Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it. 2 Corinthians 8:24
“Let me turn to what is of less importance: the visible world around us. What Benefactor has enabled you to look out upon the beauty of the sky, the sun in its course, the circle of the moon, the countless number of starts, with the harmony and order that are theirs, like the music of a harp? Who has blessed you with rain… Who has given you dominion over animals, those that are tame and those that provide you with food? … Is it not God who asks you now in your turn to show yourself generous above all other creatures and for the sake of all other creatures?”
Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390) in his Oration 14 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 228.
Jenni and I bought a home in Sterling Ranch. It’s a carefully planned community in the southern part of Littleton, Colorado. They will build 12,000 homes and ours around number 1,800. Hopefully you can visit us sometime.
Why mention this today? It inspired me. When I am not serving the Lord around the world for GTP, God has give us a peaceful place to live with mountain views and fields for Grace (our German Shorthaired Pointer) to run.
Here, we soak in His mercy and love, His lovingkindness and faithfulness, His boundless grace and matchless love. The stuff we cannot see about God with our eyes is the best of all. We only see it when we pause to ponder.
His goodness is better than the sun by day and the stars by night. It surpasses the beauty of blue sky and the snow that can falls in 11 of the 12 months of the year. This is why our hearts overflow with gratitude and generosity.
What about you? Walk outside. Count the blessings from our Benefactor God that you can see. Then go beyond those. What good things has He lavished on you that you cannot see. Now determine how you can show yourself generous.
Consider a gift to GTP today. As part of the cancel culture, our bank accounts were closed abruptly and frozen because of our Christian commitment. We’ve had to open new ones and need to make payroll this week. Show yourself generous.