In Jesus' sermon on the mount, He begins by going straight to the heart of the intention to give. We can believe there was a culture of “giving to get” or considering ourselves before others at the time of this teaching, as it is today.

These 4 verses are not only taught to us by Jesus himself, but we can see them as a part of His rhythm and rules of life. Jesus lived by these verses. There was a culture of religious elites, those Jesus says are “standing in the streets and synagogues”, performing and pretending to be generous. Jesus had every ability and right to place himself above them as the king of kindness and the God of generosity. But He did not do that; instead, through His teaching and life, He shows us how to be people who give generously and gladly.

Throughout Jesus' ministry, we see generosity expressed in many ways: restoring faith, giving life (sometimes through the resurrection of the dead), hope, providing food for the hungry, healing for the sick. Jesus gave of himself again and again; days and hours were spent being with and caring for the people He loved.

I believe the thing that is most valuable and what often keeps us from living a generous life is time. Some might say money, but even our money is attached to our time. We hold tight to what we have earned because of how hard we have worked and how much time it took to obtain it. It’s evident in studying the life of Jesus that He valued time, both His and others'. When someone took the time to come to Him, He responded by giving them His own time, attention, and care. Either the woman in Luke 8:46 who touched Jesus provoked by her faith that He could heal her, or the man in Luke 5:17 who was lowered through the roof. Even when Jesus' disciples believed He needed a break, Jesus refused to be separated from His people; He refused to withhold His time. So in this practice of following Jesus and forming a spiritual pattern of generosity, we will be focused on time.

Along with this, there is great benefit in taking time this week to survey your finances. Consider these questions: Am I practicing the way of Jesus in my finances and where I spend my money? Is it possible we have placed a higher priority on ourselves and our “things”? Are we focused on building our kingdom over God’s kingdom? If someone looked at our budget, would they know we are followers of Christ?

Practice

Romans 5:8 shows us the greatest act of kindness expressed through Jesus Christ, as He gave His life for us. As we practice generosity this week, we do so with the focus on giving of ourselves. Begin by separating one hour of your day and give it away. Take a moment that can be fully dedicated and uninterrupted to meet with a friend (old or new) or family member, spend time in conversation and in prayer together. If you’re unable to be with someone, take that time to be in prayer for others, submit yourself and your prayers to God for those that you love. Be creative in finding ways to give yourself and time to be a blessing to others.