Posted by There is so much of value I want to do in the world, but until I am discharged, my dreams are only hopes. Nevertheless, I know God is faithful and that He will not forsake His saints. I just need to stay positive and press on.
Today, generosity is on my mind. How can we be truly loving people? Surely patience is virtuous, as is perseverance. However, how should we react to hostile behaviour?
The teachings of Jesus provide clarity in this regard. Jesus gave us the time-honoured instruction that we should ‘turn the other cheek’ – even that we should pray for those who persecute us and ‘go the extra mile’ with them.
The counter-cultural teachings of Jesus are a stronghold. We can always revisit the beatitudes when we need to stay grounded. They talk of being poor in spirit, meek, and merciful. This kind of behaviour pleases God, according to the words attributed to Jesus found in the New Testament.
Generosity is not a straightforward mathematical formula. When we want to be generous, but rules prohibit certain actions, what should we do? In my view, we should acknowledge that rules and laws are governed by God, and therefore if our conscience tells us that certain rules have been created in our best interests, we should try our hardest to stick to them.
Nobody is perfect, and when we slip up we have the hope that God will forgive us due to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who suffered to save us from the wrath of God over sin. Thank You, Jesus, thank You, Almighty God.
Let’s all strive to be generous, within the confines of the law, and hope that God will guide us when the best way in which we can be generous is unclear.
Perfect Chaos 