Study Guide: Target Generosity 2026
Key Verse: "Ship your grain across the sea..." (Ecclesiastes 11:1)
I. Introduction (10-15 minutes)
• If you had to define a "generous" person you have known in your life, what was their main characteristic? Was it a matter of money, time, or attitude?
• What was your initial reaction to the idea of making "becoming a better person" a resolution for 2026?
II. Bible Study: Honor and Sacrifice
1. The Quality of our Giving (Malachi 1:6-8)
• In this text, God reproaches the people for offering blind or crippled animals. Translated into modern life, what does a "blind or crippled sacrifice" look like that we might offer to God today (in our service, our personal worship, or our finances)? Why is it so tempting to give God what is "left over" rather than what "costs" us something?
2. The Source of Generosity (2 Corinthians 8:1-5)
• The Macedonians gave while they were in "extreme poverty" and "severe trial." What does this teach us about the link between our financial/emotional situation and our capacity to be generous?
• Verse 5 says they "gave themselves first of all to the Lord." Why is this step essential before we can give our possessions or our time?
III. Personal Application: The 4 Dimensions
1. Financial Generosity (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)
• What do you think of the 10/10/80 principle (10% God, 10% savings, 80% living)? Does this challenge seem exciting or intimidating to you for this year?
• How can we move from giving "under compulsion" to giving "with joy"?
2. The Generosity of Forgiveness (Colossians 3:13 and 2 Corinthians 2:5-11)
• Paul says that a lack of forgiveness allows Satan to "outwit us" or "take advantage of us." Have you ever seen bitterness divide a community or a family?
• Is there a "relational debt" that you need to cancel at the start of this year to set your heart free?
3. Generosity of Time and Talents
• The world pushes us toward efficiency and speed. How can we practically "slow down" this week to be truly present for someone else?
IV. Putting it into Practice & Prayer Weekly Challenge:
Each group member chooses one concrete action of generosity to accomplish before the next meeting:
• Make an unexpected donation or gift.
• Offer one hour of listening to someone.
• Initiate a step toward reconciliation.
• Commit to a new service within the church.
Prayer Points:
• Ask God to transform our fear of "not having enough" into trust in His provision.
• Pray that our church will be recognized in the city for its generosity in 2026.
• Pray for those going through a "severe trial" so that they may taste the joy of the Macedonians.
READ,
MEDITATE,
PRAY,
SERVE,
BE LIVE,
IN CHRIST
Ecclesiastes 11:1 encourages generosity and faith by stating, "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days." This suggests that acts of kindness and investment may yield returns in the future, even if the outcome is uncertain.
Overview of Ecclesiastes 11:1
Ecclesiastes 11:1 states, "Cast your bread
upon the waters, for you will find it after
many days." This verse encourages acts of
generosity and faith, suggesting that
giving or investing without immediate
expectation of return can lead to future
rewards.
Key Themes
Generosity and Faith
- Act of Giving: The phrase "cast your
- bread" symbolizes sharing resources
- or kindness.
- Trust in Return:The promise of finding
- it again emphasizes faith in divine
- provision and the idea that good
- deeds will eventually yield benefits.
Practical Application
- Investment Analogy: The verse can be
- interpreted as a metaphor for
- investing in others or in ventures,
- trusting that these efforts will bear
- fruit over time.
- Encouragement to Act: It suggests
- that waiting for perfect conditions can
- lead to missed opportunities; one
- should act generously even amidst
- uncertainty.
Related Verses
- Ecclesiastes 11:6: "In the morning sow
- thy seed, and in the evening withhold
- not thine hand; for thou knowest not
- whether shall prosper, either this or
- that."
- Deuteronomy 15:10: Highlights the
- importance of giving without regret,
- assuring blessings from God.
This verse, along with its context,
encourages a proactive and generous
approach to life, emphasizing the
importance of faith and trust in the
outcomes of our actions.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 encourages generosity and faith by stating, "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days." This suggests that acts of kindness and investment may yield returns in the future, even if the outcome is uncertain.
Overview of Ecclesiastes 11:1
Ecclesiastes 11:1 states, "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days." This verse encourages acts of generosity and faith, suggesting that giving or investing without immediate expectation of return can lead to future rewards.
Key Themes
Generosity and Faith
Act of Giving: The phrase "cast your bread" symbolizes sharing resources or kindness.
Trust in Return: The promise of finding it again emphasizes faith in divine provision and the idea that good deeds will eventually yield benefits.
Practical Application
Investment Analogy: The verse can be interpreted as a metaphor for investing in others or in ventures, trusting that these efforts will bear fruit over time.
Encouragement to Act: It suggests that waiting for perfect conditions can lead to missed opportunities; one should act generously even amidst uncertainty.
Ecclesiastes 11:6: "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand; for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that."
Deuteronomy 15:10:
Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
Highlights the importance of giving without regret, assuring blessings from God.
This verse, along with its context, encourages a proactive and generous approach to life, emphasizing the importance of faith and trust in the outcomes of our actions.
The verse 11:1 in different translations:
New International Version
Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return.
New Living Translation
Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you.
English Standard Version
Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.
Berean Standard Bible
Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.
King James Bible
Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
New King James Version
Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days.
Malachi 1:6–8 (NIV)
Breaking Covenant Through Blemished Sacrifices
⁶ “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty.
“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.
“But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’
⁷ “By offering defiled food on my altar.
“But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’
“By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. ⁸When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals,w is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.
2 Corinthians 8:1-5 (New International Version)
The Collection for the Lord’s People
⁸ And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ² In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. ⁵ And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (New International Version)
Generosity Encouraged
⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ 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. ⁸ 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.
Colossians 3:13 (New International Version)
¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
2 Corinthians 2:5-11 (New International Version)
Forgiveness for the Offender
⁵ If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. ⁶ The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. ⁷ Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸ I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹ Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. ¹⁰ Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, ¹¹ in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
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