Live Generously

I was reading in Matthew 10 this morning about the calling of the first dozen guys that would be used to take the message of Christ to the world. Times seemed so much easier then. In fact Jesus told them to not worry about raising a missions budget or leasing the right equipment. He just said go, pack light and live generously. Their lives, submitted to Him, was all that was necessary to start this movement.

This story even made me a bit nostalgic. I thought back to when I started to do things that would point to the love that Christ showed to me and talk to others about Him. So many times I thought that I needed the right sound equipment, a polished powerpoint presentation and some cool clothes. And all Jesus wanted to do was use me.

I've been involved in some pretty spectacular events that were fashioned by the very hand of God and I know that without grace and mercy, no good thing could have come from my life. The Lord has been so generous to me that it makes me want to try and live generously myself.

I think that the Lord still calls people the same way today. A simple command, follow me and pack lightly. That's how it gets started. Where it goes from there is the result of the choices we make and the people we hang out with. And how giving we are with our time, our abilities and our resources. Are you living generously? Don't worry about what you will say to people or how you will say it. You will have the words when you need them. Just go!

"Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it:"

1 Peter 4:10 MSG