Today we continue a 12 week series entitled, The ABC’s of faith. The larger idea is based on the idea that we learn over time through an exploration process of success and failure. Everything we come to know and understand is built over time on the foundation of trial and error.
We learned last week, the wooden blocks we have all played with were an idea in 1594, a practical concept 100 years after that, and only then it would take another 175 years to be mass produced as the blocks we know and love from Brooklyn, New York.
Over the last two weeks, we learned the foundation of our faith are solid when we become aware of:
The pursuit of the tangible will never satisfy.
The powers of this world are led by the evil one and his schemes to diminish the importance of living for the eternal.
Any unwillingness, complacency or lack of accountability to follow through on our vow to Jesus is a sin that subtly creates cracks in our spiritual foundation
The cure for the meaningless life and to keep our solid foundation is a life led in commitment to Jesus that offers a similar generosity to that of the Father who sent the Son, who sent the Holy Spirit, who sent you. It’s living a life of generosity towards God and others.
Which begs the question, Can we ever be as generous as God himself? No! And this is not a message about money.
Generosity is an act of the heart, not the head. The Webster's 1828 dictionary defines generosity as: “a disposition to give liberally to bestow favors. It’s to give with abundance.”
Christian generosity often doesn't make sense on the surface. Look at the example of the widow that we heard earlier. Jesus references her sacrifice right after condemning the religious leaders who flaunted their wealth for services offered to the least respected of their day - The widows.
Don’t lose sight of the contrast because there is a translation break. Jesus highlights her generosity because it doesn't make financial sense for her to give away more so much but she does anyway. The teachers of the law had money to give. They gave out of a fear of what other people think. The had abundance of the world and gave from excess. The widow was poor in the world which makes it look like she gave out of scarcity. In reality, she was giving out of abundant heart because a “true” disciple must be willing to be generous in everything, even if it means physical scarcity.
The apostle Paul said to the church plant in Corinth, "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver," (2 Corinthians 9:7)
If you give to anyone, hoping to get in return, you are most likely acting out of self centeredness or selfish motives. ‘Quid pro quo’ is a latin term that means "something given or received for something else." There is nothing inherently illegal in giving or receiving something in exchange for something else, but in legal contexts quid pro quo often refers to that which is illegal. For example, if a company gives a government purchasing person or an official something in exchange for receiving business it might be considered illegal. It could be said every bribe is a case of quid pro quo, but not every quid pro quo is a case of bribery. A bribe is something (such as money or a favor) given (or promised) to influence the judgment or conduct of someone, and while quid pro quo may be used to describe this, it may also refer to something merely traded for something else.
Jesus never expected anything in return for His generosity. He didn’t when he healed the sick, fed the hungry, clothed the naked or gave water to the thirsty. No quid pro quo. The sum of all his actions were unconditional. They were pure and came from, and still do come from, a love for all of us.
Unconditional Love always has a cost. It cost our Savior more than we know or can imagine. We can say it cost God to become man, to live as a creation, to suffer, die and rise but to fully understand might be beyond our cognitive brain power.
However, Christ-like love is unconditional. A love many, if not all, humans struggle with giving and receiving.
So how can we love unconditionally? The best answer comes from an ancient Latin phrase - CORE UM Day Oh
Coram Deo ("core-um day-oh") is a Latin phrase meaning "in the presence of God." As a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church—and as followers of Christ—we live our lives Coram Deo: in the presence of God, under the authority of God, for the glory of God.
We must strive to stay connected to His power in our lives because the world will pull us away. This awareness is our motivation to continually practice the Spiritual disciplines that draw us into His presence.
If you’re having a problem with loving God or your neighbors, it’s a sign to you to practice more spiritual disciplines.
There is no complete Spiritual Disciplines list. Any activity that helps you to grow your reliance upon the Spirit of Jesus might make your spiritual disciplines list.
The main spiritual disciplines can be divided into two categories: engagement or self-denial.
Disciplines of Engagement - Connecting with God and other people
Bible Reading: Trusting the Holy Spirit-inspired words of Scripture as our guide, wisdom, and strength for life. (Includes Bible study, Scripture meditation, praying God’s Word)
Worship: Praising God’s greatness, goodness, and beauty in words, music, ritual, or silence.
Prayer: Conversing with God about what we’re experiencing and doing together.
Soul Friendship: Engaging fellow disciples of Jesus in prayerful conversation or other spiritual practices.
Personal Reflection: Paying attention to our inner self in order to grow in love for God, others, and self. Journaling for clarity or revelation
Service: Humbly serving God by overflowing with his love and compassion to others, especially those in need.
Disciplines of Self-Denial - denying ourselves to make space to focus/connect to God.
Solitude: Refraining from interacting with other people in order to be alone with God and be found by him.
Silence: Not speaking in a quiet place in order to quiet our minds and whole self and attend to God’s presence.
Fasting: Going without something for a period of intensive prayer (complete or partial)
Sabbath: Doing no work to rest in God’s person and provision; praying and playing with God and others.
Secrecy: Not making our good deeds or qualities known to let God or others receive attention and to find our sufficiency in God alone (e.g., see Matthew 6).
Submission: Not asserting ourselves in order to come under the authority, wisdom, and power of Jesus Christ as our Lord, King, and Master.
Ultimately, God’s generosity is displayed in the words of John, “God so loved the world that He gave us His one an only Son…” John 3:16
We need to emulate His love to world in desperate need of love.
Creative: Blocks on Stage, Reading of Scripture prior to preaching
Reference: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/widows-sacrificial-contribution
