Skip to main content

24th Day of Lent: How Do We Respond to God's Continuously Unfolding Generosity?

As we can see with our own eyes and experience for ourselves through God's natural world (the universe), His generosity cannot be out-done.

It is overflowing.

Abundant.

Without measure.

And although "there are some things stored up for the future when we will be face-to-face with him (see Ephesians 1:13–14; Hebrews 4:8–11; 1 Peter 1:4–5), ... there is much that God gives to people here on earth now.

In order to enjoy all of God's generosity. we have a part to play:

Take possession
Caleb said, 'We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it' (Numbers 13.30b). But others objected, 'They're way stronger than we are. They spread scary rumours' (vv.31–32, MSG).

There is always going to be opposition but we must not be put off by the giants.

'80 percent of the people said they were not able to defeat the giants, and only 20 percent believed God was greater than the problem', points out Joyce Meyer.

'Sadly, we often stare at our giant-sized problems instead of at our God ...

the more time spent worshipping and praising God would help us keep a clear focus and enable us to go forward with a strong, positive attitude, believing we can do anything God tells us to do.'

Believe God's promises
The Lord said to Moses, 'How long will they refuse to believe in me?' (14:11). The people of God started grumbling against their leaders and saying, 'Why didn't we die in Egypt? ... Let's pick a new leader; let's head back to Egypt' (vv.2–4, MSG).

In the face of opposition and a few problems, the people of God are sometimes tempted to return to their old lives – thinking that they were better off before they started following Jesus. This is a temptation to be avoided at all costs.

Watch for his guidance
God is so kind and generous to us. He promises to go before us 'in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night' (v.14). If we want to enjoy all the good things God has for us we have to keep our eyes fixed on his guidance.

Follow him passionately
The majority were put off by the giants. Only Joshua and Caleb were different. 'Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly' (v.24). In the end, only those who followed the Lord 'passionately' (v.24, MSG) enjoyed the land flowing with milk and honey.

This invitation to receive God's generosity is intensified in the Gospel of John 12:24-26.
Jesus challenges us to be generous without measure, like a "grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies…it produces much fruit."
Falling, dying to self, is fruitful.

Just as it was for Christ to die on a tree, only to have that tree be the root of abundant harvest; of abundant life.

If we attempt to comprehend God's generosity in all that we see in the natural world, we will perhaps find ourselves desiring to follow his example, even to die to ourselves, and in our dying, bear much, much fruit." From Nicky Gumble, Bible in One Year.

In this week of Lent, how are Jesus' words about dying and His generosity sitting with you?
Is there something you are sensing an invitation to let go of in order to enter more fully into the life God desires for you?
What help do you need in order for this to happen?

Prayer: Abba, we open the gates of thanksgiving and praise for your amazing generosity and all the good things you have in store for us.

Help us to take possession of all the gifts that you have for us, to believe your promises, to follow your guidance and, like Joshua and Caleb and Mother Teresa, Hildegard of Bingen and Julian of Norwich, to follow you passionately...Amen!🙏🏻

Lyn Woodruff
River Prayer Reflections
text group/blog

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The River Hopes: Let's Get this Party Started.

Unstuck. It’s been almost three years. My husband and I came back from living and serving overseas in the fall of 2014. It was supposed to be only a year, but God had other plans as our parents health declined. Jim figured out how to make continued ministry to pastors in Asia work…commuting.  I’ve been finding ways to be useful, and knowing the Lord has things to teach me in transition. But, last December a handful of  The River  women prayed after church about how we could pitch in with the Refugee crisis... and... something started brewing: "The River Hopes" In January Pastor Todd invited some folks together to talk about our direction regarding outreach as a church. We know  the church is individual believers in community , and not just those few who happened to make it to an evening meeting, so... The consensus was that we should have a better grasp of  what we’re already doing  before we decide where we should concentrate moving fo...

23rd Day of Lent: Seeing God's Heart of Cosmic Generosity in Creation

When you hear the word generosity,  what is your first impulse?   Is it to think of  generosity as a finite  "how much"  question?  "How much" do I need to give? Or how much should I give to be (come) a generous person?  God never asks "how much!" Instead, He models extravagant, infinite, continuous cosmic generosity-  It is on display everywhere in His visible creation. Take a moment and ponder the universe.   In our galaxy there are 100,000 million stars, like our sun.  Our galaxy is one of 100,000 million galaxies.   There are 25,000 varieties of orchids.   And The orchid is just one of 270,000 species of flowers.   God does not do things by halves.  He multiplies-  (like the fish and loaves, the land overflowing with milk and honey,  and the daily manna and quail). This should disabuse us of the way we might ...

Day 6 Lent: Seeing God’s Heart for Abundance Over Scarcity

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.”  Mt. 4, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4 We first see here God’s abundance in filling Jesus FULL of the Holy Spirit.   And we also see that it is the Spirit who led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Jesus faced three temptations in the desert, all in His Humanity, and not in His Divinity! These three temptations remain universal temptations throughout history that all humans must face before we take on any kind of power-as Jesus is about to do in starting His ministry. They are all temptations to the misuse of power for purposes other than God’s grand abundant project for us. 1.  The first temptation to convert stones into Bread signifies the temptation to misuse our practical everyday power (the appetites of our flesh - when we are hungry for money, success, pride, lust, envy, wrat...