“Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
— 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NASB)
Generosity is something most people in America do not understand. To be generous goes against most people’s thought of “pay myself first.” Certainly, we must take care of ourselves, but we should not be first in our own minds. Obviously, our giving to God is probably the first thing we take out of our own paychecks (1 Corinthians 16:2) but are we being selfish with the rest? I do not want to tell you how to manage your personal finances today, what I want to do is share a story of how someone else’s generosity left a lasting mark on me.
I was only 15 years old and travelling in Atlanta, Georgia with a 4-H group. As the only Christian in the group, I had arranged for an acquaintance of mine and a friend of my parents to come to my hotel on Sunday morning and take me to church. This friend was an older woman, her children were already grown, and her husband was going to meet us at the building. After services were over, they invited me out to lunch with them. I was happy to be able to spend some more time with them, so we went to a local pizza place. As I started to look over the menu, she said “Don’t even look at the prices, we are paying for you today.” I assured her it was fine, I had planned to cover my own expenses, but she insisted, saying “That’s what we do, take care of broke students.”
The lasting effect that had on me was unbelievable. To her, it was just what they did. They were used to having students in their home, giving them meals, and taking care of them all around. To me, it was a big deal. My $6 meal or whatever it was didn’t make an impact on their budget, but it did make an impact on me, because I was out of place in a huge city, and they stepped in and made me feel right at home.
I can think of more than one occasion when someone has done something for me that I haven’t forgotten. Something they don’t expect I repay them for, even though I may try to. There are the kind of people out there that are good at looking for need and attending to the need. I wish I could do it half as well as some I know. But even if I am not good at it, even if I don’t have as much money, or time, or recourses, that is not an excuse to sit idly by.
It is up to us as Christians to take care of each other. Always be generous where you can, and remember, it may not seem like a big deal to you, but to the person you are helping it could mean the world.