Kids: Dare to Live Generously! By Wycliffe Bible Translatorsಮಾದರಿ

Be Generous in Your Community

Do you like to be around friends and loved ones nearly all the time, laughing and talking and playing together? Or do you like to be alone a lot and do things on your own? Or maybe you’re somewhere in the middle! Whether you like to be around others a little or a lot, no one should do life completely alone. Everyone needs community — the family and friends you are closest to who help you live life well.

Aashi is a girl from India. Aashi lives in an apartment building that has a rooftop community garden, and she loves to be a part of it. She likes to plant seeds, pull weeds and find healthy ways to keep bugs away. It makes her want to sing praise to God to watch how cool His creation is as seeds break open, take root and then sprout and bloom and grow. Many people in her neighborhood come together to make their community garden thrive. Then they all share the delicious fruits and vegetables and enjoy the beautiful flowers they’ve helped come to life.

The people in your community are a God-given blessing! You can enjoy good times like gardening and lots of other things with them, and you can face your hard times with them too. You can also practice generosity within your community. When people in your community bring talents and treasures together, sometimes you all can do better and greater things to help others than you could ever do on your own!

If Aashi just had her own little garden, she might not have produced very much. But in the community garden, working alongside each other and sharing generously, the whole neighborhood enjoyed many kinds of fresh food together!

In the Bible, the early Church in the Book of Acts was an example of what it looks like to be in community with others who believe in Jesus, sharing their time and treasure and being generous with others. It says, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

“And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42-47, NLT).

Prayer Point:

Dear God, thank You for wanting to be close to me and all Your people. And thank You for wanting us to be close to each other too, in community with family, friends and neighbors who stand by us in times of need and celebrate with us in times of joy. There are so many blessings that come from being in community and sharing time, talents, words and treasures generously. Help me experience Your love by the way I serve and care for others in my community — and then help me spread that love far and wide, to communities all over the world! Amen.