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Growing up playing sports, I survived the coaching of many different personalities. Some love the sport and don’t know much about technique; some love winning and will push you at all costs; others love the authority a whistle brings…and everything in between. I have one particular memory where I left a conversation with a coach thinking, “We want different things out of this.” In other words, we were NOT of one spirit. How could I tell? There was no love and no generosity shown between us.

In the first few verses of this week’s Scripture, we are introduced to our three main characters: King Saul, his son, Jonathan, and David. David has just returned from his notable victory over Goliath and is meeting with King Saul. We do not know the content of David and Jonathan’s conversations, but we see they are one in spirit. They were in agreement, but this bond did not end with an intellectual understanding – it grew and led to selfless love. This love then shows itself, as it often does, through abundant generosity. 

This oneness of spirit, love, and generosity is not exclusive to the Old Testament. After the Church’s first sermon in Acts 2, the earliest believers of Jesus are described similarly. They are one in spirit and show love and abundant generosity to each other. This is because the New Testament describes our faith in Jesus, resulting in our adoption into God’s family. Our adoption has brought us into a unity of spirit with other believers.

Reflection: Have you grown in selfless love and abundant generosity towards brothers and sisters in Christ? What can you do today to show abundant generosity towards someone else?

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