Generosity is a Lifestyle
Generosity is a Reflection of Our Hearts
Generosity begins in the heart of God. While it is true that no one can out-give God, as beings created in God’s image, we are called to reflect God’s generosity. Generosity is not measured by size but rather by the intention of the heart and the faith that drives our giving. Jesus once saw a poor widow give 2 small copper coins to the temple treasury and said to his disciples “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Matthew 12:43-4) The woman’s gift was generous not because it was large but because it came from a grateful heart that knew everything was from God and that trusted in God’s provision. When we have experienced such generosity it pours out of us in all the ways that we give of ourselves.
Generosity Reorients Our Priorities
The practice of generosity shapes our life as disciples of Jesus by making us more like our Savior. Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25). As we follow Jesus, there is always a cost. We have to give up old things in order to lay hold of new ones. Sacrifice is part of the journey of Jesus and it will be for all who follow him. We give up our old life marked by scarcity and efforts to fill up our longings with more stuff, so that we can lay hold of a new life marked by abundance that knows God’s grace and goodness are more than enough. When it came time to build an altar to God in Jerusalem, King David insisted that he contribute to the building rather than expect others to pay the cost. He said, “I will not offer offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24)
Generosity is a Pathway to Abundant Life
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who knows us, protects us, and leads us. In John chapter 10, Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Abundance has nothing to do with the size of our bank accounts and everything to do with knowing that only God can satisfy the longings of the human heart. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 says, ”...charge them (the rich) not to be proud, not to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share…so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” When we let the generosity of God shape how we live, how we serve, and how we give of our time, our resources, and our talents, we come to understand the sort of abundance that only comes when we follow Jesus, trusting him in all things.
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If you have questions, need more information, or would like to set up specific donations, please contact Linda Thyne at lindathyne@willchapumc.org or fill out the form and she will be in touch with you shortly.