Thursday, January 23, 2025

           Most Christians would believe that generosity is a virtue worth pursuing.  Most would even like to think of themselves as generous people (certainly as opposed to being stingy or tight-fisted).  We often think of generosity in terms of money.  And rightfully so. Money is certainly one way that we can practice generosity.  For example, Paul wrote, “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” (2 Corinthians 9:7).  And just a few verses later, in the same letter, Paul added, “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:11).  There are some lessons that stand out for us to see.
            First, generosity can be developed and cultivated.  We are born with a certain color of eyes and a certain blood type.  Those qualities are not really selected by our parents or us.  We have a distinct set of fingerprints.  But we can learn to be generous.  We can practice this quality.  We can choose to see situations as opportunities where we can give (money, time, service, prayers, etc.).  You might be limited by the time you can offer but you can give money.  You might not have the abilities to volunteer but you can pray generously—without ceasing as the Bible says.
            Second, generosity is usually a decision of the heart.  When we recognize how good God has been to us, we can easily see the importance of responding and using His blessings in a way to assist others and to glorify Him.  Our church has been able to support Western North Carolina relief efforts in generous ways and the reason is we believe God has blessed us so those blessings flow into lives, homes and communities where the needs are great.  We can each, individually, make a decision to be generous with what has been given to us.  Rather than accumulating more and more (like the rich fool that Jesus spoke about in Luke 12:13-21), we look for opportunities to deploy and unleash what we have been given.
            Third, generosity brings glory and gratitude to God.  People have a chance to praise the Lord for His goodness and provisions.  We can deflect the attention and praise that we might receive to the Lord so that He is glorified.  It does bring us joy when we watch others give praise to God for what God’s people have provided or given because God has generously made these blessings available for us to use.
            Fourth, as Paul noted, there is usually room for generosity in any and every situation.  God may lead us to be the generous person in a situation that calls for it.  We worship and serve a God of abundance and not scarcity.  Jesus seemed to emphasize this when He said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).  When we serve with the Lord in mind, we realize that we never run out or run dry.
            Generosity calls us to be open-handed in ways beyond money—generous with time, prayer, love, grace, forgiveness and encouragement.  Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”  We can change the course of a day or a life with the words we speak and the attitude behind them.  Forgiveness works the same way.  Matthew wrote, “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times’” (Matthew 18:21-22).  The life of Jesus is a portrait of generosity—leaving His place with the Father to be born into a sinful world to offer His life as a ransom for many.  Perhaps today there is a place where you can step into and make a difference—a place that cries out for some form of generosity. Have a great Thursday!