The Generous Image

And God saw what he had made and It was good…it was good….it was very good.
- from Genesis 1

If you’ve had kids, you know how much fun it can be to give them something that you know that they’ll love. Especially around Christmas or a birthday, to be able to pull off a ‘wow’ gift can make our anticipation of their opening of the gift even greater than the kid who’s getting the gift!

Throughout Genesis 1 and 2, the picture we get of the character of God is that his generous creation brings him joy. Every time he looks at it, he is pleased with what he has created. God’s generosity brings him joy.

If we are made in his image, it should not surprise us that when we are living a generous life, it brings us joy, too.

People who are generous with their affection, their time, their spiritual gifts, their financial gifts, their table at meals, their words of affirmation, their crafts, their power tools, or any other thing are, by and large, happier, healthier people.

That’s because we are made in God’s image to be generous.

We aren’t all resourced the same. We won’t all have the inclination to be generous exactly the same way. But God has made us in his image to find joy in our own expressions of generosity.

Step back and think about your own resources: time, money, skills, talents, power tools, words, whatever! In what way could you find joy in being specifically and intentionally generous today? Who has God put in your life today that you might behave generously towards them?

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