Generous, Day 7 - Given to Give

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.  Romans 5:5

The Holy Spirit is the gift that keeps on giving.  After Jesus resurrected from the dead, He displayed himself to the disciples for forty days.  At the end of that time, Jesus told his disciples that the Father was going to send them a gift (Luke 24:49). 

Little did they know that the gift of God would be God in them (1 Cor 3:16)!

The coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost changed everything.  Not only did the Spirit come as a sign of adoption (Gal. 4:6), a source of counsel (John 14:26, conviction (John 16:8), comfort (2 Cor. 1:3-5) and power (Acts 1:8) as well as a deposit guaranteeing what was to come (Eph 1:13-14), but the Spirit also came bearing gifts (Eph. 4:7-13, Heb 2:4). These gifts were to be used to build up the body (1 Cor. 12:7), to bear witness of Christ (Acts 1:8) and to serve others (1 Peter 4:10).  They were to be used as a demonstration of faith in love (1 Cor. 13).

God poured out his love into our hearts and He expects that love to overflow into the lives of those around us. He is the Source (1 Chr. 29:14) who has given us the never-failing Resource (John 4:13-14), who lives in our hearts and who give us the ability to pay His love forward. All believers are indwelled by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9-11), but not all believers live a life consistently submitted to God’s Spirit (Eph. 5:15-18). As we live and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are reminded that our gifts are a gift from Him to be used for His purposes. Those who are led by the Spirit will not carry out the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16) but the desires of God.  The evidence of the Holy Spirit’s leading will include godly character (Gal. 5:22-23), evangelistic fervor (John 15:16) and unity (Eph.4:3-6).  Most of all, it will demonstrate generosity.  From the Spirit comes our ability to serve, teach, preach, encourage, give lead and show mercy (Rom 12:6-8).  The Spirit is God in us, accomplishing his extraordinary work through ordinary people.  When we give, we are most like God.

Generosity Challenge – Go to the website www.kiva.org. Read some of the life-change stories from around the world because of this micro-loan program.  Share the site with a friend. (Perhaps your small group would like to work together to sponsor a loan for one of these people.)


Sun Valley Church, Used by Permission