Seeds

[00:00:00] Foreign. [00:00:06] This is Pastor Chuck Allen, and I want to thank you for joining me for another weekday podcast where today I want to talk about the joy of generosity. Friends, when you take a little walk, just me and you, through the garden of generosity, we find that God garden is a little different than we do. Just imagine this. You're holding a seed. [00:00:26] Tiny, maybe, just ordinary. [00:00:29] But in God's hands, every seed has a story to tell. [00:00:33] Paul said it this way in 2 Corinthians 9, 7, he said, for God loves a person who gives cheerfully. Did you catch that word, cheerfully? We don't use that a lot, but the fact is most of us don't always give cheerfully. Have you ever had a time where you got somebody that perfect gift and you just couldn't wait and you were excited about doing that? [00:00:55] That's what it's talking about. The heart of the giver. Glad to let go, glad to bless, glad to reflect. The Father, his own heart. [00:01:04] I wonder if you've noticed if there's a kind of happiness that floats on the surface of life. [00:01:09] Maybe it's the sunshine or a cup of coffee just the way you like it. But. But then there's a joy even deeper, a gladness that grows when we give, expecting nothing in return. That's the miracle of generosity. [00:01:22] The wise writer of Proverbs put it this way. In Proverbs 11:25, he said, the generous will prosper. Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. Isn't that just like God? We pour out a blessing for another, but somehow the blessing boomerangs back right into our own weary hearts that need that joy. [00:01:44] Why? Because God's math is not like ours, y'. All. [00:01:48] You give away love and discover you have more, not less. You open your wallet, your kitchen, your calendar, a neighbor, a stranger, a single mom needs a helping hand. And watch how the Lord multiplies contentment where you expected only to lose. And Jesus, oh man, Jesus lived this way, open handed, open hearted, never calculating how little he could give, but always asking, how much can I love? [00:02:14] Whether he multiplied at lunch or wept at a grave, he gave freely of himself again and again. [00:02:20] You'll find that joy always follows in his footsteps. And Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 9, 11, yes, you'll be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. In God's big honking plan, your open hands leads to open hearts, others giving thanks, God getting glory and joy, blooming in unexpected places. [00:02:49] Sometimes y' all we worry we don't have much to give. But God doesn't measure the size of the gift. He looks at the size of our trust. [00:02:57] Remember the widow with two coins? Jesus saw her and said she gave more than all the rest because she gave from her heart, from her need and not from leftovers. Generosity unlocks the door to joy not just for others but for us. God designed it that way. When we give we echo his heart, a heart that held nothing back, not even his own son. So today let's be people who hold nothing back. May our giving be glad, our serving be cheerful, our love be lavish and whole. And as we join God in his generous story, may our joy be real and deep and overflowing. [00:03:36] Lord make us cheerful givers, generous souls and joy filled reflectors of your love. God bless you friend. Thanks so much for joining me on today's weekday podcast.