generosity

Mine! Mine! Mine!

Posted on by Betsy

I am watching seagulls vie for position on my neighbor’s dock pilings this morning. One barely gets settled when another one flies in aggressively and knocks the first off his pins. I think the writers of the movie Finding Nemo captured the seagull personality perfectly when they showed them selfishly hoarding their fish while yelling, “Mine! Mine! Mine!” These creatures are single minded, self-centered, and the epitome of greed. One might even say that they are bird-brained.

Today’s Scripture is a beautiful parable on greed from the Gospel according to Luke. Jesus tells a story about a greedy farmer that has a wonderful punchline.

Luke 12 (The Message)

13 Someone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.”

14 He replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?”

15 Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”

16-19 Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’

20 “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’

21 “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”

How about you? Are you filling your barn with selfishness? Do you have so much stuff that you need extra storage spaces to contain it? When was the last time you wore that coat/used that expensive kitchen appliance/set the table with that fancy china? Do you look at a world in need and think “Mine! Mine! Mine!”?

Don’t be a bird-brain. Treasures stored up on earth spoil and decay. Fill your barn with God and give away all that you can. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot. Life is defined by being as generous to others as God has been to you.

Proverbs 11 (Common English Bible)

Those who give generously receive more,
    but those who are stingy with what is appropriate will grow needy.
25 Generous persons will prosper;
    those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Birds of a Feather

GodArt

Posted on by Betsy

If you have ever stood outside and watched the sunset on a clear evening, you have likely seen God’s artistry at its finest. I have never seen the Northern Lights, but the sun setting over the Albemarle Sound is a masterpiece of color, technique, and artistry unlike anywhere else. We are so blessed in the Outer Banks to behold such beauty on a nightly schedule. I can imagine God with a palette and paintbrush, deciding which colors he will use each night to delight his children.

What would we give, if we were to return the favor? Ever wonder what would delight God? What does God want from us that would give him the immense pleasure we get from a full-color sunset?

Psalm 147 New International Version (NIV)

1 Praise the Lord.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,

    how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;

    he gathers the exiles of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted

    and binds up their wounds.

4 He determines the number of the stars

    and calls them each by name.

5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;

    his understanding has no limit.

6 The Lord sustains the humble

    but casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;

    make music to our God on the harp.

8 He covers the sky with clouds;

    he supplies the earth with rain

    and makes grass grow on the hills.

9 He provides food for the cattle

    and for the young ravens when they call.

10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,

    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;

11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,

    who put their hope in his unfailing love.

God delights in those who fear him. I learned in seminary that the word ‘fear’ in such cases is not the same as being afraid or terrified. No, indeed, this use of fear refers to “reverential trust.” God delights in those who have a reverential trust in him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. When you come straight to him for everything, it brings him delight.

You are God’s delight! Imagine that.

We paint our own sunsets of beauty for God whenever we sing to the Lord with grateful praise. In this sense, though, it is not literal singing but leading a life of grateful praise. Serving one another as Jesus did, being generous to a fault, taking second place, praying without ceasing, encouraging the downtrodden … each of these things paints a beautiful scene for God to behold. And in those things, he is delighted.

A man approached me in a store parking lot when I was in Atlanta recently. He was gentle and apologetic. He only spoke enough English to say, “Sorry.” He indicated the grocery store from which I had just come and said, “Sorry (followed by a lot of Spanish) taco.” Taco may be the only word he knows for food, and his humility in saying sorry repeatedly touched my heart. When he opened his hand and pointed to the few coins he had and said, “one dollar,” I realized he was asking for money. One dollar.

One dollar won’t buy you a taco in this part of Atlanta, so I gave him a ten.

His eyes welled up and his head dropped in gratitude as he quietly and profusely thanked me. I don’t know if he went off to buy baby formula or beer, but as I put my cart away, I saw him walking into Publix with his head held high, and I saw God’s artistry in that moment.

Where are you being called to delight God today? Can you be generous? Encourage someone who is down? Pray for a hurting neighbor? Take a casserole to a lonely person? Help a man buy a taco?

Go ahead. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Live out your life of grateful praise by painting something beautiful with your actions. God will be absolutely delighted.

Holy Art

Generosity

Posted on by Betsy

Think of someone you know who is truly generous. Someone who gives of their time, their talent, and their treasures. Is that person happy? My guess is that they are. There is a couple in my church who seem to just give away all that they have whenever a need arises. They have opened their home to family members, volunteer untold hours of time, and quietly finance ministry and missions every week. And they are always smiling. There is a kind of sweet joy that just oozes from their pores and people are naturally drawn to them.

Generosity is a common theme in the Scriptures. Jesus mentions this quality often (see Matthew 5) and we see it here in our passage today. Note how the psalmist lifts up generosity as a worthy ideal and a path to happiness.

Psalm 112 (Common English Bible)

Praise the Lord!
    Those who honor the Lord,
    who adore God’s commandments, are truly happy!
2 Their descendants will be strong throughout the land.
    The offspring of those who do right will be blessed;
3     wealth and riches will be in their houses.
    Their righteousness stands forever.
4 They shine in the dark for others who do right.
    They are merciful, compassionate, and righteous.
5 Those who lend generously are good people—
    as are those who conduct their affairs with justice.

Merciful, compassionate, righteous, generous, and good. These are the qualities of the people who adore God’s commandments. These are the qualities of those who are truly happy. These are the qualities of Christ.

6 Yes, these sorts of people will never be shaken;
    the righteous will be remembered forever!
7 They won’t be frightened at bad news.
    Their hearts are steady, trusting in the Lord.

Verse 7 is an interesting take: “they won’t be frightened at bad news.” I don’t know that I have ever spotted that before. The psalmist is reminding us that when we are grounded in the commandments and honor God, we don’t have to fear bad things. There is no promise that bad things won’t happen, but an assurance that bad things don’t have to be frightening when you are centered in God’s will.

8 Their hearts are firm; they aren’t afraid.
    In the end, they will witness their enemies’ defeat.
9 They give freely to those in need.
    Their righteousness stands forever.
    Their strength increases gloriously.

A great way to respond to our reading today is to go out and be overly generous to someone. Leave a big tip, bring in your neighbor’s trash cans, let someone pull out in front of you when you’re driving, or pay for someone’s order in the drive-through behind you. Where is God calling you to be generous? I bet if you are, you will put a smile on that person’s face. And yours.

Blessings by Michelle Robertson