Our church, Radius, is going through a series right now called "Blessed". Last night, Chris' message was "Blessed to be Generous". It involved how blessed we are here in the US and also the touchy subject of giving. I have heard many messages over my lifetime about giving and this one ranked right at the top. It made me think and also challenged me.
I come from a very generous family. My family is one of the most giving of it's talents, time, and finances that I know. I may be biased but I could cite example after example to back it up. My parents and grandparents have literally given away about as much as they have kept for themselves. That said, you'd think it wouldn't be a tough thing at all for me to be a giving person. Not so fast my friend!
Now, I am not a miser, but when I look at my attitude towards generosity compared to my family's and now my wife's, I could do much better. She sees someone in need and she's ready to do whatever it takes to meet that need. It's a beautiful thing. And it has done wonders for my own attitude.
I think she understands just how blessed we have been and she has a real passion to be a provider and pass that on. That's what Chris spoke about so well last night. He didn't make it a guilt trip. He also didn't focus simply on giving X amount of dollars to your church. It was about being generous.
I can't say I really remember too many times where my blessings were paired with the thought of being generous. That shouldn't be revolutionary, but it is.
So, here's to doing better at being generous.
Right at the top...wow...I fell special...
Posted by: Chris | December 05, 2007 at 09:37 AM
Yeah man, right at the top.
But I ain't gonna hug you over it or anything. :)
Posted by: rich | December 06, 2007 at 09:19 AM