Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. Luke 6:35
“Liberality was steadily enjoined upon Christians; indeed, the headquarters of this virtue were to lie within the household, and its proof was to be shown in daily life.”
Adolf von Harnack (1851-1930) in The Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries, Volume 1 (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904) 190.
After exploring ancient sources extensively, Adolf von Harnack makes one point clear: generous households were central to the expansion of Christianity in the Mediterranean world. What’s this mean in plain terms and why does it matter?
Jesus and His followers urged believers to live out their faith as a children who are part of a family with a generous Father who is kind even to the most undeserving. When our households live, give, serve, and love generously each day, we show our Father’s generosity to the world.
Resolve today to make your household a headquarters for generosity! Not sure where to start. Here’s a suggestion I give my students (whether single and married): Read a Gospel with your spouse or a friend in a red letter version.
Make it an experience. Set aside 2-3 hours. Get good coffee or sit outside on a nice day together. Each time Jesus speaks (with red letters), take turns answering the question: What would it look for me and my family to follow Jesus and His instructions in our daily lives?
For many, it leads to repentance and renewal? For most, it strengthens personal and corporate resolve to live generously. Why do this? I make my students answer that question themselves. Try this activity during this Lenten season and discover its value.
Father in Heaven, by the power of the Spirit at work in us, make our households into headquarters for generosity, so that people will see the love and liberality of Jesus through our daily living. Amen.
This is my prayer for meditations readers, for my wife and me, and for our children. Speaking of children, I spend this afternoon tying flies at the Bass Pro Fishing show with my son, Sammy. He’s not a child any more though. They grow up fast.
Thank you Lord, that someday soon Sammy (and our daughter Sophie too) will have their own households. We rejoice that they already exhibit Christ-like generosity. Guide them to spouses who love You and will join them in having households that are headquarters for generosity. Amen.