Written by Dynamis Ministries | March 30, 2023
Try this statement on for size…
“The most generous people are the people who understand their home, the most.”
You might be surprised by the case for a positive correlation between these two things. It’s a little unexpected because people don’t generally speak of a tie between generosity and home. Go there for a moment, what could this possibly mean?
Well to begin, we have to recognize it’s not talking about a house, it’s about a home. That changes things. A house is a physical place where someone lives. Whereas a home is a place where someone belongs. There’s a big difference. But this isn’t enough to fully grasp the correlation between being generous and understanding one’s home.
To get a better handle, let’s look at God’s Word, specifically at how Jesus would define home. Jesus said, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). What Jesus is saying is that he was not here to establish a political, earthly kingdom like the disciples expected from him as Messiah. He was creating a kingdom in which he reigns in the hearts of people.
For Jesus to reign in our hearts, he has to come and make his home in us, in an abiding and indwelling kind of way. Through the Holy Spirit, God indwells in believers by making his home with them. This connection is an eternal one, a heavenly one. It’s our truest sense of home. Now, applying this truth to the idea of a person’s generosity and sense of home, we can begin to get the picture.
The more a follower of Jesus is in tune with their ultimate home, the more they will keep treasures in heaven and live generously. Author Randy Alcorn says the same thing from a different angle in his book, The Treasure Principle: “I’m convinced that the greatest deterrent to giving is this: the illusion that earth is our home.” The truth is that a misunderstanding of “home” is one of the greatest deterrents to anything we’re trying to live out in God’s kingdom. An improper understanding of home can wreak havoc on so many important things.
In Hebrews 13:14-15, the author makes our permanent home clear and even connects it to being generous: “For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.”
If we want our generosity to reach its potential, then we need to get our thinking straight on our home. “This is not our home” is a phrase that should be ringing in our hearts. And instead of being overly occupied with the things of this world, we should do good and be generous with those in need. What is one thing you can do this week to shift your perspective of home and be more generous as a result?
