BLESSED GENEROSITY

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.

The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.

Proverbs 11:24, 11:25, 14:21, 14:31, 19:17, 21:13, 22:9

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever felt that warm fuzzy feeling?

You know, that feeling you get after you have done something for someone else.

I know I have. In my life, I have found that I never feel better than when I know I am making a difference in the life of another. Maybe that’s because the Bible speaks volumes about the matter of servitude and charity.

It’s really at the heart of what a Christian is supposed to be, wouldn’t you agree?

For you can’t be living in a way that models Christ and not be serving others selflessly, giving freely of your time, talent, and yes, even your money in a way that impacts someone in a positive way. Jesus called us to service as He did His first disciples and practiced what He preached. You may recall Him saying these words:

“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

Yes, Jesus served mankind all the way to Calvary’s cross and beyond, displaying nothing short of blessed generosity in providing sinners a chance to escape death and the sin-induced wrath of God by dying in their place so they might be able to share life with Him and His Father forever.

Now, we might not have the chance to save someone in our life but we do have the chance to possibly give someone a new lease on life. Life is difficult in so many ways and there is never a shortage of people in need of help, people Jesus referred to as “the least of these” in these verses:

 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’”

“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?’”

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’” Matthew 25:34-41

The scene here is Christ’s return after He has separated the sheep from the goats. The goats are moved to the left and represent those who chose to reject Jesus in their lives. They are not far from being cast into the lake of fire. The sheep, also referred to in this passage as the righteous, are on the right and are about to receive their inheritance which included joining Jesus and God, His Father and ours, in the kingdom forever.

So what was the main thing mentioned in this passage that separated the sheep from the goats?

It was their blessed generosity, the way they modeled the way Jesus lived in the way they helped others.

There were multiple ways that this generosity was extended and Jesus highlighted a few like:

- Giving food to the hungry.

- Providing drink to the thirsty.

- Showing hospitality to a stranger.

- Clothing the naked.

- Caring for the sick.

- Visiting the imprisoned.

The people were surprised when Jesus told them they had done any or all of these things for Him because they hadn’t. They had done them for others but the point was that when they did, it was as if they had done them unto Him, for through their actions they were glorifying and honoring Him through obedience to His command to love, serve, and care for others.  

As a result, their blessed generosity resulted in receiving Christ’s blessed generosity as they entered into eternity with Him, not earned by their works but rather illuminated through following Christ’s example and answering His call.

Solomon had reinforcing words to say about the matter of blessed generosity. Look at these proverbs:

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. Proverbs 11:24

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy. Proverbs 14:21

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Proverbs 14:31

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done. Proverbs 19:17

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered. Proverbs 21:13

The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9

Well before Jesus would return and praise the “sheep” on His right for their charity, Solomon was exhorting his Old Testament readers to be generous to others, underscoring the blessings and favor God grants to those who did so.

A person who gives freely gains more.

For the one who freely gives what God provides, the one who is a charitable steward of what God has given, God will continue to give more to because he knows they will extend His blessing to others.

A generous person will prosper.

The Lord will bless a generous person with prosperity.

Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

There is a refreshing relief felt when people are helped when in need and this refreshing feeling extends into the heart of the provider.

Blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.

The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.

The Lord blesses and rewards those who help the less fortunate.

Whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

Part of our daily motivation in life should be to honor, praise, and glorify God in all that we do. Showing kindness and assistance to the needy brings Him honor. The scriptures tell us so.

Friends, we need only look to our Savior, Jesus Christ, to see the perfect model of blessed generosity and when we mimic our perfect model, then we will become an extension of His love and compassion and provision for others, especially those who are in need. He has called us to help the needy, the sick, strangers, and the incarcerated.

How well are you doing in answering His call?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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