Generous Living, Part 1
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ at New Hope,
This is Part 1 of a series on Generous Living.
Generous Living, Part 1
I want to share with you the stories of two fairly obscure people in Scripture.
The first individual is Barzillai, mentioned in 2 Samuel 19. Barzillai was a wealthy, older man from Gilead who provided crucial support to David and his army during a revolt by his son Absalom. Barzillai's generosity extended to escorting David and his army across the Jordan River (back into Israel) after Absalom's defeat. He used his own resources to ensure that David was cared for and safe. He was loyal to God and the king whom God anointed. Barzillai really is a picture of loyalty, generosity, kindness, and devotion to God and his people. And he is practically unknown! He must have also been pretty humble too.
The second person I want to highlight is a woman named Dorcas (also called Tabitha). We find her story at the end of Acts 9. Dorcas devoted her life to being generous with the poor and the most vulnerable in society. In the Acts text, we read that she had passed away and all the widows she cared for were gathered around her weeping. When Peter arrived, they showed him all the robes and clothing items she had lovingly made for them. Remember, at the time, widows had no way to provide for themselves. We don’t know if Dorcas was a woman of means. Her own circumstances are not mentioned. But we know she lived generously. In an incredible miracle, Peter raises Dorcas from the dead. This was such an incredible picture of the Good News! In everything she did, Dorcas lived out the good news of Jesus and she became a product of it herself.
As we think about Barzillai and Dorcas, we are reminded of followers of Jesus around the world – most of whom we’ll never know their names – but their generosity toward others in the name of Jesus will make a difference for eternity. These are people who use their time, talents, and resources to care for others, build up the Kingdom of God, spread the Gospel, and strengthen the Body of Christ. They live generously.
As we enter the summer, we are going to begin to focus on living generously as followers of Christ and as a church.
What does it mean to live generously? This is the Pastor Vicki definition:
“to live generously means 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, 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.
My bold God-sized dream is that we create a culture of living generously at New Hope. Let’s be a church family who:
Gives freely and abundantly – Let’s trust God to provide and stretch ourselves to give to God’s work in this world. This includes our resources, but also our time, skills, and talents.
Expects nothing in return – We don’t give of ourselves to get something back, such as some kind of acknowledgment. We give because God has called us to do so.
Extends radical grace and forgiveness – Part of living generously is forgiving others, even when they don’t deserve it.
Gives to people we don’t know – How can we be aware of people and situations who need support, care, prayer, and love?
Offers kindness and compassion in massive doses – Generous living manifests itself with a general attitude of kindness, compassion, and love toward others. This includes others who we may not agree with or particularly like.
Volunteers our time, even when it’s not convenient – Part of generous living is giving of our time to ministries that need our help.
How do you live generously?
What are some areas that God may be stretching you to do more?
Blessings,
Pastor Vicki