Showing a Spirit of Generosity

“Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts.” – Acts 2:46

The Scriptures are clear – all things are created by God and given to us human beings as managers for God. All things given to us by God are to be used as a blessing not only for us, but also for others. I believe that we are all generous with some things to some people, yet we are called to be generous with all we are and all we have. Recently a family has witnessed this to me.

I was always amazed at the generosity of this family. They seemed to always be focusing on people other than themselves. They shared their time with the church and with individuals. They shared their home over the years with many who were in need of a place to stay for a while – or sometimes for longer. They always asked others how they were doing – and they really wanted to know. What a great witness they were to the call to be generous!

Yet, there was one area of their lives that they never believed they could be generous – their financial giving. This family was not wealthy; in fact, they often fell on hard times. They felt badly that they were not able to be financially generous, but they knew that they were generous in so many other ways.

At the annual congregational stewardship drive, I remember preaching and teaching the biblical invitation to tithe. The family had heard this invitation before – but this particular year something was different – and they came to me and the said that they were taking a huge leap of faith. They told me that they were going to increase their giving from 2% to 10% and that they were very excited to do this.

I remember thinking, “Not you! You have two children in college and your combined income is only $30,000.00! You are so generous in everything else!” However, I know that when the Lord calls, the Lord provides. Therefore, I told them that I was very excited for them and that I knew that the Lord would continue to do amazing things in and through their generosity.

The Lord blessed them in their generosity, their faith continued to grow, and they were filled with joy.

Bringing It Home:
1. Are you hearing the call to be generous with your life? With your spiritual gifts? With your money? A bit apprehensive about actually being able to do it? Ask God to give you a spirit of generosity. Pray that God would help you trust in God’s provision for you, so that you take a leap of faith and grow your generosity.

2. Who are the generous people in your life? Who has given themselves and/or their resources to you and showed you the spirit of generosity in action. Say a prayer of thanks for them and write them a note of gratitude.

Prayer:
Lord God, you are such a giving God, even giving your own Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for your unbounded generosity to me. I pray that I might trust you enough to let the blessings I have received flow through me to others. Give me a spirit of generosity. Help me to become more generous in every area of my life. Amen.

John A. Holm
Transforming Church Institute
www.transformingchurch.net

Called To Bear Fruit

Jesus said, “Every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.” – Matthew 7:17

Gardening is not one of my strengths. I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to plants, and I certainly don’t have a green thumb. Yet I’ve found that I don’t have to be an expert to know certain basics. For example, I don’t look for apples to grow on a cherry tree. When I see an apple, I know it comes from an apple tree; when I see cherries, I know they come from a cherry tree.

In short, without being an expert, I can easily see that certain trees only produce certain types of fruit, and, conversely, that certain fruits only come from certain types of trees.

Jesus said to the crowd that had gathered around him, “Every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.” He went on to offer what logically follows: “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” I suspect that Jesus used that metaphor, at least in part, because everyone could understand it.

Just as we can tell the type of tree by the fruit it produces, so God can tell what we are really like by the lives we lead. What’s more, other people can tell as well. Other people, or course, only see the fruit of our lives; they are left to infer the type of tree from which it comes.

What do people think when they look at your life? What kind of fruit do they find? What will they infer about the tree from which it comes? Will they want to be that kind of tree themselves?

Even good trees, of course, have some bad fruit. Some of the fruit is attacked by insects or birds, some falls to the ground prematurely. The orchard owner knows that, and is forgiving. God forgives us, too. However, God, like the owner of the orchard, does everything possible to enable the fruit trees to produce good fruit. What kind of fruit are you producing?

Bringing It Home:

1. Just as the orchard owner does all that he can to enable the trees in the orchard to produce good fruit, so God provides means to help us produce good fruit. One of those means is the Bible. How are you doing when it comes to spending time with God’s Word? If you’re not already doing so, can you start this week with a plan to read a portion of the Bible every day?

2. Another means that God gives us to enhance our fruitfulness is the gift of Christian community. Are you an active participant in a Christian community?

Prayer:
Gracious God, you call us to bear good fruit. Help me to be a good tree. By your Holy Spirit strengthen and sustain me that I might bear good fruit for your kingdom. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Dave Hanson
Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Wheaton, IL
www.holycrosswheaton.org

Seeking Contentment

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” – Matthew 6:24-25a (NRSV)

Even though we in the United States live in one of the wealthiest nations on earth, many studies show that the number one worry we have is money. We have more food, clothing, housing, cars, jewelry, and electronics than we could ever need – and yet, we worry about money. Why?

Money is like an appetite — the more you feed it the larger it grows. American commercial culture today tells us that we must have the newest, shiniest, most cutting edge things. And we must have more pay, insurance, and investments to feel secure. We are constantly told that unless we purchase various products we will never measure up to the standards demanded by society. All that takes money. Therefore, simply put, we desire and worship money.

The result is that we will never have enough money or the things money can buy. We will always worry that we don’t have enough. And in and through all of this worry we have no room for desiring,
worshipping, and serving God, our very Creator and Redeemer! Timothy tells us how to begin changing that wrong thinking and longing:

1. Put your trust and hope in God, not money
Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. – 1
Timothy 6:17 (NLT)

2. Know that GENEROSITY will bridle discontentment
Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. 1 Timothy 6:18-19 (NLT)

Bringing It Home:

1. Give something significant (according to the world’s standards) away.

2. Pray for mercy, that the Holy Spirit can give you the strength to do what would be counter-intuitive to the ways of the World: being a person who stops desiring the things of this world and one who longs for the living God.

Prayer:

Lord God, you have created an ever abundant world. I thank you for the abundance of material blessings you have entrusted me with. Help me to fully receive all you give me, but also help me to never trust in your gifts more than I trust in you. Help me be a generous steward of my money and my possessions so that my life always gives you glory. Amen.

John A. Holm
Transforming Church Institute
www.transformingchurch.net