Generous Living: Giving Our Whole Life
We live generously because Christ gave first.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ at New Hope,
We recently began our Generous Living series, during which we are talking about what it means to live a generous life in the way Jesus intended. We are reading Scripture, hearing stories, and being challenged to stretch ourselves in new ways.
When I talk about living generously, I am not just talking about money! There is so much more to it. When I refer to living generously, what I mean is to give freely, to willingly share resources like time, skills, and money, without expecting anything in return. Generous living includes being kind to others, being selfless, willingly giving away our resources, and being encouraging to those around us. It’s a virtue. Generous living is a result of following Jesus and recognizing that everything we have is a gift from God.
Some people have asked: Where do I even begin? How do I start living generously? I think these are excellent questions.
Jesus’ Generosity
Jesus gives us our best example of generous living. Matthew 15 includes two stories of the generous and compassionate heart of Jesus. He heals the demon-possessed daughter of a Canaanite woman (verses 21–28) and He feeds the four thousand (verses 29–38). Over and over again, Jesus healed, fed, and loved people. In both instances, there was no real profit or benefit to Him—Jesus simply wanted to be a blessing to those who would receive.
Jesus lived a lifestyle of compassionate generosity even without having any assets or financial wealth. Remember, Jesus was essentially homeless. He didn’t have a lot of stuff, but He still constantly gave of Himself.
Of course, none of us can feed the masses or heal people without money. We don’t have the power to perform miracles in the same way that Jesus did. But we can be a part of a miracle of generosity and compassion when we live a life of generosity.
L.I.F.E. – A Lifestyle of Generosity
The best acrostic I have seen to fit this lifestyle of generosity is the word L.I.F.E.:
Labor
Influence
Financial resources
Expertise
This leads me to how we get started. Think about and pray about how you can use your labor, influence, financial resources, and expertise to make a difference for God’s Kingdom.
L is for LABOR
At New Hope, we have a need for many servants to fulfill the “jobs” of ministry. This is part of living generously. We freely give our time for the work of the Kingdom. We are purposely going to move away from the use of the term volunteer. God did not call volunteers—but servants.
Here are some ideas where you can use your labor to serve Jesus’ church at New Hope. I know I’ve left a lot off this list, but it gives you some ideas:
Children’s ministry check-in, small groups, Parents’ Night Out servants, and more!
Youth ministry leaders and mentors
Young adult (18–26) mentors
Welcome Team for Sunday morning
Pew clean-up team
Communion preparation team
Technical Arts team
Security team
Music teams
Small group and Bible study leaders
Family Promise servants (to make meals, stay overnight, help set up and tear down)
Disaster Recovery
Buddy Break (special needs ministry)
Lawn mowers!
For more info, contact Paton Cadwallader at paton@findnewhope.com
I is for INFLUENCE
Not everyone is in a season of life where you can get to the church easily or dedicate time consistently. I understand that. But your influence is still needed.
The single greatest way you can influence God’s work in our community and at New Hope Church is through your prayers. Be the greatest prayer warrior that New Hope has ever seen. Choose a specific time and place every day to pray for New Hope.
We have a dedicated prayer team that meets on Wednesday nights—and it would be amazing for you to participate.
Contact Rev. Lavetta Pope at lavetta@findnewhope.com to get connected.
But even if you can’t attend, there are many ways you can pray for New Hope:
Pray that we can effectively disciple the next generation of believers.
Pray that God gives our people the opportunities and courage to share their faith stories with others.
Pray that God leads new people to New Hope.
Pray for strength and protection for the staff and clergy.
Pray for the church to have laser focus on its mission: Know Jesus, Grow Faith, Go Multiply.
Pray for changed hearts and lives for people who attend Sunday morning worship, Wednesday night activities, and our many other ministries.
Pray that we can effectively reach into the community around the church.
Pray that the whole church recognizes their need to serve and be active in New Hope ministries.
Pray that we can actively remove a spirit of complacency.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will be present and moving on our campus.
Pray that God will remove strongholds that may be present at New Hope and are keeping us from thriving.
Pray for the renovations of the preschool and that we can reopen New Hope Early Learning with a large number of new kids in August 2026.
Pray for both our English and Spanish-speaking congregations to be fruitful in all we do.
Pray that we put Jesus first in all our decisions.
F is for FINANCIAL RESOURCES
Financial resources is exactly what it sounds like—it takes money to do ministry. Part of generous living is giving our finances to the church. No one really likes to talk about it, but it’s true.
And God has designed the church to address this. It’s an interesting model. God designed His church to be self-supporting. That means the family members—the church body itself—gives the money to support the work of the church.
And there’s good reason for this. We firmly believe that every single thing we have is a gift from God. We may think we’ve earned our money and stuff, but really it is God who provides. He gives us the ability to work, to think, to write, to labor, and so forth.
What He asks is that, in return, we give back 10% to His work in this world. This tithe is an act of trust. It’s acknowledging that God is the one who provides and will take care of us in good times and in bad.
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
— Malachi 3:10
Giving is the only area in the whole Bible in which God tells us to test Him. Give a tithe and God will open the floodgates of heaven. He will provide for you and bless you. Blessing may not always come in financial ways but it will come.
If giving 10% seems unreasonable, then I would ask that you be intentional. Look at how much you currently give and stretch yourself. If it’s 3%, try to grow to 7%.
At New Hope, we offer a money-back guarantee.
If you tithe for six months and feel that God has not blessed you, we will refund your money.
Some people also have the means to go over and above the tithe. God has blessed some with the ability to make money for the purpose of blessing others. If that’s you, and you feel God calling you to make an extra gift, please give me a call and we can talk about our current needs.
E is for EXPERTISE
The New Testament speaks a great deal about the importance of using our gifts to serve Jesus’ church.
All of us have been gifted differently—and the church will always be at a deficit until we are all working together as the body of Christ.
If you’ve been gifted with musical ability, then it’s time to join the Worship Team.
If you’ve been gifted as a teacher, Jesus’ church needs you.
If you have the gift of leadership, prophecy, encouragement, craftsmanship, or administration—we need you.
The Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts when we say yes to Jesus for a unique purpose: to build up the church. Some of us also have natural or acquired gifts that can be used for Kingdom work.
Part of living generously is using your expertise to expand God’s Kingdom.
Every single follower of Jesus, regardless of age, can and should utilize their gifts for the church.
Need help with this?
We would love to chat with you!
I’ve covered a lot here, and if you’ve made it to the end of this letter—congratulations!
I am always available to talk with you about how to serve and live generously at New Hope. If you can’t tell, I’m passionate about Jesus and about New Hope.
Feel free to contact me personally:
Pastor Vicki Harrison
vicki@findnewhope.com
(813) 310‑3884
Please know that you are loved.
Blessings,
Pastor Vicki