Generous on Every Occasion

Our Gospel Culture for this week is Generosity. I know some amazingly generous people. I am not one of them. I was sharing with our community group last night that my first reaction, even if it is only for a couple of seconds, to any kind of request is almost invariably negative. Even when I was working and I was asked to do something that was actually my job, resistance was my instinctive response. I always did what was required with enthusiasm, but I invariably had to overcome the initial barrier.

Yet the Bible says, “Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7 MSG) Some versions read, “God loves a cheerful giver.”

Our group discussion was very helpful to me. My husband suggested that if we keep our eyes open to see the needs of others, we can initiate the generosity and offer to help. It is much easier to be a cheerful giver when one initiates the giving. Somebody else pointed out that generosity is not limited to giving money, although that is how we usually regard it. We can be generous with our possessions, with our time and talents as well as our finances. He pointed out that nowhere in Corinthians 8 or 9 is the gift of money specifically mentioned. It could have been food, clothes or other necessities that the Jerusalem church was lacking.

Friends of ours own a beach house and take delight in blessing others with a holiday by the sea. They are cheerful givers.

Dolphins swimming past the Beach House

Another generous lady offered to babysit for a couple who are both musicians and sometimes serve in the worship team together. Another example of cheerful giving.

My You Version Bible plan for this morning reinforced these thoughts. It was based on James 2:26. “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (ESV) I tried to think of anybody I knew who had a need. The thought came into my mind that a certain friend needed a phone call. Before I could even put the thought into action, she phoned me. I was amazed how readily God responded when I opened a space for Him in my busy day. We were both blessed.

My Prayer

Lord Jesus, please help me to open my thoughts to You more and more during the day. Open my eyes to see the needs of others around me and conform my heart to Your heart of generosity so I can be a cheerful giver. Amen.

Generosity

4 January 2022

In the first week of December, we went to Dube Private Game Reserve, near Brits, with our daughter and the three grandchildren. (Our son-in-law had to work, unfortunately, and one thing the bush doesn’t have is good internet options for zoom meeting.)

They offer a very good mid-week special from Sunday afternoon to Friday morning out of school holidays for R650 for two. It is one of our favourite places to camp. Besides the game reserve in which one can walk, drive or cycle, there are lovely pools with water slides as well as an indoor pool, a café/fast food outlet and excellent ablutions.

This giraffe thinks nothing of wandering into the caravan park, having an early morning snack, and wandering out again.

The week we went was the last week before the public school holidays. Our grandchildren attend a school where the school terms are slightly different so they were already on holiday.

On the Tuesday, members of staff came around to every site handing out leaflets inviting us all to tea at the Shalom Hall on the Wednesday. When we got there, it turned out to be not so much a tea, but a glorious Christmas party with appropriate musical numbers by some very talented people, scrumptious and plentiful food and festive décor.

All the guests at the Christmas party.

The owners told us they wanted to honour God for helping them get through the rough times of Covid and for all His goodness to them. They also wanted to thank us for our support. First they called for all the children and gave them each an envelope which turned out to contain a hundred-Rand note. Then they called up each person who had booked a site and gave them an envelope containing five hundred-Rand notes. We could hardly believe it. Such generosity is beyond the normal run of life.

I believe that generous people display more of the image of God than some of the rest of us. God’s generosity is not based on any merit of ours but on Who God is. “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

It is not enough to admire generous people. We are all called to be generous. Jesus said, “Freely you have received, freely give,”(Matthew 10:8b NIV) and “ Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”(Luke 6:38 NIV)

My Prayer

Father God, everything I have is a gift from You. Please help me to be generous to others as You have been to me. Amen.