STEWARDSHIP AND GENEROSITY

When l initially picked this title l thought EASYYYY PEASSYYYY!! How hard could it be to talk about generosity??? But the one thing l have come to learn about God is that He loves me too much to not expose the ugly parts of me. The parts that need healing. And sitting, reflecting and now writing on this topic did just that.

My prayer for you dear reader is that as you read this blog, you too will have the courage to let God show you the hidden things of your heart. That once the Holy Spirit shows them to you, you will welcome the transformation that has to follow.

I can’t talk about stewardship and generosity without truly examining how l have lived my life. The Holy Spirit started bring into remembrance particular events in my life story.

About 17 years ago, I was 13 and had a best friend that l will call Tee for the sake of this story. Tee and l did everything together and shared almost everything. One day, l came into some money. The cash was enough for maybe 3 packs of Jiggies (a popular Zambian snack then). So, l went and found Tee and bought 2 packs of jiggies. I’m sure dear reader that you are assuming that l got one pack and gave the other pack to Tee right? No, l actually did not.

What l did instead was : l opened one pack and ate half the jiggies, gave Tee the half-eaten pack and left the unopened pack for myself. Crazy right? And to think that l did this in her face. It was very very selfish and l am absolutely horrified.

I think my actions that day affected my relationship with my friend (Tee, if you’re reading this, l am really sorry again my sweet girl).

I asked the Holy Spirit why He took me back to that moment and the word I kept hearing is fear. I was so afraid of not having enough. I was living with a scarcity mindset even back then. My fear kept me from being generous with my best friend.

Generosity. What does it mean? What does God’s word say about it?

Generosity is the virtue of FREELY giving to others what has been given to us by God, including time, talent and treasure, not out of obligation but from a cheerful heart and an abundance of grace.

A Biblical example of a generous person that l absolutely Love is Abraham. Genesis 14 tells us about how Abraham rescued his nephew Lot. Lot who was living in Sodom (yes, the Sodom and Gomorrah that God destroyed because of its wickedness) was taken captive during a war. Abraham gathered his 318 trained men, pursued the captors, attacked them and recovered Lot, the people and all the stolen possessions.

Talk of being generous with your time and resources all because you have this immense love for your nephew who, by the way, chose to live in a place full of wickedness! I can truly see why Abraham was referred to as a friend of God. Abraham reflected the heart of God!

God is the ultimate giver. Our generosity is a response to His abundant grace. When we are generous, we mirror His Character. Generosity at its core is also an act of faith. I realised eventually that my scarcity mentality was due to the fact that l did not trust in Gods provision. Even as a 13-year-old girl l felt l should fiercely guard whatever possessions l had because l was responsible for my own wealth.

Giving as God would helps us as believers to depend solely on His provision. Generosity is also a demonstration of stewardship. Recognising that all possessions are gifts from God, we as believers act as stewards, using what we have for Gods kingdom.                                                                                    

STEWARDSHIP:  

 a) The conducting, supervising, or managing of something, especially the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.

b) The concept of being a responsible manager to all that God has provided, recognising that God is the ultimate owner of everything and believers are simply caretakers.

We are God’s stewards, entrusted by Him with resources, time and abilities. How do we acknowledge Gods ownership? By being faithful and responsible with the things he has given us.

Another story that the Holy spirit brought to remembrance happened very recently. About a year and a half ago, I had the privilege of making really great money at the job that l was at. I would get paid and immediately do the fanciest and most expensive things. I never thought to save some of that money and l would literally blow it all on very frivolous things. As life would have it, l lost that job and had no savings to fall back on.

I remember going to God and crying and begging Him to change my financial situation. Eventually, God did get me out of that hole but that season of my life was very humbling and in those dark moments God started teaching me about stewardship.

Stewardship builds essential character traits. God, in Genesis, gave us dominion over the earth. He was very intentional about the authority He gave us. And to exercise this authority well we need to remain faithful, trustworthy and accountable.

A good steward is faithful. A good steward is trustworthy. A good steward is accountable.

Luke 16:10 says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. And whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

God in all His sovereignty has entrusted you with certain gifts, opportunities and resources. He has given you these things and more so you have chances to reflect his character through your generosity and kindness. You were not given your blessings in order to enrich yourself, but to serve others.

My prayer for you and me is that we become mirrors of the Holy Spirit. That when people encounter us, they will truly encounter God.

l love you guys so much!

Sending you so much Love,

Gladys Farai.