I got a call from a friend yesterday. He’s been going through a rough patch, and I don’t think many of us really understood just how difficult things have been for him and his family. He’s a strong man, a servant-leader, a giver used to being on the other end of problems and difficulties. Like many strong men, he isn’t used to asking for help. But things kind of broke loose yesterday, so he called me. He wasn’t complaining; he simply expressed his situation and explained his need.
I took that need to a couple of people last night, and today the need was met! Somebody in our mutual circles had just the thing that would help, and even though the two men don’t know each other (yet) the gift was extended. I had the pleasure of being the go-between, and it was a beautiful thing to watch develop.
That’s how the body of Christ–the church–is supposed to act. When someone has a need, the body is supposed to respond to meet the need. That’s the way the early church lived:
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. Acts 4:32-35
Being part of a community of faith/hope/love that practices living like this is inspirational. When I see someone sacrificing so that others are helped it makes me want to do the same. I’m trying to live with my eyes open to the needs around me, looking for people who need a hand, places where I can be useful.
It’s a beautiful thing to see selfless generosity happen right before my eyes, and I want to be increasingly generous. When we practice generosity, we get better at it. Our things begin to matter less to us, and the people around us become more important than our comforts.
Thank you, God, for the reminder and living example of how the church is supposed to live. Help me hold on to that, to practice sacrificial generosity.
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