Christ Study Blog

“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