It is mind-blowing generosity
that drives the story.
It's captured in those words
in John 3.
"For God so loved the world that He..."
What's the next word? What's the verb?
"Gave."
There's always an issue
for every believer
and it's, "How would God have me live
within the community
with my unbelieving neighbors?"
And I've been thinking a lot about this
as cultural things are happening
that are challenging to Christians,
that make us wonder how we fit in our own culture.
And I've been thinking about the biblical story.
One of the things that God wants us to do
is to embed our story
in the larger story of redemption.
So in a real way,
we're living the redemptive story
where we live every day.
What is God's story about
and how can I relive God's story
with my neighbors?
Maybe another way of saying that is,
how is it that God responded to me?
What's the character of his responses to me
and how can I mirror,
how can I image those responses toward my neighbors
because I've been called to be an ambassador?
What's the only thing an ambassador ever does?
An ambassador represents.
And so how can I represent
the energy of God's responses to me,
with my neighbor?
How can I live out the Biblical story
in the context of the people
that God, in His sovereignty,
has chosen me to be around?
Remember, you don't actually choose your address.
You think you do, but God does.
He chooses the exact place where we will live
and the exact length of our days.
Now, the first thing that impresses me
is that the Bible, the Biblical story,
the grand story of redemption
is absolutely a generosity story.
It is mind-blowing generosity
that drives the story.
It's captured in those words
in John 3.
"For God so loved the world that He..."
What's the next word? What's the verb?
"Gave."
We serve a giving God,
a God who gives and gives and gives
and gives and gives and gives and gives
and never stops giving.
He's glorious and holy
and perfect in His generosity.
You see that at the fall of Adam and Eve.
Here's this outrageous act of rebellion,
and embedded in God's response
is awesome generosity.
God could have said, "I'm going to wipe out you.
I'm going to wipe out the entire world.
I'm the Lord Almighty.
You're not going to do this to me."
But in His response to Adam and Eve,
He says, "I'm going to fix this thing."
And in His response,
He predicts the coming of Jesus
and the salvation that will turn this story around.
How much was God willing to give?
He was so willing to give what we couldn't earn,
that He gave us His son.
The murder of His own son
so that we would have relationship with Him.
Now, I want to mirror generosity
in my relationship with my neighbors.
How about not being so busy
that you can't take time
to have a bit of conversation with the people around?
How about generally asking them how they're doing?
How about stopping
and treating them like human beings?
How about that guy at the local store
that you see all the time?
How about caring about him?
How about asking about his life?
How about responding to him in generosity?
How about that local restaurant
that you go to all the time?
How about giving people
big, beautiful, generous tips,
way above what you're supposed to?
Don't get out your calculator
and figure out 15%
because you don't want to give anything more.
How about being known for your generosity?
I've determined to do that in my life.
I've determined to be more generous
than is natural for me,
because I want to mirror the generosity of the Lord.
How about being willing to help people?
How about listening to where they're struggling
and ask yourself the question,
how can I gift them with assistance or help?
Live a generous life.
And as you do that,
you are picturing the generosity of your Lord.
Listen, the average person out there
has a negative
media view of Christians.
They think we're a bit crazy.
And part of our craziness is
we think we're perfect
and we judge everybody around us.
Wouldn't it be beautiful
to be known more by your generosity
than your judgment?