This is part 7 of a 9-part series. View the entire series here.
Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. – 2 Corinthians 8:12-24 NLT
Introduction
A young single mother stands in line at the grocery store. Hands full with two little ones, she struggles to unload her cart. Each item is scanned; each rhythmic beep adds more pressure to her strained budget. She second guesses what’s a necessity. Her hand hesitates with each item.
The gentleman behind her smiles and makes faces at the kids, who giggle through beaming faces. The mother tries to smile back, but the anxiety pulls her face back down. The last item is scanned. The total pops up…her heart sinks. What can I put back? she frantically wonders. The man taps her shoulder. “I believe you dropped something.” She bends down to look. As she comes back up, she hears one final beep––an approved transaction. The man slides his card back into his wallet before he begins to empty his own basket.
From What You Have
You’ve likely been in a place of need. You know God promises to provide, but you’re not quite sure how. We see throughout the New Testament how God elevates one particular way of meeting our needs––through the generosity of His Body.
Because the Church is made up of people from every walk of life, we’re meant to look for the needs of others to see how we might uniquely meet them. This isn’t about giving generously while depleting your own provisions. It’s about looking at the spaces God has blessed you abundantly in, and seeing how He’s asking you to use it to be a blessing to others.
Generosity as a Discipline
Scripture tells us not to give out of compulsion but according to what God puts on our hearts (2 Corinthians 9:7). The discipline of generosity doesn’t start by opening up your wallet. It starts by opening up your eyes to see where God has given you extra so that you can be a light to those around you. Whether we have much or little, we can certainly do it through Christ (Philippians 4:12-13). But through acts of generosity, the selfless heart of God is put on display for the world to see.
