1 Timothy 6:17-19
NKJ
1 Timothy 6:17-18
‘Command those who are rich in
this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the
living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
18
Let them do good, that they be rich
in good works, ready to give, willing to share’
,
NLT
1 Timothy 6:17-18
‘Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in
their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly
gives us all we need for our enjoyment.
18
Tell them to use their
money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in
need, always being ready to share with others’.
Transition:
I
want to address / explain / encourage us as Christians to be people that have a
‘generous,’ ‘spirit’.
Introduction
: When someone describes someone as
being generous of spirit what exactly does that mean? There are many words
and ways to describe what this means.
Question
: What do I refer to when I / we
try to describe what a spirit is?
the principle of conscious life; the vital principle in humans, animating the body or mediating between body and soul.
Example/Application
: I am 6’0 tall; I weigh 200+lbs; I
have brown hair and brown eyes; and my shoe size is 12!
This is what
is called the
(Core-poor-e-al)
part
of who I am.
Corporeal
= of the
nature of the physical body; bodily, material; tangible.
When describing what a Spirit is, it is that which is (in-core-poor-e-al)
incorporeal.
Obviously,
the Holy
Spirit
, is that very thing: the nature, makeup, temperament, person of God
himself; holy, righteous, patient, loving, etc.….that comes and abides in us
and changes us (hopefully) because of who he is formed in us on an ongoing
bases.
Genesis 2:7 (NLT)
‘
Then
the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath
of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person’.
We often use other words like disposition, identity, makeup,
nature, temperament or personality to attempt to define what we can also call
a/the/our spirit.
Temperament vs Personality
When looking at temperament
and personality, they are related to each other and are developed at a very
early age. These two traits have to be developed from very early childhood as
it stays with us our whole lives.
How can temperament be
defined? It refers to the different aspects of an individual’s personality like
extroversion or introversion. Temperament is regarded as innate or inborn and
is not learned.
So how to define personality? Personality is what arises within an
individual. Personality, which remains throughout an individual’s life, is made
up of certain characteristic patterns like behavior, feelings, and thoughts.
Some of the fundamental characteristics related to personality are:
consistency, psychological and physiological impact on behaviors and actions,
and multiple expressions.
Temperament is a basic inherited style whereas personality is acquired on top
of the temperament.
Taken From: http://www.differencebetween.net/language/words-language/difference-between-temperament-and-personality/
Read more:
Difference Between Temperament and Personality |
Difference Between | Temperament vs Personality
Application
: A /the spirit of anything is
that which makes us and animates us, our body, our person. It is what is called
the
incorporeal
(not material) part
of who we are/become.
Some of the words / thoughts associated with generous are words / thoughts like: considerate, thoughtful,
reasonable, helpful, honest, hospitable, fair and good.
——————————————————-
Generous
Spirit
A Yiddish
word, Mensch
—————————————————-
Transition:
Simon Rocker, What is a mensch?
The Jewish Chronicle –
https://www.thejc.com/how-to-contact-us-1.37918
‘There are few higher Jewish compliments to
pay someone than to call them a mensch, though, of course, a true mensch would
be too modest to want to be complimented’.
‘A mensch is a person who can be
relied on to act with honor and integrity. But the Yiddish term means more than
that: it also suggests someone who is kind and considerate’.
(I
don’t want us to get caught up in this Yiddish word so much as to what and how
I want to convey what it means to have a ‘generous spirit’.)
Transition:
Unlike personality and temperament, the ‘spirit’ of
someone, something is different.
Transition/Question
: What does having a
generous spirit look like?
Question
: Why is having a generous spirit so
important?
Application
: I think it would do us all well if we read
Galatians 6 (fruit of spirit) and I Corinthians 13 at least once a weak!)
Conclusion
: Dr. Edward Dreyfus, author of a book entitled,
Living Life From the Inside Out
, is a
nationally recognized
clinical
psychologist, relationship counselor, and life coach and author (6 total) from
Santa Monica – Los Angeles says this,
‘Generosity
of
spirit
embraces
differences with acceptance. People who are
generous
of
spirit
are
genuinely happy for others good fortune irrespective of their own
circumstances. They are devoid of envy, seldom have disparaging thoughts about
others and never make disparaging comments’.
There is a Yiddish saying that goes something like this,
‘I don’t care who you marry as long as
he/she is mensch’.
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