Living for Giving | Generosity is our Joy

We’ve been declaring all year that we are Christ’s ambassadors, pleading, “Come back to God.” Today I called us to live with open hands and surrendered hearts—to live forgiving. Our culture disciples us to protect our time, hold tight to our resources, and give only to the “worthy.” Jesus disciples us to a different way: generosity that reflects His heart, not our convenience. I shared how much of what we enjoy—even the seats we sit in—exists because someone else gave. Many of us don’t struggle with selfishness as much as we struggle with spiritual self-awareness: we walk past needs God has already equipped us to meet.

Romans 12 tells us worship starts with surrender. God isn’t after an amount but a posture—our lives offered as living sacrifices. Dead sacrifices can’t move; living ones can crawl off the altar when surrender gets uncomfortable. So we choose, again and again, to stay on the altar. Generosity grows from there. It’s both a gift and a muscle—some of us give naturally, others must practice intentionally. Small, inconvenient yeses—serving, stopping for a neighbor, giving away what’s on our feet—form us into people God can trust with more.

I contrasted transactional giving—where gifts become leverage—with sacrificial giving that expects nothing in return. I told the story of my stepdad paying for our wedding, never once holding it over us. That is the heart of the Father. We also looked at Mary breaking her alabaster jar. Others called it waste; Jesus called it beautiful. She measured the worth of Jesus, not the cost of the gift. When we fixate on cost, we forget the price He’s already paid.

Purpose often hides inside obedience. Hal Donaldson’s pain became Convoy of Hope because neighbors showed compassion and he chose the next kind thing. Every act of generosity plants a seed of purpose—in your life and someone else’s. If we’ll stop copying the customs of this world and surrender, serve, and give, we’ll actually discern God’s will. This is how we finish strong: not as consumers, but as a people whose worship looks like time, treasure, and presence poured out for Jesus and His bride.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Giving begins with surrender. Generosity starts where self-rule ends. Romans 12 calls us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices—worship that begins in the heart before it ever touches the wallet. Surrender reorders our loves and frees us from the grip of scarcity. When we yield, God forms us into givers who mirror His heart. [24:31]
• 2. Stay on the altar daily. Living sacrifices feel the fire and still stay. When surrender gets uncomfortable, we’re tempted to crawl off the altar—retreating into convenience and control. Maturity is choosing again to remain where God is refining us. Staying put opens the door to deeper trust and usefulness. [26:19]
• 3. Generosity is gift and muscle. Some are naturally inclined to give; others must train their hearts through intentional practice. Like any muscle, generosity grows with use—through small, inconvenient yeses that tune our attention to the Spirit. Over time we become the kind of people God can interrupt and deploy. [30:05]
• 4. Measure Jesus’ worth, not cost. Mary’s alabaster offering offended calculators but delighted Jesus. She didn’t weigh the gift; she weighed His worth. When we obsess over what generosity “costs,” we reveal a love still learning its scale. Worship calls us to pour out because He is worthy. [40:13]
• 5. Giving unlocks purpose and calling. Real love gives, and every gift plants a seed of purpose. Hal Donaldson turned pain into provision by doing the next kind thing—now blessing millions. Obedience doesn’t deplete us; it aligns us with the future God is building. Step into generosity, and watch clarity follow. [41:05]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:22] - Finish Strong: Ambassadors for Christ
• [01:16] - Living, Forgiving: Open Hands
• [02:56] - Culture of Scarcity vs Kingdom Giving
• [09:15] - Self-Awareness, Not Selfishness
• [11:42] - From Consuming to Contributing
• [17:03] - Transactional vs Sacrificial Giving
• [21:08] - Inconvenience and the Bride of Christ
• [22:03] - Romans 12: Living Sacrifices
• [24:31] - Surrender: Posture Before Amount
• [30:05] - Generosity: Gift and Growing Muscle
• [33:40] - Stories That Shape a Lifestyle
• [36:38] - From Pain to Purpose: Convoy of Hope
• [39:38] - Mary’s Alabaster and True Worth
• [41:05] - Purpose Unlocked Through Real Love

1. What picture does Paul use for our worship in Romans 12:1, and what practical behaviors flow from that image? [24:31]
2. What does the passage say about how believers should relate to the patterns of this world? [24:31]
3. What differences are described between giving as a transaction and giving as a sacrifice? Give one concrete example the speaker used to illustrate each. [17:03]
4. Which specific acts did the speaker name as “small, inconvenient yeses” that train a heart to give? [30:05]

1. How does presenting one’s body “as a living sacrifice” change the meaning of worship from a one-time act to daily posture? What tensions arise from calling something both “living” and a “sacrifice”? [26:19]
2. In what way does refusing to “be conformed to this world” re-order someone’s priorities about time, money, and presence? How might that re-ordering affect decisions about ordinary weekday choices? [24:31]
3. If generosity is both a gift and a muscle, how should a community balance honoring natural givers while encouraging those who must grow in generosity through practice? [30:05]
4. What does Mary’s act of pouring costly perfume on Jesus’ feet teach about how worth is assessed in worship? How does that contrast with evaluating a gift by its cost? [39:38]

1. The call to present your body as a living sacrifice means choosing to stay on the altar when surrender gets uncomfortable. What is one area in your schedule or plans where you feel tempted to “crawl off the altar,” and what is one concrete step you can take this week to remain surrendered there? [26:19]
2. The Bible asks for a posture before an amount. Where do you default to measuring generosity by cost rather than by heart posture? Name one resource (time, money, skill, possession) you can offer in the next 7 days and how you will do it. [27:15]
3. Generosity grows with practice. What is one small, inconvenient yes you can commit to this month (for example: stop for someone on the road, help a busy parent, show up early to serve), and how will you make it happen? [30:05]
4. Real love gives and each act of generosity can plant purpose. Who in your life or neighborhood could receive a practical, sacrificial gift from you that might open a door for long-term change? Describe the gift and one next step you will take. [37:04]
5. Mary measured Jesus’ worth, not the cost of her gift. What is one long-held possession, plan, or comfort you are holding tightly that you sense might be an idol, and what is one practical way you could begin to release it as an act of worship? [39:38]
6. Transactional giving keeps score; sacrificial giving expects nothing in return. Is there a recent example where you gave and quietly expected repayment, approval, or recognition? How would you repent of that posture and what new habit will you try to give without expectation? [17:03]