Would you consider yourself as someone who is generous? Do you know many people who are generous? When you her the word generous, what are some of the first few thoughts which come into your mind? I have been reading through the book of Acts and I am blown away by the generosity of these people. Listen to what Acts 2:42-47 says:
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper, and to prayer.
43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
We live in a culture which embodies the opposite; selfish, it is all about me, only the strong survive, taking care of me and so on and so on. One of the forgotten virtues is generosity. After contemplating these verses and observing the state of our culture, I begin to wonder if we could ever get back to a culture of radical generosity and if so, how would this be accomplished?
It begins with you and it begins with me. If I want to see radical generosity in operation, then it will need to begin when I am generous with my words, my time, my finances and giftings. May the ‘generosity revolution’ begin…