I was reading a missionary’s account of coming to a people who were struggling in the midst of a famine….even the pastor in the community had died of starvation. Yet, when he arrived he was greeted with a basket of food that would have sustained an entire family for a week or more. He tried to refuse the gift, but the people joyously insisted….they still found the capacity for generosity and trusted that God would provide for their next meal. Their gratitude and trust resulted in what was truly sacrificial giving.
“Generosity is a lifestyle in which we share all that we have, are, and ever will become as a demonstration of God’s love and a response to God’s grace.” (Chris Willard and Jim Shepherd). Practicing generosity is essential in our practice of Christianity. “Christian generosity’s special ways of thinking and acting stand in contrast with ancient alternatives of patronage and quid pro quo reciprocity.” (Doug Henry in Genrosity of Spirit)
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my 7
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights. Habakkuk 3:17-19
Praying for a “There is always enough” mentality in the midst of “scarcity mentality” that permeates some hearts and habitations…… (8/17/2016)