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God's Generosity
Aug 16, 12:52 PM
“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously.” Psalm 37:21
Much has been spoken and written about God’s power, His love, His creation, and His will, but one of the most amazing attributes of God is His incredible generosity. Look at the way God created things. He clearly did not skimp on beauty, majesty, intricacy, complexity, and enormity. Instead of merely analyzing creation, take a moment and marvel at it. Don’t just marvel at how awesome it is but consider the tremendous liberality of a God who would pour Himself out to that extent and willingly share it with us. Yes, we are supposed to be amazed and give God glory for all He has made. But God did not manifest His creativity just so we would admire Him. God created all of it that we might enjoy it, care for it, participate in it, be blessed by it and be a blessing to it. But it is not as though creation is to be enjoyed in an abstract, disconnected way. Creation draws us closer to God Himself.
God has liberally revealed the very depths of His nature and glory in Jesus Christ. “In Christ all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” (Colossians 1:19) God’s revelation was not carefully controlled and limited. God is not fearful of rejection or afraid of being misunderstood; He freely poured Himself out in Christ such that to see Jesus is to see the Father. Even the Holy Spirit plumbs the depths of the heart of God and reveals it to us. God does not hold back in sharing all of Himself with us.
God’s authorship of life extends beyond His creation of it. God is the ultimate life-giver. He is called, “The God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” (Romans 4:17) The picture of Eden’s garden is teeming with life: supple, ample, creative, engaging, nourishing, and fulfilling LIFE!!! One of the Biblical metaphors for the life of God is a river. Everywhere the life of God flows, life itself springs forth. All around – as far as the eye can see – hopeful, helpful, healing life appears. It seems that God loves to pour His life out to all who will receive. “All who are thirsty,” Jesus cried out, “let them come to me and drink.” (John 7:37) Amen, let the thirsty come!
But it doesn’t even stop there. Even in the face of rebellion, heaven’s answer is a generous one: mercy’s flow is greater than the trespass. The magnanimity of God’s grace is most poignantly displayed through the forgiveness of our sins in Christ. Even though it was we who rebelled against the divine majesty of God, it was He who made the first move. God was the wronged party and yet took the initiative which brought reconciliation. Though our sins had separated us from God, it was He who crossed the divide. How great is our God! God is not just big in size, stature, and being; God is huge in his heart and great in His mercy. How can any human being not stand in awe of that! “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will he not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) The mercy of God not only restores us to a reconciled relationship with God – it doesn’t just get us back to where we were – it overflows into new life! “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!” (Romans 5:10) How much more indeed!
Sometimes I shake my head and wonder how God can be so willing to forgive. It’s not like He is a senile grandfather who doesn’t know any better. God is not so weak that he is afraid to confront. His mercy seems to know no bounds. God shows kindness to people you and I don’t even like. He sends His rain on the just and the unjust. Listen to the language of the litany of God’s generosity taken from the Book of Ephesians:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3
“To the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.” Ephesians 1:6
“The riches of God’s grace which He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Ephesians 1:8
“In order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:7
It is the nature of God to give. He does not dole out His goodness and provision with a tiny medicine dropper; God lavishes it on us. Consider the lilies of the field; they toil not, neither do they spin, and yet Solomon in all His glory was not arrayed like one of these. In other words, God is not a miserly skinflint who keeps His change purse hidden and only occasionally sticks His bony fingers inside it to pry out a coin to begrudgingly give to those who beg of Him. It is the joy of God’s heart to give. It is manna from heaven, rain in the desert, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and overflowing! Look at the picture Jesus paints when He talks about how God disburses His Word. He likens it to a farmer sowing seed. He does not carefully and painstakingly place each seed in an advantageous spot; he throws it everywhere! How very wasteful! The cold, calculating hearts among us might wonder at the wisdom of God’s investment plan. They are missing the point: God is not bound by our limited sense of frugality. When Mary anointed Jesus at Bethany, Judas Iscariot made a fuss. “Why this waste? That perfume could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor.” Jesus defends her and calls her action one of exemplary devotion. I doubt that the Lord was negligent of the needs of the poor. Generosity says that we don’t have to make a choice between the two.
It is my contention here that we as individuals, as families, as the Church ought to resemble God in all matters of our life and ministry. Through our creativity, our transparency, our mercy and unrestrained generosity, we show God to the world.