Listen:
“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:11)
Reflect:
Have you ever given your wallet to someone and said, “please use what you need!” ? That is basically what happened in the parable of the good Samaritan where a man reaches out to care for a seriously injured person and then says to an innkeeper “Look after him… and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.” *
Hear the loving 4-beat rhythm of God’s generosity:
1st beat – the Samaritan recognizes someone in need of help
2nd beat – the Samaritan acts on the need for help
3rd beat – the Samaritan ensures help continues
4th beat – The Samaritan completes the helping.
1, 2, 3, 4…As we see demonstrated in this story and throughout Scripture, God’s rhythm of generosity is noticeably resounding. 1, 2, 3, 4…As we seek to join God in his rhythms, this is the beat to follow.
A friend and I were talking about a need we saw in our community. We decided it could take a lot of our money and time to sincerely help beyond a simple “1 beat generosity”. Were we willing to be “the good Samaritans” on this occasion?
Each day presents an opportunity to trust God through practices of our generosity. We may not know exactly “how much” that means, but what we do know is that God is calling us to a pretty radical rhythm of generosity.**
*Luke 10:34-35
**Senri Kawaguchi
—Submitted by Janice Gutierrez
Janice is currently “sheltered in place” in Northern California due to the pandemic. She is thankful for all the technology and our Omnipresent God who keeps us connected, on mission and growing together worldwide.
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