generosity Archives - Pastor Terry Lema's Daily Devotions

I was reading a list of philanthropists and their giving. The list included Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg, Bill and Melinda Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and the giving was in the billions of dollars.

Of course, these people are extremely rich in worldly possessions and are generous with what they have. What most of us are able to give monetarily pales in comparison. That brings up the question, “Is generosity a matter of money only?”

We tend to associate the word generosity with financial giving, since that is what we see so often, but a generous spirit is so much more than just about money. It is about what is in our hearts.

David reminds us in Psalm 13 that our God is a generous God. “I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously.” [v6 HCSB]

His generosity is shown to us in so many ways. We receive salvation as a free gift based on His grace. We receive mercy, and compassion, and kindness. He gives us His Spirit to indwell us to lead us in all His ways. He lavishes wisdom upon us when we simply ask Him for it. He provides comfort when we sorrow, and joy in the midst of our tears. He lifts us up when we fall and forgives us when we come to Him in repentance.

He does all that because He loves us, and His love is a generous love.

So, what manner of person should we be if we are made in His image?

We should reflect His generous nature to our world in our patience, understanding, respect, and willingness to give the benefit of the doubt. That is but the beginning of being generous … after we learn that, there is so much more!

Every day I get a new word in my inbox from Merriam-Webster (M-W). It is the word of the day. Many times, I recognize those words, they are familiar along with their meanings. Sometimes I have no clue how to pronounce them or what they mean. (Thankfully, M-W has a link to hear someone pronounce the word correctly.)

The word this morning was the French, noblesse oblige. This is what M-W says it means. “literally ‘nobility obligates.’ French speakers transformed the phrase into a noun, which English speakers picked up in the 19th century. Then, as now, noblesse oblige referred to the unwritten obligation of people from a noble ancestry to act honorably and generously to others. Later, by extension, it also came to refer to the obligation of anyone who is in a better position than others to act respectably and responsibly.”

That definition struck me, especially the part that says there is an unwritten obligation of people of noble ancestry to act honorably and generously to others, to act respectably and responsibly.

We have been adopted into the family of the most noble, honorable, holy King of Kings. We are called children of God; we are sons and daughter of the Everlasting King. Should we not be the most honorable, generous, respectable, and responsible people on earth?

“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” [Galatians 4:6-7 HCSB]

We actually have not an unwritten obligation but a written one. Scripture is clear about what our attitudes should be like, how we should act, how we must look out for the care of others, how we are to give freely the Gospel which we received freely. Our Savior gave it all so that we might be adopted into His family, now we are to give it all so that others might see our example of faith and surrender their lives.

I have had to think about how my character, my attitude reflects my Savior’s a lot lately. What we are, who we are will manifest the clearest in times of distress and struggle … so far 2020 fits that perfectly.

generosity

Sing!

The Spirit of His Son