In the last couple of weeks, I have been pondering what it looks like to be merciful. One form of mercy that came to my heart was being generous. Generosity is something we all admire, but in practicality we find ourselves resisting it for variety of reasons.
True generosity is not about spending money on those who can repay us with their beautiful gifts or complements, but it is about giving to those who may never have the capability to return the favor. This kind of generosity comes from a merciful heart that gives out of love for God and care for those who are in need.
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. Acts 2:44-45
The early church was so excited about their new relationship with the Lord that they were willing to give generously of themselves. They did it to the point of selling their possessions so that others’ needs would be met.
A rich young ruler came to Jesus asking him what it took to have eternal life since he had done all his righteous duties. Jesus told him ( See Mark 10: 17-22) to sell all he had and to follow Him, but that made the rich ruler sad. However, in the book of Acts, we see that the people were willingly giving of their possession to others to ensure no one had any need. No one told them to do it, but God had changed their hearts. It wasn’t about being dutiful or putting a check mark next to another item on the “to-do-list.” Their focus and vision had changed by the love of God and by their new identity in Him.
Many of us desire to be generous, but we end up using our generosity on our family members or close friends. Some of us are afraid of running out of money or using our children’s funds to help others. Some are concerned about the legitimacy of the need and don’t want to be an enabler to a bad behavior. Others are just indifferent towards the plight of people whom they don’t know personally. We have a hard time giving to those we don’t know, and we’re afraid that others may use our resources inappropriately or take advantage of us.
The scriptures tell us that a righteous person leaves inheritance for their children, and it also emphasizes that we should be generous towards the widows, orphans, strangers, and those in need. We are called to have a joyful heart and a generous spirit in our giving. Therefore, as believers, we need to have the right balance between saving for our children’s future and being generous to those who cannot repay us.
There are many needs around us, and we would not be fully capable of meeting every need. However, our generosity can make a difference in a person or a family’s life. Instead of being overwhelmed with all the needs, look for opportunities to make a difference in one family’s life. Sometimes the generosity will come in the form of writing a check or buying a grocery store gift card for a person in need. At other times, it is about giving of our precious time to show compassion or spend time with someone who just needs a listening ear. Many times a child, a teen-ager, or a young adult just needs some encouragement to keep going in this rough world.
Lord continue to stir our hearts to be merciful towards others and show mercy through our generosity towards others.
