The Givers and the takers

I love the beautiful poetic lines David, the Psalmist, uses to give expression to all that is on his heart. In Psalm 37:21 he describes two types of people in terms of their character. There are (1) the “wicked who borrow and do not pay," and by way of contrast  (2) the “righteous who give generously.” The giver reaches out to help, the taker reaches out to receive. It is not surprising that these two kinds of people are still with us. Talk about opposite ways of living! And the passing of time appears to have been unable to change human nature.
         We all recognize the first kind of person. In fiscal matters they will take what someone else has earned and use it for themself without any intention of paying it back. That’s called stealing. In contrast, the righteous person is not captive to his old selfish nature. When they see another in need they respond with generosity. Their compelling desire is not to enjoy themselves at the expense of others, but to meet that person’s needs and do it generously. I know that those of you who read my blogs on a regular basis are wondering whether I am about to talk about human nature again. And of course, I am; it’s so central to what is wrong in our old world. The two types of people are those who are still in bondage to their old nature, and those who have discovered the joy of complete surrender to a loving and generous God.
         Having identified the problem, let’s think together about the Christian gift of generosity. Dictionaries describe this kinds of person as being “unselfish, anxious to share, magnanimous, free from any smallness of mind” and other descriptive phrases. I believe it is important to understand that for the Christian, being generous is not something that we do but something that we let God do in and through us. Jesus’ words of forgiveness to those who nailed him to the cross – “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing”(Luke 26:24) – was a gift of inceedible generosity. This same Jesus enters our hearts when we turn to him in faith. His desire is to carry out endless acts of generosity through us. If we are open to his redemptive desires for us as we travel toward heaven, we will find ourselves spending less time on the narrow streets of egocentrism, and more on the broad highways of loving concern for others. He would like to take hold of the steering wheel and redirect us to a far more rewarding way to live. As John the Baptist put it, so long ago, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Generosity takes so many different forms. A person can be:
 
Generous in speech, that is, being thoughtful about how our words might fall on another.
         Jesus spoke words of encouragement.
Generous in time, that is, devoting more of it to meet the needs of others.
         Jesus spent the days of his ministry helping those in need.
Generous in hospitality, as in “Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will           give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).
         Jesus said he had “no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58) but he turned no person away.
Generous in giving, that is, when you have all you need shouldn’t the rest go to others?
         Jesus gave all he had; he even had to ask for a coin so he could question whose image was on it.
 
Lord Jesus – We know you can and will live out your generosity through each of us who will grant you permission. Come, take control! Amen.