LEAD June 2023 | Page 18

MESSY GENEROSITY

Art Rainer

Generosity Means More than Money
Generously giving to our churches is certainly something we should all do . As the center of God ’ s plan for reaching the world with the gospel , the church should be our first place of giving . But biblical generosity goes well beyond dropping a check into the offering plate or giving online . It isn ’ t that neat and tidy .
God often calls us to get our hands dirty .
Like the Samaritan , a generous giver will be gener ous with more than money . Generosity isn ’ t something we compartmentalize , giving freely to the church but hoarding everything else . True generosity goes viral , permeating every aspect of our lives . Money is only one of many areas that we are to hold with open hands . God calls us to be generous with our talents , time , and treasure as well .
Generosity looks like a dirty house
When we moved into our current home , my wife expressed her desire that our house would be leveraged for God ’ s Kingdom . Sarah told me she hoped to see the house that God gave us become a gospel outpost in our neighborhood and community , a place where the love of Jesus would be evident . So we committed ourselves to being hospitable to whoever walked through the front door .
Or back door .
Or garage door .
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