"Generating Generosity"
But some evil troublemakers among David's men said, "They didn't go with us, so they can't have any of the plunder we recovered. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone."
But David said, "No, my brothers! Don't be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us. Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment." (1 Samuel 30:22-24 NLT)
David has a very giving heart. He protected Nabal's flock & men when Nabal was a worthless man. He took Abigail to be his wife after she lost her husband. He desired to share the plunder from their victory with the men that guarded the equipment. He was kind. He didn't hold back from being generous. He was not only fair, he went beyond fair & was gracious. He gave to people that technically didn't deserve it.
At one point he tells his men, "Don't be selfish with what the Lord has given us." David's heart here is to be a blessing because the Lord has blessed him. He realized that what the Lord had given them was not just for them. God gave to them not just so that they could be blessed. David appeals to his men to refrain from being selfish & instead be generous.
A couple of great truths stand out to me here. First, David's kindness reminds me of the Lord's kindness to us. David gave to be generous not fair. God has given to us not what's fair (we don't want fair) but rather what's generous. He didn't give us what we should of gotten but he gives us what we don't deserve. God's kindnesses to us extends far beyond anything we can imagine.
Second, David doesn't see God's blessing on his life as something that is to be hoarded. He shares. He gives. He's generous. He's gracious. He knows that he is not the center of the universe. He doesn't just think of himself, he thinks of others.
This is God's heart for us as well. We live in such affluence & wealth & often times don't even know it. We have been given so much. God's generosity toward us is abundant. And yet, it rarely crosses our mind to give of what God has given us. We are reluctant to be generous although we have generously received.
God's command to us today is "Don't be selfish with what the Lord has given us." God never intended what he has given us to stay with us. He intended it to be a blessing to others for His Kingdom work.
How do we often for get how generous God has been to us? Where is God calling us to greater generosity?
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