Generosity

Generosity is a beautiful characteristic in people. We love and admire generosity. My mother used to urge us as children: ‘Always be generous.’

How do you think of God? Do you think of him as a little bit mean or tight-fisted? Or do you think of him as extraordinarily generous?

God’s generosity is seen in the natural world. For example, there are 25,000 varieties of orchids. The orchid is just one of 270,000 species of flowers. God does not do things by halves. In our galaxy there are 100,000 million stars, like our sun. Our galaxy is one of 100,000 million galaxies. In a throwaway line in Genesis, the writer tells us, ‘He also made the stars’ (Genesis 1:16).

God is extraordinarily generous. He ‘gives generously to all’ (James 1:5). If God is so generous to us we also should ‘always be generous’.

PSALM 36:1-12

1. God’s generous river of delights

David was surrounded by people with ‘no regard for God’ and who were ‘eager to sin’ (v.1, MSG). They were ‘wicked and deceitful’ (v.3a) and constantly plotting evil (v.4a). They were focused on taking as much as they could for themselves, regardless of right and wrong, or the impact on others. This is the complete opposite of generosity.

Yet even in the middle of all this, David knew God (v.10) and drank from his ‘river of delights’ (v.8b). These delights include knowing and experiencing the extent of God’s love (see MSG translation):

• God’s love is ‘meteoric’
  His love ‘reaches to the heavens’ (v.5a)
• God’s faithfulness is ‘astronomic’
  His faithfulness reaches ‘to the skies’ (v.5b)
• God’s purpose is ‘titanic’
  His righteousness is ‘like the highest mountains’ (v.6a)
• God’s justice is ‘oceanic’
  His justice is ‘like the great deep’ (v.6b)

You can find ‘refuge’ in the shadow of his wings (v.7b). You can ‘feast’ in the abundance of his house (v.8a). The ‘fountain of life’ is found in him (v.9a). In his light you ‘see light’ (v.9b).

These are some of the delights that he generously gives you in your relationship with him.

Lord, thank you that you invite me to feast in the abundance of your house and to drink from your river of delights. I pray that you would continue to generously pour out your love on me, on the church and on your people.