| “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” |
| —Proverbs 11:25 |
Among the gifts—“redeeming works”—that the Holy Spirit gives to believers is the gift of generosity. Though we usually think of this gift in terms of financial generosity, it can also mean generosity expressed in a wide variety of ways: generosity of spirit, generosity of kindness, generosity of helpfulness, generosity of love, generosity of understanding, and so forth.
Generosity begins when a believer comes to recognize that all he or she is and all he or she has comes as a precious gift from God. Since we do nothing to deserve the bounty God has given us, it really belongs to Him. We simply—but importantly—become stewards of His goodness to us.
I’ve written about stewards many times in this blog. Throughout history, a steward was a slave elevated to a position of great responsibility in his or her master’s kingdom. Still a slave, this steward acts with authority and dedication on behalf of his or her master. The steward thinks nothing of himself or herself. Rather, the steward considers—only and always—about what is the very best for his or her master.
Many individuals became wealthy and powerful due, largely, to the diligence, wisdom, and hard work of that one’s steward. Usually, the steward receives no credit other than a personal and humble sense of honor and accomplishment that comes from having served the master well.
We “Christ’s-ones” are stewards of God. And, some of us may well have been given—“redeeming works”—great gifts, materially or otherwise, to dispense on behalf of Christ and His Kingdom. One such gift is the gift of generosity. King Solomon recognized such generous ones when he wrote these words, as recorded in Proverbs 11:25:
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
Here we see a steward who gives of himself or herself with such generosity that brings refreshment to others. This ties in quite nicely with the last two posts on this blog. In those posts, I shared with you how fellowship and the gift of refreshment play such important roles in the life of a believer. Among our brothers and sisters in Christ is often someone who has the gift of such a generous spirit—“a redeeming work”—that he or she brings a heightened sense of refreshment to others.
As we begin another new day, let’s ask God to point us toward those who need the kind of generosity that we might bring. Even if we are people of modest means, we still can use the gift of our generosity to become an instrument of refreshment in someone’s life, simply by being willing to use the generous spirit that God has given us. While we do this solely out of love for God and for others, we should not be at all surprised when God blesses us for our faithfulness.
Based on a blog originally posted on Thursday, September 14, 2017
