City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

^“24 Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So, David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. ^“

2 Samuel 24:24

“⁴³ So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; ⁴⁴ for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

Mark 12:34-44

Reflection

Of the six values we have discussed in this series, Generosity is the one that is most outward facing.  Think of it as God having made each man a blank piece of paper on which, in each interaction, we write.  This too comes with judgement, for at the end God will ask, what have you written on my person.  Will it be with a pen of anger, hostility, indifference, or generosity?

I have seen the mite of the widow at work, and the bold strokes of her generous pen.  But such lavish writing I struggle to achieve.  There was the time I was in the airport in Moscow, having a meal before my flight home, when I saw a couple of young guys working on math problems.  One was giving the other some very good algebra instruction.  I was so impressed that I wanted to do something for them.  So, I grab their check and went to pay for their meal.  While standing in line to pay, one of them confronted me and asked me to give the check back.  I gave it back but tried to explain that I’d like to do this thing for them.  He would hear none of it.  He was sure that there was something strange going on.  That day I learned that there is an emptiness to charity without relationship.

This week I went into my apartment, cut up some apple and brought them to some people living on the street. As I talked with these two guys, I said that I would pray for them that night.  But one of them stopped me and said, “pray right now,” as he emphatically pointed to that ground on which I stood.  It’s funny how people who live in the street get to be good at knowing the difference between promises and action.  “Why should I not be baptized now?” said the Ethiopian Eunuch.

Don’t laugh, but the first thing I thought to pray for were Spirit and Opportunity.  Yes, the pair of rovers we sent to Mars in 2003.  As I prayed, the mention of community seemed to hit home.  The next day I came back and shared communion with him and another friend.  The seedless apples were planted, and now they had been watered with communion.  I pray that God brings an increase.

If I were to give away 90% of my earnings and only live off 10%, I might be doing a great thing, but Jesus says that I would not be giving as much as the widow did.  She gave from her livelihood, which is the source of true generosity.  What I gave on the street was honest, and from the heart.  Perhaps I wrote a good line on someone that day.  Generosity is, indeed, the most outward facing, but to do it, it must start from the heart.

Application

To be generous, we must be willing to regard others higher than ourselves.  But don’t start with the extreme case.  Start with something simple.  The next time you are late for an event, consider the other driver more highly that yourself.  Relax, drive safely, and let the other guy go first.  The next time you hear of someone in need, take the time to figure out their true need.  Often the first thing advertised as a need is only a surface need.  Finally, the next time you have a conflict over preferences, stoop to conquer, and let the other person’s preference win.  This is something easier to do with a stranger than with someone close to us because we know if we give in today, we might also have to give in tomorrow too.  Now you are talking about giving from your livelihood.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I know that You provide for me in all things.  And I know that Your riches abound.  Teach me to trust You for my daily bread, and keep my mind trained on You.  Show me how to put others before You, and to represent Your kingdom in each interaction. To the praise of Your glory and grace. Amen.