Despite the fact that we often think we need something urgently from God, he is not stingy; generosity is one of his characteristics. The Bible refers to the generosity of God with the term grace, his gracious and generous nature.
So where is the generosity of God displayed? We see his generosity in things like his creation and in life itself. But the greatest demonstration of the generosity of God towards us is of course seen in the death of his own Son on our behalf.
Connected closely with his generosity is his mercy and forgiveness. When you think about it, to forgive someone rather than treat them as they deserve is gracious generosity in itself. Especially when we realise our sin is against God and our forgiveness is paid for by him.
And still the generosity of God is not exhausted. For example when God raised Christ up to sit at his right hand in all power and authority he gave his Son the promised Spirit to pour out on all flesh. Through Christ, God generously gave his Spirit to regenerate us, to bring us to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus.
And still the generosity of God is not exhausted. Accompanying the arrival of the Spirit are gifts God lavishes on his people. We read in Ephesians 4 that there are those who are gifted to equip God’s people for the work of building the church. Even today God is generously giving his people the gifts we need to undertake the task of building the church. In our church family there are people God has generously gifted.
We need to remember that these are God’s generous gifts he has freely given us. We should thank him for his generosity towards us and we should thank God for the gift of each other and the gifts he has given each of us. Whether we have realised it or not each of us has been given gifts by God to be used for the common good of building his church. God does not give us gifts for our private enjoyment or hoarding but so that we can use them generously for the benefit of his people.
As a church we must seek to gain the full benefit of the varied gifts that God has generously bestowed on us. We must look for opportunities to use our gifts not for our own good or the sake of our reputations, but for the benefit of others. This is the other person centeredness that the Bible is referring to when it speaks of loving one another and it is really just the flow on effect of God’s amazing generosity and grace. (1 Peter 4:7-11). If you want to know more how you can use the gifts God has given you or may be even find out what they might be then why not come and speak with me. Look forward to hearing from you.