater. The true measure of generosity lies not in the monetary value but in the proportion of one’s resources dedicated to advancing the Kingdom.
Making History
Big or small, we are called to action. We can no longer stand idly by while so much of the world, like Iran, is yearning for Jesus — crying out in desperation for a savior. We, as believers in the West, hold the keys to freedom that so much of the world has yet to know. Through our radical generosity and by investing where God is working, we can partner with Him to change the nations. Iran is ready for a major change. Iran is ready to be transformed from a curse to the world, to a blessing to the world. Iranian Christians are ready to sacrifice — even their lives — for the Lord. Let us stand by them as family and help them make Iran the first Islamic nation that turns to Christ. Let us work together and give generously to see His throne established in Iran as promised in Jeremiah 49:38.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/kieferpix
Dr. Hormoz Shariat is the founder of Iran Alive Ministries, which utilizes Satellite TV to reach the millions of lost and broken people in Iran and the rest of the Middle East. Today, they broadcast the Gospel 24/7 from their studio in Dallas to Iran and the Middle East Dr. Shariat firmly believes that Iran will be the first Islamic nation that turns to Christ. He is the author of the book “Iran’s Great Awakening,” which is the No. 1 source of information about what is happening in Iran today, and how the Bible prophecies align with current events.
