CCOG Newsletter

This past weekend, Shane and I were taking a walk into downtown Troutman (the booming metropolis that it is!). As we walked closer to a particular house, we saw a pretty little girl, no more than 6 years old, playing on her porch. When she saw us, her eyes lit up and she began to wave. I smiled and waved back. She then proceeded to run from the porch, down the hill and met us on the sidewalk. "Here!", she said, as she handed me a tiny stuffed animal. I asked what it was, and she told me it was a turtle (to me, it looks like a frog). I thanked her and we continued walking. While there are some problematic elements of that story, it made me think...

How generous are we? How excited are we to share our love, our abilities, our time, our belongings with others? Jesus told us that we must come to the kingdom of heaven like a child. Maybe this doesn't just mean our level of faith, but also our level of generosity. How likely are we to take off running to share Jesus with someone? We ought to be! We have the greatest gift known to the world - the saving grace of the cross.

Have you ever competed with others for a work position or some kind of reward? Have you ever wondered where your next meal was coming from or how you would pay the next month’s rent? In our world, people, communities and entire nations fight to control and stockpile resources, fearing that there won’t be enough to go around. That struggle sparks anxiety and suspicion, and it divides the world into the haves and the have-nots.

But what if that sense of scarcity comes from a broken perspective and does not line up with reality? The Bible describes a world of abundance where God lavishly cares not only for people but also for the land and animals. Can you imagine how our world would be different if everyone trusted that there would always be enough, shared resources without reservation and took only what they needed?

It’s challenging to trust in God’s generosity when all of us and the systems we live within are driven by assumptions about the scarcity of resources. But Jesus demonstrates what it looks like to rest in the Father’s generous provision today, even in the midst of a broken world. So as the Generosity video suggests, we can “live like the real party has begun” and invite others to join the celebration.

Reflection:

Where do you see evidence of God’s lavish care in the world or in your own life?

What would change in your experience of life if you always trusted in God’s abundant provision for his creation?