11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11
2 So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:2-4
19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE GENEROUS LIKE CHRIST THIS ADVENT SEASON?
I don’t know about y’all, but this one got me this week. Generosity is something that we’ve all heard of, aspire to, and even dream of, but how many of us practice this on a daily basis? The easy one to go to is money. We all need it to survive. Money keeps the roof over our head, food in our stomachs, gas in the tank…and we spend most of the hours of the weekday working to earn it. So, when we’re asked to give of it, freely and earnestly, there’s only one thing that can truly cause us to do so, and that is the Spirit of God within us as followers of Christ.
I grew up in a lower income household and have three younger siblings (you may know two of them). We lived on food stamps for multiple short stints, my parents worked multiple jobs, garage sales were a staple for clothing and toys, and yet…we never went without. The little we did have leftover, my parents gave, and it wasn’t always money. It was help working on a broken-down vehicle, it was a shared meal when people were hungry, it was a bed and safe place to live when the homelives of others were a source of pain and need. We never had much, and yet we had EVERYTHING because my parents knew, Jesus was our provider above all else.
Jesus came to Earth so that we could have life, but not just any life, but life abundantly. And He did so by giving of everything He had, to the point of death. HE GAVE IT ALL. And that very same giving spirit He had, He has given to us in the form of the Holy Spirit. The intangible deposit that is the embodiment of the hope and life that we have in Christ. That Spirit permeates our every fiber of being, it affects the way we speak to one another, friends and strangers alike. It affects how we give of our free time to those in need; whether it be monetarily, physically, or emotionally. It affects our mindset and allows us to be compassionate and forgiving, even when our flesh wants to scream out and exact retribution for any slights made against us, whether they be imaginary or real. Generosity is a gift and one that should be poured out to everyone, because you never know who might need it…including yourself.
Consider…
Is there any part of your life where you can be generous to another this Advent season?
What things has God been generous with for you that you may have not acknowledged and given Him thanks for?
