2.25.8 "The Generous Spirit"

"The Generous Spirit"

Leviticus 16:29-18:30
Mark 7:24-8:10
Psalm 41:1-13
Proverbs 10:15-16


"The good man's earnings advance the cause of righteousness. The evil man squanders his on sin." Prov. 10:16 (TLB)

We've all heard the phrase "it's not about you." We've probably heard it a couple more times than our flesh would like to hear it! As much as we may not want to hear that, it needs to become a part of who we are. To be who God has created us to be, we need to understand what it REALLY means to live a life that's "not about me".

Think of all your resources right now. Your time, talent, income, all of it. Would you put it in the category of "advancing the cause of righteousness" or "squandered on sin"? Immediately we connect the "sin" as the kind of stuff the prodigal son did. Squandering on partying, etc. Well, we can also get caught in the trap of squandering our resources on comfort and worldly objectives. We must accept the challenge to continually keep an eye on where are resources are going. Are they advancing the cause of righteousness?

I have a big ol' snowblower. I got it for $100 dollars as it is very old, but it works. Prior to that, when i was shoveling, I would look down the street at my neighbors w/ a snowblower & think, "it would be nice if they'd offer to help with my driveway." Now, I'm the one with the snowblower, and I have a couple of neighbors who don't have a snow blower. Guess what I need to do... advance the cause of righteousness.

When we take what God has given us and focus it on the needs of others, there is blessing on our lives.

"God blesses those who are kind to the poor. He helps them out of their troubles. He protects them and keeps them alive; he publicly honors them and destroys the power of their enemies. He nurses them when they are sick, and soothes their pains and worries." Psalm 41:1-3

We come across so many people with troubles, each one having varying degrees of how well they "deal" with it. Notice this pattern: Those least affected by circumstance are those with a generous spirit. In other words, those who have a healthy understanding of stewardship and are generous to others are FAR less thrown off course by a crisis.

At the same time, those who are so overwhelmed by the trials of life seem to be individuals who are not giving. They are not concerned with the needs of others. They like to keep the attention on themselves and on their personal crisis.

On which type of individual does the blessing of God rest?

Notice what the scripture says about the ones who are kind to the poor. "helps them out of their troubles... destroys the power of their enemies... nurses them when they are sick... soothes their pains and worries..." Notice how those who are kind to the poor still have troubles, enemies, sickness, pain, and worry. The difference is not that the road has no challenges, the difference is that there is someone along side who helps them through all of this.

The generous spirit needs to be a part of who we are to live the "A" of DREAM. We must apply this to our being. Look for opportunities today to "invest" in your blessing!



Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


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