“Freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35
“I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.” Psalm 37:25-26
"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: 'He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.' Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!"
– 2 Corinthians 9:7-15
I find that this is an appropriate time to write a blog on giving and generosity, not only because it’s the season of Christmas, but also because of what I’ve seen here in Kenya. Since it is December and Christmas is quickly approaching, what better place to see generosity than in the fact that “God so loved the world that he gave His only Son.” God the Father was not obligated to save us. He didn’t have to give up His Son. Sometimes I think we forget that. Jesus also chose to give His life. We are not entitled to life, we earned death (Romans 6:23). What Christ did on the cross was a gift, given for us and for the glory of the Father.
Paul tells us in Colossians 1:19-20 – For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in (Christ) and through (Christ) to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.
Not only was God’s gift of His Son given as a sacrifice, it was given with joy. God was pleased to reconcile all things to Himself. God gives generously and with joy. This same generosity has been mirrored here in Kitale, Kenya. In the home that we’re staying in, the pastor and his wife have 5 children of their own. They are wonderful kids, obedient and very mature for their age. But the family doesn’t stop with them…there are three more girls, two of which have young children, that share this home. Bishop Moses is a godly man that gives all the glory to God. Within a day since the time we entered his house we expressed our gratitude at the hospitality of his family. He told us that all he had belonged to the Lord and that he was blessed in order to bless others and to give praise to God. These weren’t just words. Time and again I have seen Moses give time and money to help others, and he does it with such joy.
The generosity doesn’t stop here. Last Sunday we were sitting in church as the offering was taken. I felt a bit awkward as I have nothing of my own to give this month, so I just prayed for those that were giving. It was downright amazing. People began to drag bags of grain, corn and other vegetables up to the altar. Two women struggled to bring their offering because it was so heavy and bulky. They gave what they had with joy for the purpose of advancing God’s kingdom. I was still thinking about how awesome it was that people still bring offerings like those in Bible times when something to the left caught my eye. A man had wheeled his motorcycle down the aisle and parked it at the altar. His wife came to stand beside him as she held their baby. What?! A motorcycle for the Lord? Later Moses explained that the young man had two motorbikes. He knew that the pastor traveled a lot on church business and wanted this gift to be used for the Lord. Praise God! What generosity, what joy!
Today I thought about this topic again because of a conversation I had with Moses and Rosalyn. They had just come home from town and while the car was left for only a few minutes someone had broken in and stolen their digital camera. It was less than 3 months old and was used to update pictures on the church website. Moses was disappointed, but not upset. He just said, “Oh well, the Lord will provide.” Two seconds before he had said that the Lord spoke to me: Give him your extra camera. There was no hesitation, as I knew this was the reason I’ve been lugging two around for 5 months. You see, I’m always worried that I’ll lose something, not have enough of it or have it stolen. So I brought two cameras. I take a lot of pictures and I had an old one that still works fine in case one was broken or lost. I told Moses that he could have it, that’s why I brought it. He was so happy and thanked me repeatedly.
It was after this that we began talking about generosity and giving. My mind flashed back to a conversation that I had earlier in the Race with my parents. They told me that they didn’t really need my car – it was sitting around and taking up space. I wouldn’t be home for a year and no one would use it. They asked if they could give it to a ministry in Atlanta that loaned cars to missionaries on furlough. Yes! Of course! I’ll miss her, but give Sally to a good home. This was great for a number of reasons…Number 1: She’s going to missionaries and I want to support those on the field in any way I can. Number 2: She was a gift from my parents. I did nothing to earn Sally, she was given. Number 3: The Lord will provide a car when I need one. He hasn’t let me down yet and I don’t expect him to.
I love that the Lord is teaching me to give. I don’t write this to be boastful or to ask for you to give me a pat on the back. I say this because God is doing a work in my life and it’s bringing me joy. The other day I looked through a few pictures at home and realized that I was wearing different clothes in each of them. I totally forgot about my favorite navy blue t-shirt and my coral jacket that’s sitting in North Carolina. I’ve been living in the same outfits for a while; the prospect of “new” clothes when I go home was thrilling. Then I thought about all those clothes that are sitting there in my closet – clothes that will never be worn again. Clothes I don’t need. Why don’t I give them to somebody that needs them? Do I really need all that I have? I can’t wait to get home and go crazy giving stuff away. In the past I have always saved things that I though I might need someday when in reality I have been withholding things from people that do need them today.
Lord, forgive me. Thanks for continuing to change my heart to be more like Yours.
