Request

June 25|Re:Think Series

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TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:42

Read: Matthew 5:42
Listen: Matthew 5

TODAY’S MESSAGE

Jesus continues his description of what a heart changed by grace looks like with an example about borrowing. He challenges his listeners to live in an openhanded way. He tells them when someone asks for something to help them out. Jesus knows people tend to avoid someone who might want to borrow something. The old way is to be stingy and never loan anybody anything. The new way, the way of a heart changed by grace, doesn’t think like that anymore. It looks to be a blessing to others. It’s a way of thinking so transformed by Jesus’s grace poured out on the cross that it’s moved to active, kind generosity.

Jesus’s new way challenges us today. It is easy not to want to share whether it is our time, money or resources. Jesus isn’t telling us we have to meet every need or give money to everyone who asks. He’s talking about our hearts. He wants us to consider what our heart does when someone asks for our time or to borrow something. If the thought of someone asking for help or wanting to borrow something causes negative emotions, he wants to change that. He wants to show us the new way—the way where all our time, money and resources are his to do with as he pleases. He wants our lives to be so touched by grace that we become radically generous.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Commit to thinking differently and to Jesus’s new way. One great way to do that is to consider what it looks like to be ready to be generous. Generosity rarely happens on accident. Decide your stuff is open for others to borrow. Create some margin in your finances and time to be generous with both. If you’re married, have a conversation with your spouse to both get on the same page about what it means to be generous.