Generosity Beyond Our Wildest Imagination

Reflections from a young man listening to the Sermon on the Mount

. . . I am a shepherd. It had been a hard week. I had been out on the hills with the sheep. Our best ewe had fallen in a crevice and died in the storm. I had just come into town last night. I had run out of food and was so hungry.

More than Enough

The people of God have everything they need to accomplish what God requires. When God gave instructions for the building of the temple, the furnishings, art work and embroidery, all the necessary resources were also supplied. The Spirit of God filled Bezalel with wisdom, understanding, knowledge and all kinds of skills (v 31). God also gave Oholiab and Bezalel the skill to teach others (v 34). God freely extended ability to everyone who was willing to come and do the work (36:2).

Read More generosity, resources, ability

Have Mercy

Lord, have mercy.

In my experience he does – plenty of it, which is a very good thing for us. The question is whether we will have mercy for anyone else. Having received mercy, can we find it in our heart to extend mercy?

Mercy is getting better than what we have coming. As Jesus says, when you repay money you have been lent, no mercy is required.

Givers and takers

Many troubles awaited David as he returned to resume full authority as king over Judah and Israel. Tribes, clans and factions are a challenge to even the most judicious of leaders.

At this stage of his comeback, David needed reliable people at his side. He knew he could count on Barzillai, a wealthy man from the northern reaches of the kingdom who had provided for David and his troops during the darkest hours of the insurrection. So David invited Barzillai to reside in the king’s court, a place of tremendous honour and prestige.

Read More generosity, loyalty, graciousness

Kingdom Effectiveness

Don’t you love to meet someone who is generous? They never count the cost but simply give out of their abundance – or out of their need or lack – so others can prosper. There is something godly about a heart of generosity. It is the plan of the kingdom of God. It is how God gets his work done on the earth. The early church was encouraged to come individually and give generously. They were all encouraged to participate. This is a call that is both individual and corporate.

Generous Stewardship

Proverbs is full of practical observations and counsel regarding stewardship and material wellbeing. This passage refers to two seemingly contrasting attributes: generosity and moderation.

Generosity is implied when the teacher notes, “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered” (v 13).

Pathways to Peace

We live in a world of conflict – a world of war. The joke for those mocking beauty pageants is that every contestant desires “world peace”. While most of us would love to see peace across the whole earth, most of us would actually settle for something a bit less ostentatious: peace in our families, work relationships and friendships.

Read More generosity, tongue, peacemaking

Just Because I Can

There are some things that we do “just because we can.” Freedom of choice is such a core value in our culture. We are libertarian in nature. We fervently believe that the only thing that should limit our choices is if our action adversely effects or hurts another person. But here is where I am pretty naïve – my actions almost always impact another person.

Read More poverty, generosity, integrity

Worshipping With Open Hands

The story of the first Christmas conjures up all sorts of images, not the least of which is the idyllic scene of the wise men kneeling at the manger of the Christ-child with their precious gifts.

The reality was more rustic.