Day 10 – He is Generous

Just last night I was visiting with the YAM -young adult ministry group at my church. We were discussing the topic of generosity. The consensus was that generosity is a good thing but there is stuff that gets in the way of giving and receiving.

Have you ever received a gift from someone that made you uncomfortable? Not the kind of gift that makes sense like for your birthday or Christmas. Its that blessing kind of giving. The over and above kind of giving. I am sure you know the feeling. The kind you say, “I feel like I should pay them back or I don’t deserve this gift.” It is accompanied with a “why me?” -kind of questioning in the mind. Sometimes it comes with that “what strings are attached to this gift?” It’s all very awkward and some of the thought processes come from how we were given or not given too when we were kids. The bottom line is that for some of us it is hard to receive generosity. Then there is that whole “who deserves my generosity” aspect and we couldn’t find anyone who did.

We need an upgrade in our thinking in this area. If someone has a need, what if it is our calling to fill it. Why? Because God is a generous God and we are to be more like Him.

In Jesus, God sent something called the Jubilee!

The Jubilee is a certain time that God created for the Israelite people where all debt was canceled. It was a time of freedom and deliverance to bring hope back to the people who had been oppressed and longing for change in their situations. But the Jubilee only came every 50 years. In the meantime, the people had to wait and God was with them in the waiting. But Jesus was coming!

Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Are we ready to believe that in Jesus the Jubilee is now? I challenged the YAM students to check their thinking and their hearts about generosity. If God wants to give to them are they willing to trust Him, that He will get His gifts to them and in their hands? If He says in His word that He will prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies. (Psalm 23:5) We don’t have to assume, reason, or worry about the why. We just have to accept the gift, no strings attached. God can even use our enemies to bless us. He works all things for our good. It doesn’t matter whose hands are giving, God is doing it because He is generous.

We don’t have to wait.

We live in the time of Jubilee!

I was in one of those times the enemy wanted me to believe that God was holding ot on us. It felt like a year of waiting. God was so good to us. It was hard to wrap my mind around how we got through. He was with us in the waiting. His promise breaks through and into our lives by the jubilee of Christ. We were pretty broke, money was tight but I had scrubbed up just enough money to go see my sister. The day before I was to leave, someone asked me if there was anything I needed. I said, “Nope, I am good.” In their gracefulness and desire to give they pressed me, rebuked me and blessed me with a substantial monetary gift. I was overwhelmed by the generosity. It filled my cup! That is the God kind of giving. I don’t have to earn it, repay it, or figure out why. I simply have to open my hand to receive it. – Tweet This!

PRAYER: Father, thank You that You do not hold back Your gifts from me. You are the greatest example of being generous. You gave Your only Son as a blessing to the world. Help me to accept the generosity that You want to lavish on me, press down, shaken together and dumping out all over the place.

Do you struggle with receiving? Do you feel that you are not worth the gift people want to give? Do you shy away? Say “no thank you”?

Take the challenge. Will you trust that if it comes your way, it belongs to you? God wants to lavish His love on you. Open your hand, lift your cup, Jubilee is here!

Thanks for Listening,

Starla