The next Spiritual gift that we are to talk about is generosity. Like all of the other Spiritual gifts, generosity is a key ingredient in building God’s Kingdom. Think what the Kingdom of God would look like without love, joy, peace, patience or kindness, and something would be missing. The same thing is true of generosity.
Jesus described God’s nature as generous when he spoke the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. In that parable, there are workers hired at different hours of the day, and even though the workers hired early in the day were paid what they agreed to be paid, they get upset when workers who are hired later are paid the same amount of money. The idea being that God is not always fair in our eyes, but God is generous.
The parable leaves much to talk about, but God’s generosity comes from an attitude of abundance. There is a sense of plenitude when it comes to God’s Kingdom. Which raises the question of why we are sometimes stingy with the resources God has entrusted to us. Whether it is our money, our time, our talents, our kindness, our love, or anything else, God asks us to recognize it, not as a thing to be horded or protected, but for us to be generous.
Perhaps this is where generosity as a Spiritual gift comes in. When I see things as mine, and that I should just give a portion of what is mine to God, I am likely not to be generous, and I am even more likely to be an uncheerful giver, giving out of obligation rather than joy; that is not a Spiritual gift.
But if I see my wealth and my time and my talents as gifts from God, I am working with “house money,” and I can give with a generous spirit, because the owner of the house has told me to be generous.
So let us, today and everyday, discover the joy of being generous, of sharing the gifts that God has given to us with the world. And let us be generous joyfully.
Blessings to you today, and may worship get you in touch with God’s abundance and generosity.
Blessings, Sonny
386.255.2588
secretary@centralbc.org
