Generosity
Week 03: Sharing your possessions
”Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” — James 2:15-17
The Bible talks a lot about caring for the poor and needy — like a lot! God seems to be constantly talking about this in scripture. He seems to be obsessed with justice for the poor and oppressed. And most people know this. But at the same time, many aren’t motivated enough to actually do something about it. And if that’s you, no shame. Our goal for this session is to grow into people of generosity. The goal is to follow Jesus in the way of generous love.
Whether you know it or not, everything you have has been given to you by God and belongs to him (1 Chron. 29:12-13; Ps. 24:1). Therefore, a lack of generosity is a refusal to believe that everything you have belongs to God. Maybe deep down, you believe you earned it and have the right to use it how you please. Tim Keller says, “If a person has grasped the meaning of God's grace in his heart, he will do justice. If he doesn't live justly, then he may say with his lips that he is grateful for God's grace, but in his heart he is far from him…Grace should make you just.”
This is what James meant when he said that faith without action is dead (Jas. 2:15-17). To have faith in Jesus is to be faithful to the way of Jesus. And the way of Jesus is generosity and justice. This is what true faith looks like. Faith isn’t just believing something. True faith is living like what you believe is true. When you understand the gospel, you understand that Jesus didn’t count his life as his own. He gave it for us. And we ought to lay our lives down too (1 Jn. 3:16). The idea that “My money and possession are my own” is foreign to the way of Jesus. The gospel of Jesus is his generous love given to us on the cross. And when we grasp this, it makes us generous. It makes us just.
So, how do we practice generosity?
01 – What’s in your hand? In the book of Exodus, God came to Moses and asked him “What’s in your hand?” (Exod. 4:2). He was holding a staff that God would later transform into a tool of justice to liberate people from slavery. The point is that we all have something in our hand that can be used by God. Do you have money, extra clothing, food, time, or possessions to share with others? What do you have to give?
02 – Prayerfully choose what to give. Choose something material (i.e. money, food, possessions, etc.) to give to someone in need. This doesn’t need to be extravagant. Stat where you’re at. Ask God what he’d like you to be generous with. Also, ask who he’d like you to be generous to.
03 – Practice generosity. Go out and give it a try. Share your possessions with someone in need. Also, consider how you can practice generosity on a regular basis.
Recommended reading: Generous Justice by Tim Keller