Igniting Hope through Acts of Generosity
Why were the gifts from the church in Philippi a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, very pleasing to God? Because with their gifts, they joined Paul in supporting his gospel ministry. Acts of generosity are the fuel that advances much of the work of the Gospel around the world!
Focused Generosity
There has been an explosion of organizations and individuals asking for money. You now see Go Fund Me requests on Facebook while getting yet more appeals by mail, email, and even texts. While watching TV, you see ads to help suffering children or pets, or for some other cause. All this competes with opportunities to be generous to your friends, family, neighbors, and those at your church. You want to be generous, but how do you decide who to help or where to give?
Misunderstood Generosity
When our city was struck by the derecho two months ago, one huge part of our ash tree broke off during the storm. That portion, with its thick trunk and its many branches, stretched at least 40 feet from behind our garage, over the (now crushed) chain-link fence, and into our neighbor’s yard. It landed with the top of the tree in their patio, pushing against the back of their house.
Generosity Nurtures Generosity
We all want to see our world be more generous to each other. We all want our children not to be selfish. We all want to see the work of God fully funded so that His Kingdom is advanced around the world. And one way we can help make those dreams become a reality is to lead the way by being generous with the blessings God has already freely bestowed upon us.
Grace-Based Generosity
Why are our hearts not moved like this woman who wept on Jesus’ feet and anointed them with perfume? Why do we fail to show generosity in our actions to God and to those made in His image? Could it be because we have failed to see how generous God has been to us?
Guilt-Free Generosity
I have seen deep poverty in many parts of the world, yet none impacted me like what I saw in rural India. In the small village where I was visiting a Compassion Child Development Center, families lived in shelters that looked like they would fall over if you sneezed on them. During the hot nights of summer, families would often sleep on the ground outside their shelter. Tragically, I learned that one little girl suffered life-threatening injuries when a cow stepped on her in the middle of the night.
