Sunday and apple crisp ** Sharing and hospitality

Romans 12:13, Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

The first part of our verse calls us to contribute to the needs of the saints. Which means sharing together, sharing material goods. It’s also refers to fellow believers. 
Such as with Paul efforts to collect funds for the poor Christians in Jerusalem, (2 Cor. 8 & 9), or to Christian workers who needed support (1 Cor. 9:4-18; Gal. 6:6; 1 Tim. 5:17-18).
By mentioning the saints, Paul is not denying the need to help unbelievers, but rather emphasizing that our priority should be towards fellow Christians (Gal. 6:10).

Sharing is not just giving of our wealth and resources, but includes sharing of ourselves in love and giving of ourselves for help and comfort and companionship.

So, let’s ask ourselves … are we generous in sharing and contributing to the needs of fellow believers?

Generosity is a lifestyle that flows out of an attitude and can be difficult to define, since there is a subjective element in generosity.

The definition is to be liberal in giving.

But what seems generous to one person may seem stingy to another. Also, we don’t know whether a person is giving sacrificially or out of an overflow of abundance. So. what may look to us like a stingy gift may actually be quite generous if the giver is poor, or what may look to us like a generous gift may be stingy if the giver is wealthy.

So, it’s important that we not judge others, but seek to please God with our giving and let Him be the judge of others.

Here are four ways we that can help us to understand the importance of being generous…
(1). Since we received God’s generous mercy in Christ it should overflow in generosity toward others.
(2.) we are to give prayerfully, systematically, and faithfully, not impulsively or sporadically.
(3). We are to give as the Lord has prospered us, with his sights on eternity.
(2). We should give cheerfully and thankfully, not grudgingly or under compulsion.

We need to realize that whatever we lay up on earth will be lost, but whatever we lay up in heaven will be ours eternally.

As Jesus said (Matt. 6:19-21), “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Think of it this way:

When Jesus warns us not to store up treasures on earth, it’s not just because wealth might be lost; it’s because wealth will always be lost. Either it leaves us while we live, or we leave it when we die.

Paul also includes hospitality in our scripture verse today and the word “seek” used here means we are to pursue hospitality.

And hospitality goes along with sharing because it’s an expression of sharing.

Hospitality is sharing with love and care.

To glorify our gracious God, we need to be motivated by His mercies to be generous and hospitable.

Enjoy the video and God bless!