“Live in total dependence on God and truly display His glory to others.” Ray Stedman

Living authentically with others is a huge opportunity to show an unbelieving world the love of Jesus. The scriptures are filled with guidance about right living, but one quality of authentic love is often marginalized and missed. That quality is generosi-ty. Too often when we hear the call to be “generous” we immediately think it’s a call to pull out our wallet. But we would be thinking too small.

One of the beautiful marks of authentic living in Christ’s kingdom is when our lives are marked by generosity. It’s a generosity that mirrors what Jesus extends to us, a generous, lavish love, that does not withhold. But it is not a love without cost. Jesus calls us to lay down our lives for others and so reveal the incredible love of God (Read John 15:13).

In choosing a life of generosity, we will be challenged. There will be days that feel exactly like we are being called to lay down our life, our needs, and our desires for someone else’s. We can be confident of this, there is no scarcity in the King-dom. When he calls us to serve, to be generous, He gives abundantly so that you have sufficiency in everything: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abun-dance for every good deed,” (2 Cor. 9:8).

We can love lavishly - He has more to fill us up with when we abide in Him. And abiding in Him is always the key to a fruitful, and generous, life. As we live with open hands, gratefully remembering God’s sustaining and gracious presence in every moment, our relationships thrive and the miser in us recedes.1

As Peter assured us “…seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (Read 2 Pet. 1:3). When we live with open hands, offering Jesus our lives to bless the world around us - knowing he has provided all we need - we show a hurting and skeptical world the generous love of our God. Now that is authentic living!

1. Mark McGinn, Christianity Today, “The Generous Soul,” Nov. 23, 2017

AUTHENTIC IN JESUS = A LIFE OF GENEROSITY

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A U T H E N T I C L E S S O N T H R E E

TA K I N G I T F U R T H E R

Read Abigail’s story in I Samuel 25:2-38.“The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.” (Prov. 11:25)

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19)

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” (John 15:6)

Living Out Our BRAVE Life

1. In what area of your life are you withholding generosity (think beyond just money, to include time, talent, affection, forgiveness, etc.)? Do you fear you won’t have enough capacity for your own needs or the means to satisfy the needs of others? How does Prov. 11:25 impact how you might think being generous?

2. Read Deuteronomy 15:10. Do you have confidence that God will meet your needs when you openly give to others, and will even bless you? Do you see God’s blessing in an area where you have lived generously?

3. How have you seen Christ transforming power change you from a selfish person to a generous person? In what ways is God growing your desire to be generous? Is there a specific area or relationship where this is happening? Ask God to show you specifically how you can be generous. Share your ideas with the group.

4. Read I Timothy 6:6-11, 18. When you read these seven verses, what stands out to you? How do you see the relationship between contentment and generosity?

5. Describe a time when your generosity or another’s generosity revealed Christ to an unbeliever? How do you see the relationship between living an authentic life in Christ and living generously? Why is generosity a key attribute of living an authentic life in Christ?

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TA K I N G I T F U R T H E R

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” (Eph. 3:16-17)

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8)

“Thanksgiving creates abundance.” Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

In Psalm 51:10, David asks the Lord to create in him a clean heart. The Hebrew word for ‘create’ is ‘bara’ and it means to create from nothing, something that only God can do. We need to pray a similar prayer, “Lord, create in me a generous heart.” If that is the authentic desire of our heart, it’s a prayer God will delight to answer. He is the only one who can transform our hearts; authentic generosity of spirit isn’t something we manufacture out of our own effort. Spend some time with the Lord praying various scripture verses in this lesson and then watch God begin to change your heart and expand your generosity.

Prayer for Generosity - St. Ignatius LoyolaLord Jesus, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to seek reward, except that of knowing that I do your will.Amen.

“Truth can quickly be found in God’s Word, but it’s even more effective if it’s already part of us. When we memorize Scripture, when we move it deep inside our hearts and down into our bones, it acts like an immune system of sorts. It becomes part of our makeup, our DNA, and the Spirit calls upon it without us even having to think.” Hayley Morgan, Preach to Yourself

Be encouraged as you persevere in memorizing Romans 12. Make it a part of you. Let it move deep inside your heart and down into your bones. Let the Word become part of your makeup and your DNA so that the Spirit can recall it without you even having to think.

Transformation Through Prayer

Hide It in Your Heart

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