Generosity
There’s a verse written in chalk on our fridge that’s been there for a few years. It’s from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Scripture - The Message - and I just love his take on it:
“The world of the generous grows larger and larger.” Proverbs 11:25
I’m thinking a lot about the rising cost of living and the impact it’s having on people’s lives. Last week I wrote about the risk that our expectation gets reduced to the depth of our pockets rather than the riches of God’s resources. This week, I’m thinking about another risk - that we stop being generous.
Crises have a way of causing us to turn in on ourselves. We become so focused on what we lack that we fail to notice other people. It gives us such a narrow view of the world and allows a discrete problem to appear pervasive. The solution in God’s economy is generosity. Look up and out and find ways to give.
The obvious focus here is on money but please don’t mistake this for a fundraiser! I thoroughly believe in giving the first of our income to God’s work because it’s the only way to make temporary money work for eternity! It began with Abel giving God his best (Gen 4:4) and extends today in shaping where our hearts go (Matt 6:21).
Notice how Jesus praises the widow who gave two small coins (Mark 12:41-44). The amount wasn’t important to Jesus, it was the attitude of the giver. And as she gave all she had as an offering to God, she invested in something way bigger than herself. Her world grew.
We partner with Christians Against Poverty and they include a small donation in a new client’s budget, even if it’s just $1. It’s like a token that says, ‘I can’t give much now but even in the little I have, I want to train my heart to be generous. I want to invest in something bigger.’
We can also be generous in a lot of other ways. We can be generous with our time and how we invest that in others. We can use our skills and abilities to bless others. We can lend possessions freely. We can be generous in our praise and encouragement. The list goes on.
So even if things are tight, with all that God has given you, what can you give to God and to others? God is the ultimate giver having sent His one and only Son to give us new life for free. As we grow in giving, we increase the extent to which we reflect God and the message of the Gospel. It doesn’t get any bigger than that!
Much love,
Simon
This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>