Introduction
One of the things we talked
about last week was maintaining a “willing spirit” (Psalm 51:12). This is the
sort of “spirit” that seeks to bring heaven to earth. This is to embrace God’s
will and give it priority. We seek to attach ourselves to what God wants to do
… in revealing his love for humankind. This is the prayer of the “willing
spirit”: “Our Father in heaven, honoured be your name. Your kingdom come; your
will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. And, for the “willing spirit” …
this is more than a prayer, it is more like a ‘mantra’ or a job description.
Application
One of the most telling and
practical aspects of a “willing spirit” is generosity. Generosity originates in
the heart of God, and has been seen in all the ways God has sought to connect
with and bless humanity and all creation. This, despite what we have done … in
rebellion against God, and in destruction of his creation. The greatest act of
generosity had to be sending Jesus … from the magnificence of heaven into the
chaos of earth, so that we might find relationship with God. For us to be able
to move past our old transgressions, and be regarded a child of God … is a
great act of generosity of God toward us.
So, the capacity to be
generous … springs from an appreciation that all the good things in life come
out of God’s heart of generosity, combined with an understanding … that there
is great need and neglect around us. As I will mention later, there is also the
great vision … that broad generosity leads to stronger community. Thus
‘generosity’ is included in the ‘fruit of the spirit’ narrated by Paul in
Galatians chapter five. If we are to honour God, follow Jesus and embrace the
Holy Spirit in our lives, then we need to express … a ‘generous spirit’.
Ancient Proverbs
Proverbs chapter 11
(especially verses 24 & 25) has things to say about this. As you
dwell on these verses, and what it means to “give freely”, there are thoughts
here about holding things loosely, so as necessary … they can be easily given away,
or at least shared. There is a sense of giving away first, and weighing up the
cost later (if at all). There is certainly a giving away of what we don’t need,
and what others may need more. There seems to be a dark shadow hanging over any
refusal to be generous; while generous activity is certainly a path to blessing
in one way or another.
We shouldn’t over-store (or
panic buy) to the detriment of others – tight-fistedness or selfishness shows,
and is detrimental to the glory of God. The ‘back-story’ of verse 26, is
that some food-producers of the day … would store their produce in an attempt
to force up the price. This would also make supply short, and those least able
to pay would potentially miss out. This is counter to generosity, and should be
frowned upon. The blessing was for the ‘producer’ who would simply sell his
product into the market … at a fair (and not inflated) price.
Verse 28 reminds us that “riches”, given too great a priority,
tend to possess us. If we trust in material things to give us meaning, we WILL
be disappointed. The most important parts of life, that happen outside the
material, will have been neglected, and “wither”. The generous plant, however, will
have “green leaves”. As a “new and right spirit” connects with a “willing spirit”
(in Psalm 51:10,12), righteousness connects directly to generosity.
We need to put all things in
life in the right priority. Verse 27, the second part, in the context of
those verses around it, paints a problematical outcome for the one who restrains
generosity – “evil rebounds upon the one who pursues it” (NIBC). Sometimes we
only perceive “evil” in its most extreme form - but is not wastefulness, and a
lack of generosity, “evil” in the sight of such a generous God.
An Example from Paul
There is an example of
generosity … that Paul talks about in 2nd Corinthians chapters 8 & 9. As
part of an acceptance of Paul’s expansive mission to Gentile peoples, the
church in Jerusalem asked Paul to collect some money on his journeys for the
poor of Jerusalem. To motivate the Corinthians, Paul uses the good example of
the Macedonian community, who, irrespective of their own poverty, gave “even
beyond their means” (8:3). The lesson here being … that if we wait until we
think we can afford to be generous, then it will likely never happen!
Apparently the Corinthian church had previously planned to contribute to Paul’s
Jerusalem fund, but now were being challenged to act.
We know that the world does not
really have a resource problem, but rather a distribution problem. Paul (in 2nd
Corinthians) talks about restoring a fair balance, with no one having either
too much or too little (8:13-15). As humankind has been given responsibility for
creation (Genesis 1), we are called to be good stewards of all God’s gifted
resources. Yet, rather than call on a sense of obligation, Paul opts, for
voluntary cheerful giving (9:7). This means that if we can’t be a cheerful
giver … on the basis of God’s generosity, and in the face of great inequity and
need – then we need to allow God to work some more on our spirit … to grow us
some more!
Paul seems to understand and
apply the ancient proverbs well, when he says, “the one who sows sparingly will
also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap
bountifully” (9:6). And this ‘reaping’ [rather than being material] is
ultimately all about bringing honour and glory to God (9:10-12): Paul writes, “… for the
rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also
overflows with many thanksgivings to God”.
Broad Generosity
This all shows that we cannot
divorce our spirituality from economic need and poverty. Nor can we divorce our
vertical relationship with God from our horizontal relationships with other
people. And, this is NOT just about money (and assets)! What could
generosity also involve???
Answers: time and talents and
attitudes (and the use of any voice or influence we may have)!
How so? In what ways can we
be broadly generous???
- Having a heart for Encouragement – giving ‘courage’ to others. This is where we want other people to flourish, and be the best they can be. Questions: what do you think first … criticism or encouragement? We can tear down or build up! Do we engage in problematical gossip, or rather, have a mind to protect reputations? We can assume the good in people, or focus on the negative. Do we easily fall into using popular (yet unfair) labels or stereotypes (against people)? Or, do we rather … apply grace through humble restraint and proper self-reflection? Is our generosity blocked by our own need to be noticed?! Lives, and communities, are built on encouragement – enabling people to go forward with more confidence and freedom.
- Acts of Practical Kindness, especially where we have particular abilities to share.
- Hospitality – allocating space in our lives for others, especially those who may be lacking welcome, or have suffered losses or dislocation from their own community network. This involves not drawing our boundaries too tight around our ourselves, our family, friends or current close church contacts – always looking for, and being open to, newcomers. Hospitality and welcome involves accepting difference and diversity, for we should not try to control our network too closely. On the other side, a lack of hospitality perhaps indicates that we haven’t understood the total inclusiveness of God’s love. This particular local community has a recent proud history of offering a new home to people displaced from another country. [RAR (the Rural Australians for Refugees movement) has designated April as the month for a North East region homestay weekend for asylum seekers.]
- Giving due Attention & Listening deeply – offering time to hear a person’s story, hurts and needs, especially those people lacking other avenues of support. This is the opposite of what Art Katz (in True Fellowship: Church as Community) calls … being “minimal” with each other. Being “minimal” or indifferent is the opposite of generosity. Part of being ‘generous’ … IS simply being a good listener – WITHOUT trying to fix anything, nor rescue or change anybody (which often makes it more about us than them … our needs, judgments and preferences). Generosity is often about the commodity we are most protective of … our time; and about something we can find very difficult … putting our own desires totally on hold for the sake of another.
- Advocacy – seeking to right any injustices that we come across, or improve communities for the common good; or being the voice for the voiceless, e.g. the ‘Alpine Independent Aged Care Advocacy Service Inc’ – where volunteers receive referrals from family and health care providers to provide information and advocacy support to aged people (living in their own home or aged care facility), including powers of attorney … assisting with understanding medical and financial documents. Time and effort given to such initiatives, for the sake of vulnerable others, are acts of generosity. Petitions, letter-writing, committee work, etc. take time and commitment, but show hearts extended outward.
The Church
Generosity has a community
flavour. It can be about mutual
givers and receivers. We are in it together. We give in one way and receive in
another. That which we lack, and that which we have in abundance, is balanced
out. Because we are part of a much bigger picture than just ourselves, our
deficiencies and limitations become less (as they are compensated by the
giftedness of others). We also find a context in which to share our life
resources, no one ever feeling they have nothing to offer. There is a name
attached to this grand vision.
This bigger picture, in God’s
sight, is called the ‘Kingdom of God’; and as we gather, this ‘Kingdom’
is represented by the ‘church’ – and functionally speaking, by each
‘local church’. This is where people gather to worship, encourage one another,
offer and gain support, learn together, grow in their Jesus-following lives,
reach out to their neighbours in Jesus’ name … all with a shared commitment of
being generous (Acts chapters 2 & 4). Being part of a church ‘body’ is to
give up our individualism (and any self-containment), and be placed into a
common pool, from which each derive a new and richer sense of being.
“Our Father in heaven,
glorified be your name. Your kingdom come; your will be done, on earth as it is
in heaven”.
Conclusion
Let me encourage you to find
ways of interacting in the church with generosity in mind, and also taking that
same life orientation out into the neighbourhood. Let’s not put up
unnecessary barriers … due to fear or apathy or limiting the amazing things God
can do. For generosity doesn’t stop where (finite) human resources stop (or run
out).
God is involved, and where
generosity becomes the (overarching) culture … where a ‘generous spirit’ is
evident, God will begin to multiply the resources. After all, a relatively
small, yet significant, donation of five loaves and two fish, put into the
hands of Jesus, fed a large crowd of at least five thousand, with twelve
basketfuls left over. May this be our experience too!
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