One of the best reasons to be generous is to show the love of Jesus. This may sound like an obvious aspect of generosity, I’m actually a little surprised I haven’t talked about it before now.
Some people have had bad experiences with churches and Christians. Some even feel as though God has let them down. When we give to others, it opens the door to show God’s love in a practical way but often it also gives us the opportunity to talk about the loving God we serve.
This is one of the things I love most about organizations like Cure International. They treat children was curable birth defects and diseases, many of which have been abandoned by their families and communities.If there is still a parent involved, they have often believed that they are cursed or that they have done something wrong. So not only does Cure get to heal a child in the name of Jesus, they heal families and even communities in the process.
There is nothing wrong with anonymous or secret generosity. There are certainly plenty of times that our giving does not come with an overt gospel message. But we need to keep our hearts open for those moment when generosity paves the way to share God’s love with those we serve.
This doesn’t mean we make hearing a gospel message a requirement of receiving our generosity but that we are so passionate about the God we serve, that we cannot imagine extending his love without sharing the reason why. Click To TweetGod put us here on this earth for a reason. This life is not simply a waiting room for heaven. We each have good work for him to accomplish through our lives, however small it may seem by human standards.
How do I know God has good work for you? Because you are still breathing. I do not believe that I walk this earth simply because God hasn’t gotten around to calling me home to heaven yet.
Giving of ourselves, our time, our money and our energy is all part of that work. Of course it will look different for each person. Our giftings and callings aren’t all the same. But each of us, when we have learned to cultivate a heart of generosity, can be ready and waiting for the opportunity to share the hope we have.
Next – Risk Getting Close: Generosity as a Tool for Building Intimate Relationships
Yes!