Written by Guest Contributor, Stephanie Fosco | September 22, 2022
“What we do in this life echoes in eternity.”
– Maximus (from Gladiator)
Although a fictitious character, the above quote by Maximus makes me catch my breath every time I see the movie Gladiator. In this scene, Maximus is rallying his troops as they go into battle. He reminds them that their actions matter not only in this life but in the next life as well. Wow! Sit on that as I’ll come back to it in a moment.
Why be generous? I’ve read plenty of articles stating the reason we are kind, giving, generous, etc. is because it makes us feel good about ourselves when we bless others. Based on this analysis, we are actually selfish because our actions point back to us. This should not be the case for the Christ-follower because Jesus said if we do things to been seen by others, we’ve already received our reward. Why are we to be generous? It’s the same reason we love God…because he first loved us. We should be generous because God will continue to be generous with us, first.
I want to share with you what God’s been teaching me about having a spirit of generosity. Usually, we think of generosity as a monetary transaction and that certainly can be an expression of generosity. But let’s look at the story of the Good Samaritan as another example. The Samaritan happens upon a complete stranger who is in desperate need of help after being beaten, leaving him half dead. Others ignored or stepped over this man in need, but not the Samaritan. No, he stepped out of his comfort zone into this man’s need; it was messy, inconvenient, time-consuming and costly, but he helped this man from a generous spirit. Generosity is “kindness that does.” Likewise, when we act out of a generous spirit, our generosity is not fueled by recognition or a sense of feeling good about ourselves, but rather it’s about giving back to God. And this is where our real satisfaction is found.
Think about this: God was so gracious to us to pick us up off the street of death and a sin-soaked life that He gave ALL for us on the cross. Because of this act of love out of His generous heart, we are adopted into His family. How can we grow in generosity and store away treasures in Heaven and be a blessing to those around us here in this life? The answer is easy: be generous with God first. Give your time and attention to the Giver of ALL good things. Lay it all bare, come to Him as His dear little children simply to be in His presence. Let’s not make the time we spend with God merely a box on a checklist, for that is not out of a generous heart. Instead, if we just focus on being present with Him and listening to His heart through His Spirit and His Word, the natural outflow will be to grow in generosity to those around us. Life is short, and one of the best things we can do with our time is to give back to God. He doesn’t need our resources as much as he wants our heart. I encourage you to keep Heaven on your mind daily, for it is our real home.
Remember, “what we do in this life echoes in eternity.”
Photo Credit: Juliane Lieberman
Bio:
Stephanie Fosco has a background in banking with the majority of her career spent as a VP for Chase Bank. Having recently lost her mother to Alzheimer’s, she is taking a break from management to pursue God’s next steps for her life.
