A Lifestyle of Generosity

Start with worship:

The Devo:

1 Timothy 6:18 TPT “Remind the wealthy to be rich in remarkable works of extravagant generosity, willing to share with others.”

Often when we think of generosity, we automatically think of giving money. Certainly, that is part of generosity, but I venture to say it is only a small part. Yes, we need to be generous with our finances, faithful to our tithes, and diligent to use our financial resources to be a blessing; however, that is only scratching the surface of living a generous lifestyle.

If we are honest with ourselves, sometimes it is “easy” to throw money at a situation and pat ourselves on the back for our generosity, simultaneously feeling relieved that it didn’t cost us “too much”.

It is easy to be generous when it is not too costly.

How generous are you with your time? You know, the thing we all lack? Time is the one thing today with which it is so easy to be stingy. Jesus was in a crowd with people pressing him from every side, on a mission to get something done (at Jairus’ house) and he stopped and generously gave a woman His time and attention, listening to her tell the story of why she touched Him (Luke 8:43-48). What a demonstration of generosity of time and attention in the middle of pressures of life on all sides!

That is the place where your generosity becomes sacrificial and flows from love. In that moment, only one person had Jesus’ time and attention.

Are you a generous listener when others are speaking, or are you off somewhere else in your mind? Even worse, are you checking your phone while they speak? When you ask someone how they are doing, do you take the time to hear their answer? Are you willing to turn off the television after dinner and go visit someone? How about spending an afternoon watching someone’s kids so mom can get a much-needed break?

Generosity should be continually flowing out of us because of who lives in us.

I believe we can cultivate a lifestyle of generosity by being intentional about it. Generosity is a practical expression of love. I challenge you to do something generous every month, then every week, and then every day as generosity becomes your lifestyle. Buy someone a coffee, shovel a neighbour’s driveway, bake some muffins, visit someone.

Sometimes the smallest acts of generosity have the greatest impact. Jesus was the most generous Man who ever lived and we are called to live like Him!

Questions to Ponder:

How generous (1-10) do you feel you are with your:
- Money
- Time
- Love
- Intentionality
What area is the hardest for you to be generous and why?
What is one thing you can do today, this week, and this month to increase your level of generosity?

Declaration

Because I carry the DNA of my heavenly Father, and because He is a generous Dad, my DNA is infused with generosity and I take great delight in blessing others.

Prophetic Postcards: Category=Send this to a family member

1. Pick one of the Postcards. 2. Ask Holy Spirit who this is for? 3. Look at the card and ask Holy Spirit for a prophetic word (from God's heart) or a word of encouragement for them (from your heart). 4. Right click on the image, download to your pictures. 5. Text or email the picture to them with your word.