I have a pastor friend who is one of the most generous people I know. He lives his life looking for ways to bless others and to add value to their lives. He speaks words of life and kindness to others. You can’t be in his presence and not be encouraged and uplifted. I’ll never forget preaching at his church one weekend. Not only did he invite me to stay in his home and share a meal with his family, but the next morning when I woke up. He was outside washing my car. I thought…who is this guy.  He is a very normal guy, but he has determined to live his life with an intent to be as generous as he possibly can be. I left that day thinking, I want to be more like that.There is an interesting verse found in Proverbs 11:24, the Message paraphrase says “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.”  What’s he saying here?  That when I’m generous it enlarges my heart it, enlarges my perspective, it enlarges my impact.  When I’m generous it enlarges my influence.  King Solomon is not just talking about money here.  Generosity is far more than just financial giving.  Money is an important part of our lives, but overall, it’s a small part.  God wants you to learn to live generously as a lifestyle.  Scripture teaches us to be generous in every area of our life.  We’re to be generous with our time.  We’re to be generous with our praise.  We’re to be generous with our sympathy.  We’re to be generous with forgiveness.  We’re to be generous with our love.  Think about it…We can be generous with our compliments.  We are to be generous with our kindness.  We are to be generous with our attention – paying attention to the needs of people.  We are to be generous in listening.  We can be generous is so many ways!But generosity is far, far, far more than just simply about giving money.  It’s about living life that is unselfish.  It’s about living a life where you’re a giver not a taker, in every area of life.  One of the amazing things about living with generosity is that it fills us with joy. It is enjoyable.  We are not generous because it is our duty.  We don’t it out of guilt.  We don’t give out of pressure.  We don’t give out of compulsion.  We are not generous because it’s our obligation.  It gives us great joy to be generous.  In the New Testament Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Have you discovered this in your life?The mark of maturity is when you switch and you begin to understand that there really is more joy in giving than in getting.  It’s not by accident that the word “miser” and “miserable” come from the same word.  That when you’re miserly you’re going to be miserable.  The happiest people in the world are givers in life.  The unhappiest people in the world are takers.  All they do is take.  They’re self-centered.  They live for themselves.  But the amazing thing about all this is that God is not asking us to do something that he himself doesn’t do.  He is saying, “Be like me!”  He is our example of generosity.  And while we don’t give to get, he is so gracious to bless us when we are generous.  And he does it in so many, many ways.Today’s Challenge: Ask God to help you live your life with generosity. Learn to make it a part of your daily life. Consider who you could be generous to today. In this way, your life can truly make a difference.

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