Human nature is selfish. We love to hold, take, and keep things for ourselves. We love to plot and scheme ways that will benefit us individually the most. You learn this quickly if you spend time around toddlers or little kids. There are tears, attitudes, and even disgust towards sharing things or considering others. We laugh or even become frustrated at how tightly they hold onto things that don’t matter. It might seem like a mindset that only toddlers have, but our nature is no different from theirs.
But Jesus came that we may lay down our selfishness for the sake of the Gospel. We see in this passage that all believers were of one heart and one mind as they stewarded what God had given to each of them. Through the Spirit of God, a culture of selflessness, giving, and sharing was cultivated within their community. The central theme was not behaving better, but testifying about the resurrected Lord Jesus. Just like we see toddlers do, our natural inclination is to hold a tight grip on the things we have been given. Time, money, treasures, talents, possessions… You name it. Oh, how quickly we forget that nothing is our own; everything we have is a gift from God. When our focus shifts to everything Jesus has done for us, we overflow with Gospel generosity. We learn that giving to others is more of a blessing than receiving. Although it might look different for us today than it did in Acts 4, I believe Jesus is giving us an opportunity to be of one heart and mind. My prayer for us today is that we would freely give our time, talents, and treasures as a response to what Jesus has done for us.