The Gift of the Outsider: 6 Days of Faith From the MarginsSample

The Gift of Openhandedness

We all have our go‐to excuses for why we can’t give more. Either we find a gift too important to give or the requester not important enough to give to. Yet in the gospel, we see a treasure of matchless worth given to rebels and riffraff. God gave us far more than the last of many things dear to him.

Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” In the giving of his Son, God demonstrated his complete openhandedness toward us.

There is something exhilarating about a true gift with no hint of reciprocal obligations. In Acts 20:35, Paul reminds the Ephesians of an important truth: “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

It’s easy to see how openhandedness would be a gift. After all, it is better to give than to receive. Being generous benefits the giver because godliness itself is a great gain. Further, the Bible reserves no accolades for those who are not. First John 3:17 says, “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” If being closed‐hearted toward our neighbor is a serious enough offense to question whether God’s love has indeed taken root in us, then being openhanded appears to be the fruit of the effectual work of God on our hearts and lives.

Conclusion

The generosity of Jesus was on a scale never seen before and never to be seen again. He has been generous in every possible way: with His body, time, resources, wisdom, power, and even with His very life. He chose to become sin for us, to be obedient unto death, to part with the comforts of heaven, to take up the cross, to heal, and to serve people who should have been serving Him.

Reflection

Can you think of a time when being the recipient of mercy or grace made you more generous?

How do you connect your daily story to the story of God’s mercy and grace? What are some practices that could help you do this better?