TODAY”S
WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JULY 10, 2013.
GENEROUS
DEFINITION:
Generosity
toward others; showing kindness to others; showing a readiness to give more of
something, such as money or time, than is necessary or expected.
SCRIPTURE:
Only
they would that we should remember the poor. Galatians 2:10
And
though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be
burned, and have not charity, it profited me nothing. I Corinthians 13:3
It
is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35.
KNOWLEDGE
AND EXPERIENCE:
Have
you ever questioned why believers are to be generous to others? Caring for
others and giving to the poor is a repeated theme throughout the Scriptures.
Jesus demonstrated His love and care for others throughout His ministry. Here
are several biblical directives about being generous to others.
God
is a generous God who has given us everything we need and He expects us to be
generous to others. In John13:34 Jesus said, “A new command I give you. Love
one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another.” To love as
Jesus loves requires more than words. It requires action. We show love by being
generous to others and helping those in need.
Giving
to the poor and the needy was a mandate given by God to Moses which he in turn
was to give to the Children of Israel. At harvest time the Israelites were to
leave the edges of their fields un-harvested to provide food for the needy.
In
Galatians 2:10 we read that when Paul was beginning his ministry as an apostle
to the Gentiles, the apostles James, Peter and John instructed him to remember
the poor. In Ephesians 4:28 Paul advises that we do something useful with our
hands so that we are able to have something to share with those in need.
In
Proverbs 25:21 we are told to feed our enemies if they are hungry. We are not
inclined to be generous to our enemies and to do so is most difficult. Jesus
tells us to love our enemies and do good to them as written in Luke 6:35.
In
Philippians chapter four, Paul thanks the church at Philippi for their
generosity in sending him aid when he was in need. In verse 18 Paul says that
gifts to God's servants are "a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice
pleasing to God."
As
believers we are not only expected but commanded by our Lord to be generous to
the poor and needy, to our enemies, and to God's servants.
Our
parents trained us and constantly reminded us that God wanted us to be generous
in helping the poor, the needy, our enemies and those who were God's servants.
Our parents practiced what they preached to us. They were generous in their
giving and this served as a great
example to us. Just as God instructed Moses to teach the Israelites to be
generous we must teach our children to be generous. Children are naturally inclined
to be selfish. They must be taught to share and be generous.
The
scripture gives us some guidelines on being generous. When we give we are to
give in love. Love for the Lord and love for others should be what motivates
our acts of generosity (I Corinthians 13:3). We are to give cheerfully because
God loves a cheerful giver as recorded in II Corinthians 9:7. In Acts 11:29 we
are first required to be generous to the poor and give according to our
ability. This is what God expects of us. If God has blessed us with time,
talent and or treasures we are to share these, based on what He has given us,
to the needy, the poor, and our enemies and with those that serve Him in the
ministry.
Finally,
the scriptures tell us the blessings of being generous that we can expect when
we give to those He requires us to give to. In Hebrews 13:16 we are told that
when we give with sacrifice, God is well pleased. In the verse above from Acts,
Paul tells us that when we are generous to others we will be blessed by God.
Proverbs 11:25 says that being generous to others, enriches us and in I Timothy
6:17-19 we are told that we will be rewarded.
LEARNING:
Our
memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 2:15.
Be
diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to
be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
PRAYER:
Thank
You for the ability that You have given me to be generous with those who are in
need today. Help me to be alert to the leading that Your Holy Spirit gives me
today. May my family be known as a generous family that acknowledges that we
have received so much from You that we cannot help but give and give even more
back to others in Your name.
