Generosity is Contagious

My grandmother was a giver.  I never left her little country farmhouse without a sack of tomatoes or jars of jelly.  She wasn't rich in material wealth but she wanted to give. Giving expressed her love.  I wonder if we think of that when we write a check to the church or share with someone in need.  Giving can salve our conscience because it's the right thing to do.  But perhaps we should reread the story in Luke 21.  Jesus commends the widow for her tiny gift because "she gave all she had to live on."  She supposedly went unnoticed but gifts done for the right motive don't go unnoticed.  The decision to be generous will change your life and the lives of those around you.

Generosity is a Decision

A baby no matter how precious is born with a clenched fist.  Part of the fallen nature of man, we are doomed to be selfish and think of No.#1.  When we are converted to Christ, our nature changes and the old Scrooge must go and we take on an attitude of giving.  Generosity is something we can cultivate.  Each tiny bit of giving unclenches that fist.  We give until it hurts and then it feels very very good.  Take every opportunity to share with another.  It's a decision that will change your life.

Be Generous

People love to get stuff, especially free stuff.  Americans are famous for their big cars, big houses, big food portions, big everything.  But I wonder if that is true of our hearts.  We tend to be generous with everything but ourselves.  I am putting myself on the hook too.  It is easier to be generous with a few dollars than with myself or my time.  Chapter 6 of 13 Decisions That Will Change Your Life introduces some folks you don't know but their generosity will inspire your life.