Jesus’s Generous Heart: More Than Just a Sacrifice

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On a quiet Friday morning, I sat down with my coffee and began mindlessly scrolling social media. You know the scene...it probably takes place in your living room many mornings, too. I was up far earlier than anyone in my family because I woke up with the dawn, and I was relishing the quietness of our home. My family was at rest, no one was arguing or needing something from me. It was peaceful. So, as I wasted my time swiping through video after video, I came upon one that made me pause. The woman on my screen started talking about Jesus, and I will be honest with you here...a lot of times I skip over those. People have gotten so wild in their need to condemn others, or the twisting of Scripture to fit their narrative, that it is often so discouraging to me. But this time I felt the need to watch her speak. As I settled in for what was bound to be about sixty seconds of talk about my Savior, she asked an interesting question: “What one word would you use to describe Jesus?” That was an interesting challenge, and my mind began spinning because I knew that there were so many incredible options. However, the first word that came to my mind surprised me. That word was: Generous. Not Mighty. Not Compassionate. Not Forgiving. Generous. As I chewed on that word, I immediately thought of His sacrifice for us—the ultimate act of generosity. But there is more than just that one act. The one that we teach our children about, the one that we thank Him for when we ask Him to be our Savior or take communion, the one that we sing about on Easter. While that is the most incredible gift anyone could ever imagine, it isn't the only way Jesus is generous with us.

We are all well aware that He willingly chose to come to Earth, give up His life in Heaven for a season of being completely human, and then give His life up in a horrific murder. That is always something that will knock me off of my feet when I think about it long enough, but what about the ways in which He is generous to us today? It continues, you know. He didn't just stop showing up for us because that one act was complete. Your next thought might be that He sent us the Holy Spirit while He prepares a place for us and that is true! That is another act of generosity that is unmatched! But that still isn't the extent of His gift. Jesus is generous in every single way. Let's dig into some thoughts on that.

1. Jesus doesn't ever turn us away. He is so generous with His time. He is always waiting, always present for you. So often, we are with people, but we aren't really present. Jesus is always present, even when we are not. We have His full attention and He doesn't grow tired of waiting for ours. We often feel guilty for not paying enough attention to Him, but He was there at the creation of the world. He knows all of the wonderful things that our Father made, and that there are many things and responsibilities that also need our attention even though He is more worthy of it. He patiently waits for us, because that's what love does. It is generous in its waiting. And generosity doesn't grow unkind in waiting. Jesus—who is Love itself—greets us with a smile because He knows we always return to Him. We always look for time with Him, even when it's scarce. He knows that we do our best. Or that we try to. The more we try, the better we get. The better we get, the more time we end up spending with Him.

2. Jesus never tires of giving us second chances. No matter how many times we choose door #2 instead of door #1, He will always be waiting down the hall at the next set of doors. I fully believe that Jesus would have held Judas' hands and kissed his cheek in forgiveness if Judas had not made the final choice he made in the field that day. He will always be ready and excited to show us what wonderful things lay in store for us when we choose the right path. And when we don't choose the right path, He generously gives us more opportunities to do that in our futures.

3. Jesus is so generous in His gifts! Now, technically, we can say that the Father is the one who gives gifts, but since Jesus tells us that He and the Father are One, we are going to roll with that here. Think about all the ways in which God has blessed you. Do you have a home? A comfortable bed? A family that loves you? Those are some of the first things we think of, and those are the things a child will immediately say, but let's look at other things, too. Our family loves to go to Disney World, and the Cast Members (employees) who work in the parks are allowed to do what Disney calls “Pixie Dusting”. This is when they give the guests a little extra special treatment just to brighten their day. Sometimes it's because something rotten happened, but sometimes it's just because they pick you at random! On a recent trip, my husband was filling our water bottles, and the Cast Member who helped him handed him a free bag of cotton candy for the kids! While that may not seem like much, it made our already great day even better! God has a way of “Pixie Dusting” us in ways we don't often attribute to His generosity. Did you get a parking space close to the front of the store in a torrential rainstorm? Did a random stranger pay for your coffee at the drive-thru? Did you expect a huge crowd at the beach, only to find it almost empty? God's generosity is everywhere, we just have to look for it!

There are so many other ways we can find signs of Jesus's generosity in life, and I hope that today you will begin to see those signs everywhere you look! So, what are ways that you see His generosity toward you? And what is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Jesus?

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all—richly generous to all who call on Him. —Romans 10:12