You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us – in one stroke he became poor and we became rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 MSG
If you Google “The Richest People in the World,” you will find a fascinating list of people and how they obtained their money.
If you Google “Top Philanthropists in the World” (a philanthropist being someone who donates their money to help create a better world), you will find a fascinating list of people as well. The thing that makes it most fascinating to me is that not many people are on both lists. In fact, I only found three people on both lists. If you ever believed that you would automatically become generous if you obtained a lot of money, that should disabuse you of that notion. Rich people are not notably generous. In fact, studies routinely show that people with less money are generally more compassionate and giving.
Generosity has supernatural powers, however. Whether you are unbelievably wealthy, very ordinarily resourced, or financially challenged, amazing transformation takes place when you intentionally commit to live generously in every area of your life. The grip of materialism starts to break, and, like Dr. Suess’s reformed Grinch, your heart grows bigger.
But something much more significant and lasting happens: You become like Jesus. Jesus is characterized by His unreasonable, outrageous, radical generosity. He never stops giving. Everything you have, even the air that you breath, your very heartbeat, is because God is so overwhelmingly generous. We would be nothing and have nothing without Him.
Paul reminds us of that Jesus, rich as He was, gave it all up for us. He left the unimaginable comfort and splendor of heaven to come here to be born in a stable, grow up in poverty, love people radically, give unreasonably in the face of rejection, and ultimately willingly surrender His life to death on a cross. Why did He do that? Not for Himself. For US. In one stroke, He became poor, and we became rich – and He was delighted to do it.
Jesus wants you to live generously because He wants you to be like Him. He didn’t come to earth to live for Himself, and He didn’t put you here to live for yourself either. Every day He is giving you more opportunities to be like Him and live a life of radical generosity.
- How is your life reflecting the generosity of Jesus? Do you look more like Him now than you did a year ago?