Monthly Devo - The Adventure of Generosity

This is how Jesus began his ministry. The moment had come—pregnant with the possibility that God’s rule and reign would break into our broken world. And then, it did. Jesus began bringing God’s rule and reign into every situation he encountered. Where there was brokenness, he brought wholeness. Where there was scarcity, he brought abundance. Where there was oppression, he brought freedom.

When we hear the word repent, we usually think it means saying we're sorry for something we've done wrong. That’s certainly part of it, but it misses something important. Repentance actually means changing our minds—shifting the way we see life and the world around us. A friend of mine once said that if Jesus were here today, he might say, “Prepare to have your minds blown.”

As the disciples gave their lives to Jesus and began following him, they continually had to repent—to change their thinking about who they were and how the kingdom of God really works.

One area where I’ve had to keep repenting is in how I think about scarcity and abundance. Jesus entered a world marked by scarcity, yet he lived in the reality of the abundance of God’s kingdom. And he invited his disciples—then and now—into that same way of life: an adventure of generous living.

When we follow Jesus, we’re called to give generously of our time, talents, and treasures, trusting that God's abundance will meet the needs. In doing so, we become part of his work—bringing healing, freedom, and hope into places of brokenness.

I believe Jesus’ words still hold true today: Prepare to have your minds blown—May we see Jesus use our generosity to continue the work he started of bringing heaven to earth.

Derrick

One Collective Disciple Making Strategist