Monday, October 10

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Acts 4:32-37

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions were his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all, there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales, and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Several years ago our family attended a 4th of July parade while visiting family in North Dakota. It was a typical small town parade, complete with fire trucks, farm machines, high school bands, pick-up truck floats and people tossing bucket-fulls of candy to the children who lined the streets. The results were predictable! Children screamed, “Here! Here! Throw it to me! Candy! Candy!” A kind of “candy frenzy” developed with kids scurrying along the curb to pick up as much loose candy as they could get their hands on. They stuffed tootsie rolls into their plastic bags like they were $100 bills!

Amidst all this joyful chaos I noticed one little girl who was sitting on the curb with an empty bag. As I watched, it became apparent that she was just too shy and timid to get out there and fight the other kids for candy. Even when it was tossed in her direction, other kids would run out and snatch it up before she could bring herself to reach out for it.

Then, just as I was thinking to myself, “Well, that’s kind of sad, but it is the way the world is – you snooze, you lose!” I saw something I have not forgotten since. Another young boy – about 10 years old – approached the little girl with his bag of candy. He reached into his own bag and took out a handful of his own hard-earned candy – and dropped it right in front of the little girl so that she could pick it up and put it in her own empty bag.

In all the fun and grabbing for candy, he also had noticed this little girl – a complete stranger - and responded with an extraordinary expression of generosity.

As I read the account of the earliest believers in the Book of Acts, I realize that what I witnessed at that parade was the same kind of generosity that allowed the church to survive.

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions were his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all, there were no needy persons among them.

Notice the connection between generosity and grace. There were no needy persons among them because they shared whatever they had; and they shared whatever they had because “much grace was upon them all.” The root meaning of the word “grace” is “gift” – and even more specifically an “undeserved gift.” So the early followers of Jesus were generous because they understood that they were already the recipients of God’s grace.

Just as that young boy at the parade was generous because he knew that the candy in his bag was grace - a gift - so also we become generous when we understand and experience the grace of God in our lives.

Thank God for the undeserved grace of his gift to you and ask him to use his grace to grow his generosity in your heart.

Pastor Brian Coffey