Cultivating Generosity
The following are snippets, notes, and insights from the Advent 2026 Living Compass Study on “Cultivating Generosity with All Your Mind, Heart, Soul, and Strength.” (The free PDF version is still available for download here.)
Reading a devotional on a day-to-day basis, means we are sometimes not fully engaged, and instead are thinking about our day to come or the one that is wrapping up. But I found that when I went back and skimmed through the booklet to make a few notes, a valuable perspective of the full 4-week devotional as a whole revealed itself.
Cultivating Generosity
The root word for generosity is gene, meaning “give birth.” Like birth itself, generosity creates something brand new, and, along with it, new possibilities.
Generosity can take many forms. A financial gift can spark fresh beginnings of investment or repair, or much-needed food, for example. A word of encouragement can uplift a person’s spirit. A simple deed can be the catalyst for reviving hope or creating unexpected connections.
A story from the text about a stranger giving a ride up a steep hill illustrates how even small acts of kindness can open into moments of grace.
The beauty of cultivating generosity lies in how it blesses both the one who gives and the one who receives. As we share what we have—whether material goods, time, or presence—our own spiritual life deepens and grows. This mutual enrichment reveals something of how God’s love moves among us, flowing through every act of giving.
If we get nothing else from a 4 week Advent study of Practicing Generosity with All Our Heart, Soul, Strength and Mind, we don’t want to miss grounding our generosity in God’s extravagant generosity. Gratitude and an abundant mindset make up the foundation of all generosity.
Key Concepts
Again, the word generosity means to give birth or give life, to create a new beginning! Who knew? It is more than we ever thought. Creation is continuously birthed by God, pulsating with God’s generosity! All ground is holy ground. We live and move and have our being in God’s this creation and by the living Spirit in each of us. The divine is all around us, perceived by all of our senses. It is unconditional – the rain and the sun are equally given for the just and the unjust alike.
God’s extravagant love is the source of all good things! God’s generosity flows from a limitless abundance. When we are generous, more abundance is created! Think of the parable of the loaves and fishes.
We can live a generous life, starting with cultivating an abundance mindset. We can intend to be aware of our scarcity thoughts and fears and challenge them with abundant thinking! How might things look differently if I were able to be generous right now? Changing our thoughts can change our feelings. And JOY follows.
True generosity does not come from guilt, obligation or being seen as generous, but flows from a heart of genuine gratitude and love. A generous heart response may look like patience, forgiveness, understanding, silence, encouragement, listening, noticing, or giving our best. God’s generosity remains constant. His gifts from his full heart are being renewed and ready for us all the time. Are we ready to give when the need or opportunity arises?
Learning to receive from God’s generosity is paramount to our ability to be generous, too. Receive the gifts of beauty, kindness, rest, hope, relationship, breath, comfort…AND, be open to new possibilities, new thinking, new ways to live out abundant living. Just the way Christ wanted it for us…to give us life and life abundantly.
When we live with an abundant mindset, it is natural to give to others. One way this is acted out is in hospitality, the way we treat others, serve others, care for others and how we care for ourselves. Do we have compassion for our own pain?
Generosity is also about space. Can we make space for others? For God? For our own needs? Space to stop and give thanks like the one leper? Space also includes time and energy. Are we making space in our everyday lives to have the time and energy to be generous?
Conclusion – God’s extravagant, generous, abundant love spilled over into the birth of Christ. A new beginning. A wondrous, demonstrable gift of limitless love.
Jesus’ coming in our image reminds us that we are the image of God! Generosity challenges us to be just that. To demonstrate his love and hospitality – by gratefully receiving and by generously giving.
Where are you most able to be generous? When is being generous difficult? When do you feel grumpy about it and not want to share, let alone freely? When is it easiest? Most joyful?
Do you want to tell God all about it? Tell him when you notice the joy, or some fear and stinginess popping up? Check in with yourself. Are you curious what makes the difference? It is likely something silly or small, but God would love to chat with you about it! It could be the beginning of something new, a rebirthing, an opportunity to be surprised by the joy of giving generously.