Proverbs 11:24
One man gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
What an appropriate message for Christmas...and Solomon never even got to celebrate Christmas!
Do you ever wonder why people become so generous at Christmas, but the rest of the year they won't even share the crust of a piece of bread?
Is it because they bury themselves in credit card debt at Christmas, and then they're miserable the rest of the year trying to pay it back?
My encouragement to you this year is this: Pay attention to how it feels to give to others. Pay attention to how it feels to do something amazing for someone else...something they never expected.
Then try relive that memory often, at least once-a-day. This is how you create the habit and desire to "give freely". This is how you fall in love with blessing others. God wants us to be generous. He wants us to help people out when they need it. This is what Jesus meant by "storing up your treasures in heaven". If you can break the emotional attachment to stuff, you will find true joy in giving. You will actually start looking for new ways to give, and new people/organizations to give to.
A spirit of giving is born out of trust for God. Trust that He is faithful and will provide in the way that He has promised, and you will never hesitate to give when the opportunity presents itself.
Ultimately, our motivation for giving freely to others is the incredible gift that has been given to us: Eternal life through faith in Jesus!
It is this gift from our Heavenly Father that fills our hearts and overwhelms us to the point of wanting to share all of our blessings with the world! Everything that we have, including our faith and salvation, is a gift from God. We have done nothing to earn or deserve any of it. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)
If God has given us everything- everything that we have, and everything that He has- why wouldn't we want to share that with the world? This Christmas, and every other day as well, let's show the world God's love and generosity through our love and generosity. And let's share the most important gift of all: Jesus!
God bless!
Jason Fredrick
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