GENEROSITY

 

Generosity – “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:18-19

 

We are called to be good.  It means to be desired or approved of, to live at peace with each other, to be morally right; righteousness.  Good is an adjective of being Godly or being like God.  So Paul is encouraging us to be godly or like God.  So for our children and grand children we should be praying for them to be godly, good, live in peace, be morally right and righteous. 

 

Rich in good works.  Four years ago, Cassidy Strickland saw a homeless man rummaging in a bin for food near her house in the Hawkesbury region, NSW. “I thought, ‘How can anyone be that hungry?’” she says.

 

She told her mum, Linda, she wanted to do something to help other people in the same situation, so that weekend they made soup and served it to homeless people in their local park. “There were only four or five people there,” she says. The following weekend they did the same – and word had spread.

 

Making the venture official, Cassidy set up Hawkesbury’s Helping Hands, a charity that provides meals to the area’s homeless and disadvantaged. “At first, Mum and I bought everything and cooked it – soups, salads, roast dinners. Then some cafes and restaurants started donating food. Then people donated money so we could buy more food.”  Today, the charity feeds around 65 people every weekend, and provides hot meals, takeaway lunch boxes, sleeping equipment and toiletries. A team of 15 regular volunteers takes it in turns to help with the cooking. “We’ve provided 77,000 meals since we started in 2011,” says Cassidy, proudly.

 

Cassidy has even bigger plans for the future; her next idea is to fund a local drop-in centre. “It would be good for people to have somewhere to shower and wash their clothes,” she says. “I just want to keep helping. A little bit all the time adds up to a lot.” 

 

Mother Theresa took care of 1200 lepers every day and her organization helps lepers in 126 countries of the world. 

Canadas own Mark Buntain built a state of the art hospital in 1977, founded a church that ministers to 20,000 people a week, has 100 school ministering to 35,000 children, feeds 25,000 people a week. 

     Canada`s Gary Skinner he founded together with his wife Marilyn in 1984 in Kampala.

     Watoto Church is a cell based, community church with over 24,000 people gathering each weekend to celebrate Christ. Watoto Church cares for community holistically through 2,900 cell groups that meet in homes each week. 

     In 1994, Gary and Marilyn founded Watoto Child Care Ministries, an international organisation as a compassionate response to the cry of Africa’s millions of children orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS. Currently they are caring for almost 3,000 Ugandan children in Watoto villages where every child is raised in a family setting rather than an institution.

     The Watoto Children’s Choir tours the world The choir has performed before presidents and royalty in the White House, Buckingham Palace and many other National Parliaments. Audiences are inspired as the children sing, dance and celebrate their story of hope.

     Almost 3,000 women have experienced an improved quality of life through Watoto’s Living Hope. Their children, more than 15,000, have a better chance of fulfilling their potential. Through Living Hope, they are equipped with necessary life skills through vocational training and empowered through income generating projects enabling them to become productive members of the community. The comprehensive psychosocial support these women receive has given them purpose, dignity, and a future. These examples are being rich in good works.

 

These examples are showing the next phrase of being generous and ready to share.  Is this your testimony?  Do you want your kids to do this?

 

WHEN Lennon Maher saw on the news that some children in developing countries have to walk miles to school each day in dangerous conditions, he couldn’t believe it. “It made me feel bad because nobody helped them, and their mums couldn’t help them, either,” he says.  As a result, Lennon asked his mum if he could walk the 3.8km home from his school once a week to raise money to help the children he’d seen on the news. “I wanted to buy bikes so they could cycle, not walk, all that way,” he says.  After doing some careful research, he decided to donate the money he raised to ChildFund, a charity that helps children in poverty worldwide. “Every time I get $99, I can buy another bike for children who can’t get to school,” he explains.

 

Lennon’s aim was to raise $1000, but he’s already smashed his original goal. “I’ve raised enough for 13 bikes,” he says. “My new target is to buy 20. I want to keep going.”  He’s enjoying knowing that he’s making a positive difference to other people’s lives. “It makes me feel happy and nice to do something good for other people,” he says.  Charity is clearly in Lennon’s nature; last Christmas he sold his old presents to raise money for another children’s charity. “It was things I didn’t need any more,” he says. “I raised $308. Other children need the money more than me.  Lennon is doing what Paul says, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future. 

 

When you share yourself and be godly with others you are taking hold of that which is truly life.”  Our lives are to be abundant and generous.  That is why we did the shoes for teens, that is why we are doing the shoe boxes for Samaritans Purse and collecting money for Hope Mission.  We need to pray this over our family and be an example for our kids.  We need more Cassidy’s and Lennon’s.  We have the message of hope, peace, healing and forgiveness.  Let us share it with those in our world this week.  In Matt 25:40, Jesus stated when we do to the least of these you did it unto me.  Mother Theresa said when you minister to others you are ministering to Jesus in his destressing disguise