Generosity Is Our DNA

[Reimagine Curator]

Generosity Is Our DNA

You Were Born Generous! Written by Guest Contributor, Phil Miglioratti   Every Christian is a generous person. The most magnanimous giver, of course, but also the stingiest.   Our English word generosity is rooted in the Latin: "noble birth." The ancient understanding of noble birth was based on social standing; class superiority. It conferred power and authority. In the Body of Christ; however, everyone is of noble birth. Every person "born of the Spirit" (John 3:3) is birthed out of and into generosity. Born out of the generous grace of God, for "we are saved by grace; the gift of God," (Ephesians 2:8) and birthed into a life of generosity for “we are his creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we can do them," (Ephesians 2:10).   This reality calls us to reimagine what it means to be a Christ-follower and how we use our resources. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17,"Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" We who are of noble (re)birth in Christ have a new nature that has come to us out of the generosity of God and is set to mature us into a lifestyle of generosity. Here are just a few areas where we can experience this in our own lives: Money Management: Rich or poor or in between, we are, by this new nature, born to be generous. Financial generosity is not based on the size of our gifts but on the sacrifice. Hence, the teaching of Jesus on the widow's gift. "Jesus sat near the Temple money box and watched the people put in their money. Many rich people gave large sums of money. Then a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which were only worth a few cents. Calling his followers to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow gave more than all those rich people." (Mark 12:41-43) Resource Sharing: Generosity is a result of the realization that all our holdings are gifts from the Lord to be used for the benefit of others. "You will 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." (2 Corinthians 9:11) Knowledge and Learning: Living out our generous birth DNA includes freely sharing knowledge and wise counsel: "But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you." (James 1:5) Prayer: Generosity becomes a motivation that permeates our prayers. We are lavish with praise to God, and we yearn to pray for others to be blessed. "He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly." (Acts 10:2) Generosity is a characteristic of God. It is an expression or extension of grace. Likewise, our acts of generosity are evidence of this same attitude expressed through our actions, words and sacrifices. Every experience or situation is a moment that calls for our generosity — vertically with thanksgiving to God and horizontally for the promises of God to be realized by people, in places, to solve problems.

In 50 years of ministry, the Lord has generously blessed Phil with opportunities to serve Him in various ways that include launching PromiseLand Ministry at Willow Creek Church in Barrington, Illinois, pastoring The Woodfield Church ("The One Another Church"), coordinating national evangelism conferences, facilitating City Impact Roundtables, launching the National Pastors' Prayer Network, curating Pray.Network and Discipleship.Network, and currently posting new content for The Reimagine.Network. In his free time, Phil has fun-fun-fun writing at prayforsurfblog.blogspot.com. .

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[Reimagine Curator]

Generosity Prayer   Heavenly Father, you are the most generous One who will ever be. You made the world and everything in it as Lord of heaven and earth. Everything I have comes from you, and I can only give what you first gave me. My heart's desire is to be generous like you, sharing your love and goodness through my time, gifts and resources in the power of the Holy Spirit. I come to you now, asking for you to increase your spirit of generosity within me. Show me the places I am resistant to your generosity and open up new paths in my heart and life of giving to others. Jesus, help me to be infinitely more generous than I might ask or think. I want to see the world change for good according to your ways. Amen.   Warmly,

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Dennis Gorski | Co-Executive Director/Founder

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Jason Nelson | Co-Executive Director/Pastor

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