When [Saul] came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord (Acts 9:26-28).

 [Editor’s note: As the writing team continues their summer hiatus, we pray you’ll be blessed by this continuation of the September 2023 Inner Strength sermon series. Those devotionals explored “generously hearted,” one of our church’s core values.]

What do you think of when you hear the word generous? Raise your hand if the first thing you think of is money (yep, mine is raised too). Have you ever stopped to think about why that is? I mean,nothing tells us that the only way to be generous is to give money to people.

What would happen if we changed the inherent meaning of the word generous? I love the synonyms for generous on Thesaurus.com: considerate, helpful, hospitable, and unselfish, just to name a few. How would our communities’ lives change if we lived as if the word generous meant “sharing anything good with someone”?

In Acts 9, Saul arrives at Jerusalem. The disciples were scared of him, concerned he was going to persecute them like he had done to many other believers before. Barnabas saw through Saul’s past, though, showing hospitality and generosity by selflessly advocating for Saul to the disciples. Barnabas’ generous words about Saul resulted in generous hospitality from the safe, good people in Jerusalem.

We see so much generosity in this passage… and it doesn’t even involve money! The believers shared their company (and likely even their homes) with Saul. This was not something they were asked to do - they simply did it out of the kindness of their hearts. 

By the end of the story, the disciples become perfect examples of how we can be generously-hearted simply by sharing anything good with someone. And don’t get me wrong, sharing money when people need it is not bad – but it can lead to a way of thinking that says, “I gave $15 to ___. All done with generosity for the week!”

How can you not be done with generosity this week? That may include something to do with money, but what if you went deeper than that? What if you just shared a smile with a stranger to brighten up their day, or even gave someone a word of encouragement when they’re feeling down? What is something good you have to share with someone around you?