Kingdom Lessons # 13 Generosity. By Jim Banks www.jimandpatbanks.com www.traumaprayer.com
One of the most significant characteristics of one whose life has been reborn and changed through the sanctification process of the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is generosity. It should be the hallmark of our Life. He freely gave his life for us therefore His expectation is that we should do likewise for all those around us. It should go without having to be said that certainly we should give of our possessions financially, and we should do so liberally. When others attempt to describe who we are individually, one of the first characteristics they mention should be our generosity. This should be known of each of us.
Before you quit reading because you think this is vaguely about tithing, you have to understand that giving is just one of the aspects of our generosity.
We recently ministered in a small church in Colorado that went through a split a few years ago, then covid hit. As for many churches post-covid, once they started meeting again they found that everything had changed for them, some old and few new attendees, along with a worship team mostly made up of young people. At some point before we arrived, they chose to move the worship ensemble off the stage down into the middle of the congregation, which seemed to exacerbate the differences of opinion regarding how things ought to work.
Following a great worship set, we were to introduce ourselves to the congregation in advance of a two-day training we were to present the following weekend. However, Holy Spirit knowing the makeup of the age of the congregation had previously informed me out of Numbers 8 saying that when a Levite reached the age of 50 they were to drop their assignment and begin to serve his fellow Levites. We then asked them to come honor those who serve them by offering their thanks to the worship team who had given themselves faithfully, without pay, thanks or appreciation. That instruction about took 20 minutes for them to complete and it opened a door to a bonding process that they had collectively held at bay. It is sad, but in our culture of consumerism worship style, not the personal commitment to worship regardless of presentation, is frequently the determining factor in the acceptance of where one attends, or whether one chooses to worship God at all.
Our generosity should not be limited in any way, whether it is our time, our skills and abilities, our gifting, our talents or experience, even down to expressing our appreciation of those things in other people. While in Colorado we were exiting a restaurant and there was a well-dressed, distinguished looking gentleman waiting for his takeout order. I paused on the way out the door and simply smiled and said, “That’s a great look for you.” By the look on his face you would have thought no one had ever given him a compliment before and he immediately stood up a little taller and said, ”Thanks” as I passed by.
Generosity doesn’t have to cost a lot, but it can make a huge difference in the life of someone who may be struggling to keep it all together for one more day. I have ministered to folks of both sexes who not only never got so much as a kind word from their parents, but got a consistent diet of the exact opposite, and believe me when I say that it’s more common than you think. You never know what damage people are dealing with.
“A word fitly (at the right time) spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” Proverbs 25:11 RSV
Never choose to be miserly with your compliments or your praise! It is an expression of who you are and it signals the condition of your heart.
I can only remember three compliments my father gave to me, two to me personally as a late teenager, and one spoken of me told to my mother, which she relayed to me after his death. There are many around you who never got that many. If you cannot be generous with your praise or compliments, expecting nothing in return, you won’t be generous in any other area of your resources either.
“A man’s gift [given in love or courtesy] makes room for him and brings him before great men.” Proverbs 18:16 AMP
Here is another point to ponder … Have you ever stopped to consider the presence you carry every day? I’m not talking about the presence of the Lord who is with you all the time. God made you to carry some specific characteristic of Him all the time, it is what He deposited in you that distinguishes you from all others when you walk into a room that is instantly recognized by all that encounter you. It is that which people immediately respond to. It is significant! And He expects you to walk in it. If you consistently choose to be a generous person it will take you to where you want to go.
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