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016. Generosity Builds Community ¡°Your generosity ¡¦ not only provides for the needs of God¡¯s people, but also produces prayers of thanksgiving to God¡± (2 Corinthians 9:12). When we¡¯re generous with each other, we thank God for each other and we¡¯re drawn closer to each other. One of my friends learned the connection between generosity and community when one of his neighbors came by to borrow a ladder. A few weeks later, my friend discovered his neighbor already had a ladder, but the neighbor borrowed one as a way of building a relationship. My friend said, ¡°When my neighbor borrowed my stuff, it made me feel like I was needed, and I liked that feeling. Now I do the same thing with other neighbors. For instance, my neighbor, Roger, has a Shop Vac, and I borrow it every Friday to clean my car. Roger even leaves it out for me on Fridays. I told Roger the other day that I could buy my own Shop Vac, but I liked the interaction with him. He told me not to buy one because he liked the interaction, too.¡± The Bible says, ¡°Your heart will be wherever your treasure is¡± (Matthew 6:21). Wherever I put my time, my money, my effort, my energy, wherever I invest myself, that¡¯s what¡¯s going to attract me. For some of you, your heart may be in your home. That¡¯s where you¡¯re putting your time, your money, and your energy—fixing it up. Or your heart may be in your work. That¡¯s where you¡¯re putting your time, your money, and your energy. Or it may be in a hobby. That¡¯s where you¡¯re putting your time, your money, and your energy. Wherever your treasure is, your heart¡¯s going to be there. So, when I'm generous with you or with the poor or with anybody, that¡¯s where my heart tends to go. And every time I give to God, it draws my heart closer to God, and every time I give to you, it draws my heart closer to you. Giving or generosity creates community. The first Christians were famous for their generosity. ¡°The community of believers¡¦ shared everything in common¡± (Acts 4: 32). They were a family; they shared it all. It was voluntary. Christianity says, ¡°What¡¯s mine is yours and you can share it with me.¡± When you¡¯re a parent, and you have little kids in your home, you enjoy watching them share with each other. When you see that your kids are unselfish, you¡¯re very happy with that. And God is the same way. When God looks down on us and he sees us being generous with each other he says, ¡°That¡¯s My boy! That¡¯s My girl! They¡¯re doing what I want them to do.¡± Because God is generous, and he wants us to become like Him. ============================= key expressions ============================= generosity : °ü´ëÇÔ, ¾Æ·® vac : Áø°øû¼Ò±â =========================== today¡¯s expressions ============================ Your heart will be wherever your treasure is
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