Generosity Makes God Real Every Day

God is a generous God. This is one of the first things campers will learn about while experiencing the lesson of 1 Corinthians 12:1-26. To paraphrase the scripture, Paul is writing to the Christians in Corinth offering them advice on how to address many of the difficult problems that are coming to the forefront. His biggest theme is getting them to recognize that they are the body of Christ. He uses the example of the human body and relates it to the church. There are many parts to the body, eyes, ears, feet, hands, toes, etc., and all are important parts, each coming together to accomplish great things. Each person within the greater church is also important as God has generously given gifts and talents to everyone, and used together, great things can happen. And God has given those gifts based on what He knows you will need, they aren’t just randomly drawn from a hat, but are selected specifically for you.

At camp, the outside influences and stigmas fall away, campers are free to remove the labels that others have handed them. Campers are able to stretch themselves and learn about things they may not have seen before. Because of this, campers may realize they have a knack for a certain activity, may recognize that they are able to help others understand a scripture, or discover they have the potential to become a great leader someday. This is evident in many places throughout the Dwight Mission family. In each camper group, the campers come with different gifts and are able to use those to get through challenges as a group. The staff members all come together and with all of their different gifts, they are able to challenge and teach the campers in many ways. The adults, whether parents of campers or former camper or staff members, are able to use their talents to help make Dwight a thriving place.

So we know God is a generous God, but how can we relate that to our every day? It’s not every day that we realize a gift or talent we have, but it is every day we can use the gifts we have been given. It is every day that we can show our gratitude to God for giving us these gifts (You see how I tied that in to the Gratitude Makes God Real Every Day theme?). We can realize the everyday moments that show us how generous God is. Knowing that God does provide for our needs and our challenges by equipping us with the needed skills and gifts gives a sense of calmness as you become less anxious and more trusting. His generosity is something we can celebrate every day.

Hospitality Makes God Real Every day

Is hospitality something we only show to others, to our guests? If you had asked me this question before reading Luke 24:13-35, I would most likely have said yes. But in this scripture, two men are walking down the road, when they meet a stranger. The stranger engages in their conversation, and as the two men are distraught by the recent events of Jesus’ death and then missing body, they start to express their view of what is happening. To step into their shoes, they have been following this man, who they know and believe is the Messiah, when everything goes to pot. Everything they knew in their human mind went away. Sure they knew what the prophets wrote about the coming Messiah, but when reality hit, they had trouble believing. The stranger (who is Jesus, but they do not recognize) proceeds to remind them of what the prophets wrote and yet, they still do not recognize him all while walking along the dusty road.

Then, as the sun is fading and the two men make it to their destination, the stranger start to continue on. The men invite the stranger in, and he accepts. But this is where the hospitality part turns on its head. Instead of sitting and politely eating the food, and offering to clear the dishes, the stranger starts to act as host and breaks bread with them. Immediately they recognize that this stranger they have been speaking with all day is Jesus. Jesus became the one giving the hospitality, even after everything He had been through, to open their eyes so that they might see. Both parties were engaging in acts of hospitality, which as defined in the dictionary is “a cordial and generous reception of or disposition toward guests.” It was in the men’s hospitality toward this stranger that they were then shown hospitality by God as Jesus.

So what can we take away? Is God sometimes a stranger in our lives, either because we don’t recognize Him or at times, don’t want to recognize Him? And if so, will He let it stay that way? It doesn’t seem that way. With all of the rapture talk that has been going on, we know that only God knows when He will reveal himself, (Mark 13:32-33). But in the mean time, shouldn’t we be ready? Shouldn’t we always show hospitality to others and not just expect it in return? Nothing is a one way street, and even though we know God loves us unconditionally even though we can’t ever measure up to what He wants us to be, we can still try. We can still be generous with our love towards others. If someone is showing hospitality to you, don’t they then deserve that hospitality back? If we don’t practice this with ourselves, can we really practice hospitality for God? Now that is some food for thought at your next dinner party.