Growing into Generosity

January 8

(Luke 3:10-11 NIV) ““What should we do then?" the crowd asked. {11} John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.””

(1 Timothy 6:17-19 NIV) “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. {18} Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. {19} In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

Generosity is one of the fruits that should grow out of a life rooted in God. Christians should be among the most generous people in the world because we are commanded to give like no one else. But sadly, that is not always the case. In the USA today, Christians do not really give much more to the church than the average citizen gives to charity. Recent surveys show that the average American gives around two percent of their income to charity every year, while the average Christian gives about two and a half percent of their income to the church. This means that church goers are only about one half percent more generous than those who claim to have no faith. Church giving was higher by percentage during the Great Depression than it is today. Something is wrong here. If we are going to call ourselves disciples of Jesus, we must do better than this. Grow into generosity. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day