One of the definitions of the word radical is “very different from the usual or traditional.” What could happen if you applied that adjective to generosity? What is God calling you to?
Generosity is always a risk. There’s always something else you could do with your money, always a worst-case scenario you could plan for. But for those of you willing to take the risk, step into the unknown with God, and love more, here are seven ways to be radically generous.
Show hospitality to strangers. A meal at a friend’s home is pretty special. An invite to a stranger’s home is like a sunrise in the west… it doesn’t happen. Yet the Bible calls to us, saying, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers” (Hebrews 13:2). And again, “Seek to show hospitality” (Romans 12:13). Hospitality has a unique power to show the generous character of our God who welcomes strangers to His table. So, who could you invite to your table? And how could you help others taste and see that the Lord is good?
Comfort those in anguish. The story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 is a frightening example so relevant for us today. Like the rich man, we’re in danger of using our wealth to pile up comforts for ourselves, instead of making friends for eternity. We’re in danger of ignoring the poor and the suffering right around us. Radical (and biblical) generosity leads us to ask: How could we use the wealth God has given us to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the poor? On the last day, our comfort of the least of these will be one way Jesus judges the reality of our faith in Him.
