Divine Generosity: Unconditional Sharing Beyond Reciprocity
Divine generosity is organized in a completely different way than the usual human method of assessing and distributing gifts. In the traditional human approach, there prevails a system of reciprocal exchange, where every gift is evaluated, measured, and must be reciprocated with an equivalent response. In contrast, divine generosity does not consider things as personal property; rather, it views them as gifts bestowed upon a person by God, with the human being acting merely as a steward and intermediary in the further distribution of these gifts.
As clearly stated in one of the sources:
"The Lord gives nothing to anyone as exclusive property, but He gives as an intermediary who will help Him in the distribution of gifts. We are all intermediaries and helpers in the distribution of gifts. Everything is God’s, nothing is our own." (source: link txt)
This quotation emphasizes that the divine system of gifting is not based on the “you to me, and I to you” approach, but on the understanding that all wealth and all talents are given to a person so that they can be shared with others. Here, giving has not only a material but also a spiritual dimension. A person who gives generously receives a double blessing, as his willingness to give something beyond mere material goods makes him an instrument in God’s hands to assist others.
Another quote reinforces this idea, showing that in divine generosity the measure of gifts far exceeds the bounds of ordinary human conceptions:
"Here He repays one hundredfold, and there, in addition, grants eternal life – and yet no one counts on retaining (his accumulated possessions)... This is precisely the greatest sign of His generosity, that not here in this perishable life does He repay us; rather, it is better to say that He repays one hundredfold here." (source: link txt)
Thus, divine generosity surpasses traditional human conceptions precisely because it does not operate on strict equivalents of exchange, but functions on the principle of unconditional giving—encompassing the material, the spiritual, and the emotional. Instead of measuring one’s contribution by the benefit received, a person becomes a steward of the gifts, managing them for the good of not only themselves but everyone around, recognizing that ultimately everything belongs to God.