OUR FATHER'S GENEROSITY - Carter Conlon

I am reminded of a time years ago when I was driving my middle son home from a hockey game. He had a couple of very hungry hockey players with him, so we stopped at McDonald’s. Standing in line behind them, I watched as the boys proceeded to take out the little bit of money they had. Suddenly I saw my son turn to his two friends and exclaim, “Put your money away, guys. My dad will pay!”

Now in those days, I was a pastor in a small country town and hardly made enough to pay the electricity bill of our house. I watched as the boys placed their orders — it was all “double-double, super-size me!” Yet I didn’t care if I had to dig into my gasoline fund for the next week — there was no way in my heart that I would embarrass my son.

The Scripture tells us, “If you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him?” (see Luke 11:13).

You and I must be willing to boast of our Father’s generosity, just as my son did. But in order to boast of it, we have to know and experience it personally. We must not only open our hearts to Him, but we must also be willing to walk with Him.

The Father’s generosity is not given to those who choose to sit on the couch watching television all day. You must get up and walk with Him, and when you do, the floodgate of heaven opens and all the resources that Christ won for us suddenly become available.  

Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001.