Chapter 12 – The Habit of Generosity - Be Generous on Purpose

My husband laughed when I told him this was the subject I was writing on. I'm definitely a generous person and love being generous. He sometimes tells me I'm too generous. I love sitting down with a friend and hearing a need then surprising them with meeting that need secretly later in the week.

As Joyce said you don't need lots of money to be generous. I had a friend who just had girl twins and I gave her some of my favorite matching twin outfits. Another friend's mother died and I took them meal. I love to send cards on people's birthday or just because. I've even had my husband help me cut a friend's grass when their baby was in the NICU. I also love to just give someone the gift of my time. I have another friend that has four girls. Her husband works a lot. He travels a lot. I love letting her drop her four girls off at my house so she can go grocery shopping alone or she can go home and take a nap.

I love the scripture Joyce gives us:

I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. (Genesis 12:2 NLT)

Do you want to be a blessing to others? I know I do! I want to show God's love to others. God has given me so much. God loves me unconditionally. God gave me the ultimate gift of his son to die for my sins. I want to do things to show others how much I love them. I want others to see how good God is.

Also remember this:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 NLT

God planned for us to do good thing. Let's do them today.

I've also found the more we give the more peace I have and the more abundance we have. Sometimes you may wonder if I do this will I be able to feed my family every day this week. I've found that I can give the meal and at the end of the week God will surprise me. Maybe a friend will invite us over for dinner. Maybe my neighbor will invite us for dinner. It always works out.

I feel its just like tithing. When you give God what God is due everything falls into place. Give God his 10% and we get so much in return.

I'd rather be poor in this worlds terms but rich in God's terms. Relationships are way more important to me than worldly treasures. I'd rather invest in people than things.

I think we all need to ask ourselves the questions Joyce asks at the end of this section:
"Are you a generous giver? Do you give as much as you can in a variety of ways, or are you still holding back out of fear trying very hard to make sure your taken care of first?" I challenge you to try to be generous on purpose today. Do one good dead. Come back here and share what generous thing you did today.

Dear God,
Please help us to be generous on purpose today. I know to some generosity doesn't come naturally. Help them see someone's need today and meet it with the resources they have. Help them to continue to do this until they are a generous person. You are so generous to us. Please use us as shining lights to your love. In Jesus name Amen!