From the Home Place

August 14, 2025

Allow me to start with a bit of honesty, my human flesh prefers to receive way more than it wants to give. I’ll take a wild guess that your fleshly nature is probably closely aligned?

Yet when we become followers of Jesus Christ, we realize that our Heavenly Father loved us so much that He gave us His most precious gift ever, His Son. “For God so loved the world that He gave.” Please stop for a moment and think of all of the things, and all of the people God has given to you. He’s a very gracious God isn’t He?

It is from God’s love for us that I draw this analogy, “It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving!” For you, or I, to say that we love someone we automatically become compelled to give to and for that person. That’s why Ephesians 5 challenges all married men to love their wife by following Jesus’ example, giving even unto death.

Not only are we to give of our finances, (fact – the average professing Christian gives less than 2% of their total income), but we are also to give of our resources and time. Why? Because that is exactly what Jesus has done for us. He gave everything for us so that we can know God, and have the opportunity to spend eternity with Him in heaven! That’s what real love looks like, giving all for another.

Have you ever marveled that God only asks us for a portion of what He has given us. Even if I were to give 10% of my earnings, He is still allowing me to keep 90%. I’m willing to bet that no other king would ever treat us so kindly?

Another way to look at it is that God gives me 24 hours each day. Is it too much that He request I spend a few minutes of each day alone with Him? If God gives 24 hours each day for six days, that is a total of 144 hours each week. Then when He asks for an hour or two on Sunday, we often are too busy to go to church. Wow! Contemplating our own death has a way of helping us really understand just how gracious God is with this thing called time. In one moment time stops for each of us and eternity begins. Are you ready for THAT moment?

During Old Testament times, the Israelites were required to give from their best – the unblemished lamb, the first of all crops, the perfect bull or heifer. Today we too are to give of our best, not of our leftovers. It is quite simple: God has given us His best, He deserves the best we have to offer Him from our time, talents and finances. Simple equation: “God’s best = my best.” We want nothing less, He deserves nothing less.

Generosity is amazingly fun. May we each be challenged to try to outgive God. You can’t do it. He will always give more than we do, but may we each die trying. Praise God!

Practicing generosity with you, Neal