I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! :)
This morning I want to talk briefly about being generous. When speaking of generosity, I typically think of, and talk about, being generous with our time, talent and treasure. Today I want to hopefully help us look at generosity a little differently and empower and equip us to live a generous life.
Last night my Beautiful Bride and I listened to the Focus on the Family broadcast from yesterday morning. The speakers were Brad Formsma and his 17-year old son, Drew. Together they have co-authored a book titled, Everyday Generosity. This is what I want to talk about...everyday generosity.
First, please let me share a few examples of the type of generosity that Brad is talking about when he talks about everyday generosity.
- He is talking about attention...being generous with our attention by being fully present when with someone.
- He is talking about thoughts...being generous with our thoughts by intentionally choosing to think positive thoughts of others.
- He is talking about influence...being generous by connecting people to one another for their benefit, not ours.
Yeah, a little bit different take on generosity. And there are 4 more that Brad shared however I am going to let you buy the book to find out what they are! :)
There were a couple of big takeaways I had, and one huge final thought, that I want to touch on briefly this morning.
The first key that Brad talked about in being generous is taking the focus off ourselves. Did you shift in your seat just now?!?! :) It will be nearly impossible to be generous to others in any form when all we are focusing on is our wants, our needs, our hopes, our worries, our cares, our concerns. In order to be generous we are going to have to be selfless, to look at the wants, needs, hopes, worries, cares and concerns of others...not our favorite hobby! Lord, please give me the heart, the soul and the spirit to take the focus off myself and to look to the needs of others!
And then we have to, as Brad says, "have our antenna up." We have to intentionally look for ways we can be generous to others. Have you ever wanted a new [fill in the blank with whatever you want]? Of course you have! And have you ever noticed that when you really want something a whole lot of people have what you are wanting, and they all seem to be around you?!?! Yeah, me too...so irritating!!! :) It's because our antenna's are up for the thing we want. The same applies to the needs of others and, more importantly, how we can serve them. Lord, please break my heart for what breaks yours. Please give me eyes, ears, and most importantly, a heart to see the needs of others and meet them whenever I can!
And maybe you are sitting there thinking, "Kev, you are crazy!!! Life is hard enough, there is no way I am going to do this!" You might not be saying it outwardly, perhaps you are simply thinking it. Well, please allow me to share the huge final thought. Brad talks about one of the keys to a generous life is modeling it for our families, friends and all those in our spheres of influence. Great point and I totally agree...and I am going to add a twist. You and I are modeling something...what is it? Are we modeling care and compassion? Do our family, friends and all those in our spheres of influence see us being fully present? Do they see us meeting the needs of another? What are we modeling?
We all have needs. We are all seeking the blessings. But what if you and are the blessing that God chooses to use in someone's life? Will we answer the call then? Do we want someone else to answer God's call when He wants to use them to bless us? What would happen if we, just you and me, started thinking less about ourselves and more about the way that we can be a blessing to someone else?
Let me share a couple of scriptures here at the end:
"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." - Galatians 6: 10
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5: 16
"Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive." - Titus 3: 14
"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." - James 2: 14 - 17
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families and please stay healthy and well!
Kev
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