The King's Perspective

Sermon Reflection from December 4, 2022 | The King’s Perspective

I loved Pastor Alex’s message on generosity which was shown to us as an example to follow by the Magi, Kings or Wise men.  Just for fun this morning I looked up Magi in the dictionary.  They are wise men, generally assumed to be 3 in number, who came to worship Jesus.  They were thought to be Zoroastrian priests from ancient Media and Persia.  Lastly, they were known to be astrologers.  All of this fits with the story told in Matthew 2:1-12.  Another thought is that these men who studied the stars had been influenced in earlier times by Daniel or Ezra or Nehemiah and that is how they had come to know of the coming birth of the “King of the Jews’.   The thought that God used pagan kings, wise men to travel a great distance to worship His Son, speaks of the impartiality of God and His love for all mankind.  His Son is meant to be worshipped by all people.

Back to the heart of Pastor Alex’s message, generosity.  How generous do you consider yourself to be?  Does your generosity come from a desire to be recognized and thanked or from the heart in wanting to help and comfort others?   Do you desire to please God?  God desires for us to have generosity in our character as it comes from the heart of God and connects us to Him in a unique way.  Our generosity is to be the result of being ‘in Christ’ and having the Holy Spirit indwell us.  Believers have a spirit of generosity that is evident in their lives because they know Jesus!   

Psalm 112:5 “Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.”  God’s Holy Spirit will be evident in our lives and gives us a spirit of generosity.  Pastor Alex mentioned Proverbs 11:25, our memory verse for the week, “A generous person will prosper;whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” 

God promises to cause us to prosper and be refreshed when we are generous.  Prosperity is not limited to material wealth but can include spiritual and emotional prosperity too!   I love the promise in Proverbs 22:9 that God gives us about generosity. “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” Sharing and giving brings blessings!

Jesus is the root of our generosity.  He is the one who gave it all for us, that we might know Him and have a relationship with him.  Through and by God’s grace, we can be and are made generous if our hearts are willing.  2 Corinthian 9:11 puts it this way: “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us, your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”  God gives us the resources to practice generosity and that generosity should lead us to give thanks to God from which everything comes.  Generosity comes from the heart of God and brings Him glory!

So as we journey through this holiday season, take time to examine your motives for giving.  Seek to align them with God’s desire for you, that you love Him and He is the reason for your generous spirit and giving.  Then bask in the joy of giving as you seek to bring glory to God and bless others.
Linda


SERMON LINK
This Christmas | The King's Perspective
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Sermon series, "This Christmas" Today Alex teaches from Matthew 2:1-12

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