Generosity as Freedom
OPENING PRAYER:
Father, please allow open our minds to hear your words and open our hearts to be more generous.
Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said. And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
REFLECT:
In the verses of Deuteronomy 31, Moses is encouraging the Israelites just as God has encouraged him, reminding them three times not to fear or be anxious because ‘it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.’ Why is it repeated so often in just a few verses? I wonder if it is because, like Moses and the Israelites (and perhaps you too?) I am prone to fear, I am prone to anxiety, and I do wonder if I am going to be left here alone. But God is promising his presence as we follow him.
When I believe God’s presence is with me, I can experience true freedom from the anxiety of ‘not enough’, the enslavement of consumerism, and from isolation. This means my heart won’t be locked up in a bank or consumed with anxiety about saving for the future. My heart won’t be isolated or overwhelmed. My heart will not only will be with those to whom I give, but it will also be freer to connect with the people around me. Rather than being hemmed in by fear, my heart is released to experience a joy beyond myself and to join in with the community of believers who are rejoicing and praising God for his Great Provision.
APPLY:
Take a moment to acknowledge any fears or worries you have around money or giving.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Father, God show me something fun that could happen from living generously and note any sort of freedom you begin to feel. Amen
WORSHIP: