Help Those Who Need Help

Generosity is such a wonderful thing, isn't it? When someone's generous toward us, be it with their time, talents or treasures, we feel incredibly valued, incredibly blessed. Yet in truth, most people's default position is to hoard what they have, keeping it all to themselves. Just recently, in my conversations with some incredibly generous people,  I've been struck by that truth as they've recounted stories of wealthy people they know, who live with an attitude of "Well, I've worked hard. It's mine. Why would I give it away?" Why indeed. Well, let's hear God's take on this whole generosity thing. Romans 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. (NRSV) In the brutal first-century Roman world when that was written, this verse carried deep practical and spiritual weight, especially amongst the persecuted, scattered, and often extremely poor Christian communities. The original Greek word for "contribute" carries the meaning of fellowship or sharing. "The saints" refers to fellow believers, those suffering persecution, famine, imprisonment, or displacement. In many cases, they lost jobs, homes, or even family connections because of their faith. So this isn't about paying lip service by tossing over some loose change. It implies an active, personal participation by entering into the burdens of others. Make no mistake. This is a call to radical generosity. Look, God knows nothing of stinginess. No, He exhorts us here to treat each other as family, meeting material needs as a natural outflow of our shared life in Christ. I know this is challenging. I get that. But God's calling us here not merely to generosity, but to radical generosity. That's His Word. Fresh … for you … today.