This is the last blog in a series we have about different ways you can do ministry, even as things have changed. Whether you are a youth, parent, young adult, regular adult, or grandparent, we are all members of the body of Christ called to show his love to others.
Generous Hearts
What characterizes a generous heart?
A generous heart follows Christ’s command in Matthew 22:37 and 22:39 to “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind'...And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Being generous goes beyond monetary or physical gifts, but instead, strikes at the heart of a person and their needs. This can vary, from sharing your comfort to sharing your time. You can give someone a calm tone of voice in a stressful situation or assistance as they wait on the side of the road for a tow truck.
But how can we cultivate such a heart when it feels like everything has been taken from us? Our routine, our friends and family, the way the world used to be, a sense of security and constancy, all of it is gone.
If we are being honest, there is that instinct to curl up within ourselves and to close off our generosity. The feeling that so much has been taken from us makes us want to hold onto what we do have, whether it be our time, energy, or resources, even more tightly. Our generous hearts close up and we close our eyes and ears to the heart of people’s needs.
The antidote to the withering of our generous hearts is the reminding water of Christ’s gifts. Read Ephesians 1 and count all the blessings the Lord has bestowed on us. Here are some of them:
He has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ v.3
He has freely bestowed on us His grace in the Beloved v.6
He gave us redemption through His blood v.7
He provided the forgiveness of our trespasses v.7
He sets aside for us an inheritance v.11
He blesses us with the seal of the Holy Spirit v.13
Beyond these gifts, there are also the everyday gifts that the Lord showers upon us. These little things can be easy to take for granted, especially with larger things rolling around in our minds.
To help remedy this, it’s simple. Take five minutes during your devotional time and just start listing little moments from yesterday that you are grateful for. Keep this up and feel your gratitude tank replenish. Open your eyes to all that Christ has given you that you have not seen before.
With the reminder of how Christ has been richly generous with you, you are now equipped to minister to people through showing a generous heart.
This is less of a structured way of ministry and instead is meant, like all the other blogs in this series, to cultivate within you a lifestyle of ministry. We hope that this series has been a benefit to you during not just these difficult times, but will be useful for you going forward Christian in your walk as Christ’s ambassador.
Previous Posts in this series:
Modified Ministry 3: Living Worship
Modified Ministry 2: Persistent Prayer
If you would like a worthy place to share your generous heart, EY2S Feeding Families Fund is currently accepting donations. 100% of all donations to the Feeding Families Fund go towards providing food for local families in Hampton Roads that are experiencing food insecurity due to the COVID-19 crisis and also school supplies for local children in the Young Terrace and 5 Points neighborhoods in Norfolk.