Day 13 - Live Generously
Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
My mum is the most generous person I know. It’s like she lives with an understanding that nothing that she owns is really hers to keep. It’s all a gift from the hands of God. This includes her possessions and her time, but it’s mostly evident in how she loves.
Most of the time, we deem someone to be generous in the way that they freely give money or any physical things of value away. However, knowing Jesus unlocks a fresh revelation of what it means to live generously!
Our Proper Response
In view of the mercy of God, the depth of His kindness, His rich forgiveness and extravagant love, how could we rightly respond? What could we ever offer in return?
First, can we really embrace being generous in our lives without talking about surrender? Surrendering our lives to God as sacred, living sacrifices is what it really looks like to be generous in the kingdom - to give and surrender yourself, your life, completely.
Christ Gave Himself Up
When we choose to spend our lives loving God, as His children we are called to imitate to Father; “watch what God does, and then you do it” (Ephesians 5:1). There was nothing cautious in the way that Christ lived and loved on the earth. Everything was extravagant.
The cross is the great summation of His unreserved, irrational, unhindered, extravagant love. The most beautiful example of living a surrendered life - a generous life - is to give everything of ourselves as we love God and His people, never to get something in return.
What Does a ‘Living Sacrifice’ Look Like?
“God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering.” (Romans 12:1-2 MSG)
When we live generously, we need the Holy Spirit to help us take every gift He’s given us and teach us to place it before God as an offering. Our everyday life - our decisions, time, eating, sleeping, going-to-work, plans, relationships, rest. God brings all of these precious gifts to us, and we are commanded and compelled to give it all up. Everything becomes a holy offering to Him as we begin to place in His hands all that came from and belongs in the hands of God anyway.
How could we not give everything up for Him? When we receive deeper revelation of the forgiveness and beauty of Jesus, and our desperate need for Him, surrender will become the beautiful, fragrant fruit of our lives. And the more we will love Him extravagantly, unhindered, withholding nothing.