generosity – The Girl that Jesus Loved

Generous in Self

I’ve written before about being in a season of preparation and wanting to be intentional about learning and growth during this stage in my life.

I feel now that I’m beginning to move into a new season – a season in which I must step into what God has been preparing me to do. And I want to be just as intentional in this season as in the last. So, I’m considering the ways that God has taught and blessed me throughout this time, and how I can use what I’ve been given to serve Him.

I believe that God has blessed me in order to bless others. This is true financially, but also in other areas of my life. He’s given me stability, joy, spiritual gifts, and time and opportunities to serve. He’s placed specific callings on my heart and made me aware of needs that I can fill.

And in order to fill these needs, I am called to generosity. Not just generosity of my finances, or of my love and mercy, but generosity of self. I want to be generous with everything that I have and everything that I am.

In my last post I wrote about not being stingy with love or acting as if I’ll run out of it. This goes for my time and energy as well. I must be obedient with what I have and the ways God’s called me to serve, for the more of myself I give, the more of Himself He pours back into me. He will not fail to supply me with what I need to be faithful to His call.

So, in this coming season, I hope to be committed to generosity of self. To not simply be a consumer, receiving good things from God, from my church fellowship, from my relationships. Instead, I want to be filled by each these so that I can then pour into others.

So, I’ll be looking for the intersection of my God-given strengths and the needs of those around me. And I must no longer hesitate to pray for opportunities to serve; countless times my own fears and insecurities have caused me to shy away from this. So instead I will pray, in full assurance of God’s provision, and will be ready to obey when these opportunities arise.

Just as I wrote about “testing the limits” of God’s love, I want to “test the limits” of everything else that He provides.

This is not to say that I will ignore my own well-being and push myself to a place of burnout (“you can’t pour from an empty cup”, and all that), but that I will refuse to hold back out of fear of not being or having enough. When I hear God’s call to a particular person, action, or ministry, I will confidently and joyously give whatever it is He asks of me.

There’s a very short book by Bruce Wilkinson called The Prayer of Jabez. In it we read this concise and powerful prayer: “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!”

This is one prayer I want to keep in my life moving forward. I want God to bless me – not in the selfish, earthly-focused ways that I often desire, but in the ways that align with God’s will. I want Him to bless me with whatever will equip me to become who He wants me to be in Him.

I want Him to “enlarge my territory”, to increase the opportunities around me in which I can serve Him. To make me aware of those in need and the ways that I can help.

I want Him to keep His hand with me, so that I never fall victim to the temptation to work in my own strength. I want to be entirely, utterly dependent on His power in my life.

And I want Him to keep me from evil, from the temptation of sin and the pain that it causes. To protect me from anything that threatens to separate me from God’s will for my life.

By trusting in God’s willingness to bless me, to provide opportunities to serve and grow, to do His work in me, and to guard me, I can move forward into this new season with confidence. I can live generously, knowing that all that I am is supplied and protected by the Lord.

Related Scripture

1 Chronicles 4:10

“Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” (NKJV)

2 Corinthians 9:7-8, 10

“Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully with also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed…Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”

1 John 3:17

“But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

1 Timothy 6:17-19

“Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”

Proverbs 11:25

“The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.”

Generous in Love

And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’

And He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly, do this and you will live.’

But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’

(Luke 10:27-29)

In Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan, He tells of a Samaritan man coming to the rescue of a man who had been beaten, robbed, and left for dead. The cultural norms of that day would have kept many Samaritans from showing compassion. Rampant prejudice between Samaritans and Jews had undoubtedly led to hurt and bitterness towards each other, and no one would have blamed him for crossing to the other side of the street. In fact, even the Jewish priest and Levite refrained from helping, unwilling to risk harm or inconvenience.

But that’s not what the Samaritan did. This man had deep, heartfelt compassion, treating the one most would regard as his enemy with the kindness he’d use towards a friend. He went above and beyond, willing even to suffer personal loss as a result. And in doing so, he proved to be a true neighbor to this man.

I notice that Jesus told this story in response to one of listeners, who “wishing to justify himself, asked ‘And who is my neighbor?’” He had been commanded to love his neighbor as himself, and his first thought was to determine just who was deserving of this love.

But the story that followed highlights an important point: there is no place for us to make those kinds of distinctions. We are to love our neighbors – those who have hurt us, those we’re prejudiced against, those who are despised by our culture – and we are to love them generously.

Now, we all know this in theory, but how often do we do exactly the same as this listener?

How often do we seek to find loopholes in who, when, and how we are called to love? Maybe we justify speaking against someone because they’ve hurt us first. Or maybe we lack empathy towards others who have different views from our own, or to those we don’t deem worthy of our attention. Or maybe we prioritize our own desires over someone’s needs.

But we were called to put God and His kingdom first – above our pride, our wounded feelings, our comforts, and our rights. If we do not, we become like this man, asking ‘And who is our neighbor?’ We become people who act as though love is in short supply, as though we must guard it and spend it only when necessary.

But the love we’ve received from God, wholly undeserved and wholly infinite, is the well from which we draw. And if God grants us continual access to this love, and commands us to take from it and give to others, we have no reason to disobey.

We will never be able to love others too much or give too much of ourselves; whenever we think we’ve reached our limit, God pours His abundant love, power, and strength back into us and remedies our lack.

I’d encourage all of us – myself so much included – to start “testing the limits” of this love. To see just how much of it we can offer to others, and to watch God provide. Let’s be a people who give so generously, without any regard for ourselves, secure in the love that has been given to us.

Between this story and the countless mercies of God towards us, it seems that our blueprint for generosity is much more radical than we often allow it to be. There is no place for us to decide who is and isn’t deserving of our kindness; we are called to love and forgive sacrificially, and the only way to do so is by the power of God.

Related Scripture

Luke 10:30-37

“Jesus replied and said, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ Which of these three do you think provided to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?’ And he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’”

Matthew 25:37

“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give you something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

Psalm 86:15

“But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.”

Micah 6:8

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Generous in Mercy

I’ve been thinking a lot about mercy lately, and I feel like it’s something that God is telling me to pay attention to. I’ve been convicted of the ways I am often not very forgiving, and I’ve felt that He wants to grow me in this area.

On the one hand, I have always felt merciful to a fault, frequently making excuses for others’ behavior and unwilling to stand up for myself. But, after those friendships have either reconciled or ended, these hurts often find their way back into my mind, leaving me feeling a little bitter.

Of course, it’s important to set boundaries at times, and there are relationships in which you can forgive yet still put distance between yourself and the other person. But I do have to wonder if I’ve actually forgiven all those who have hurt me, or if I’ve just momentarily forgotten about their actions.

Many times I’ve let things slide simply because I fear the consequences of addressing an issue. On the outside this may resemble mercy. However, I’ve begun to wonder if my unwillingness to hold others accountable for their wrongs against me is less about showing mercy towards them, and more about my own weakness in simply fearing conflict.

So, I’ve been asking God to show me what biblical mercy looks like. Any solution I come up with on my own will only be a flawed, broken sort of mercy – I want the mercy that fills the character of God.

When I look at the picture of forgiveness as demonstrated by God, it definitely seems as though what I’ve been doing falls short. He forgives us so wholeheartedly that He crossed over heaven and earth, life and death, to be reconciled to us.

And it’s not as though He made excuses for our sin, pretending it wasn’t that bad – He recognized the depravity of our sin in ways that we can’t even fathom, and He still chose to make a way for our salvation. Who am I then to hold bitterness towards someone for some insignificant slight, some careless word?

I will never know the weight of the pain that Jesus carried; yet in even the minor hurts that I experience in life, I have access through Him to the power of God helping me to forgive. I cannot have mercy towards others in this radical, self-sacrificial way without the help of the One who did it first. So I must be honest with God, asking Him to overcome my weaknesses and to give me the ability – and the desire – to forgive. I will be abundantly supplied by God to do what He has called me to do, to show mercy.

When thinking about forgiveness, I’m reminded of Ephesians 4:26-32. We are told to “be angry and yet do not sin”. So, there is clearly a space for Christians to be angry and hurt by others’ actions, yet to be so in a godly way.

Our emotions should never give way to bitterness or malice, but should instead be used to recognize the depth of our hurts so that we can hand them over to God in conscious forgiveness. Aware of the unfair rejection we’ve withstood at the hands of others, we can better understand the magnitude of our sin against God – and the magnitude of His mercy towards us.

Mercy is so necessary, not only so that we can maintain healthy relationships, but because we cannot risk allowing our anger to “give the devil an opportunity” or to “grieve the Holy Spirit of God”. It’s clear that there are some very serious consequences resulting from our grudges. By holding bitterness in our hearts, we push God’s will out of the way and give sin a chance to break our relationships even more than they’ve already been broken.

So, when we are wronged, we must remember to view others through God’s eyes – as broken, sinful people in need of mercy – and to leave our bitterness behind, choosing instead to edify and give grace to one another. We must forgive each other as Christ forgave us – sacrificially, wholly, lovingly.

Tim Keller wrote in one of my favorite books, A Prodigal God, about how God’s redemption plan was not dependent on our feelings of remorse or repentance – Jesus chose to die on the cross for us while we were still sinners, knowing that we may choose to accept Him or not. And in the midst of His crucifixion, He asked God to forgive those who mocked Him. In the same way we must be willing to forgive others even when they show no remorse for the way they’ve treated us.

Keller also wrote about how we often find it easy to forgive others who we feel are on our level of “goodness” because we can relate to them and to the mistakes they’ve made, as we’ve probably done the same. But we struggle to give grace to those who commit sins we think we would never do. In a way, we feel that we are above forgiving them.

But we must remember that we are not above any sin, and that while we may not have done whatever it is that’s been done to us, our pride makes us guilty still. And any sin, whether an action or a prideful feeling, separates us from right relationship with others and with God. So we must ask ourselves, is it worth it? Is it worth creating a distance between ourselves and God simply to hold on to a grudge?

As I’ve prayed over these things, I’ve come to the knowledge that I don’t want a mercy that is born out of weakness – my unwillingness to be vulnerable, my aversion to conflict, my desire to please. I want a mercy that is born out of power – the power found in the Holy Spirit. This power comes from the security and salvation I have found in God and from the recognition that I have all things in Christ, which means I have everything to give and nothing to lose.

Because God is generous in mercy towards me, I can be generous in mercy towards others. I pray that God will help me to do so, to overcome my weakness and to give me the ability and desire to forgive.

Lord, please help me to forgive wholeheartedly, unreservedly, not needing anything in return. To forgive only by the strength You give me, not by my temporary feelings and human abilities. Do a work in me and help me to forgive, just as You continually forgive me.

Related Scripture

Ephesians 4:26-32

“Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity…Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

1 Peter 2:21-23

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

James 1:20

“For the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”

Luke 6:36-37

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.”

1 John 4:11

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another”

Matthew 5:7

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy”