Truly Generous

What kind of people are truly generous? Firstly let us consider God sending His only Son Jesus into the world, The Lord is truly generous. We have the free gift of salvation. This is real generosity! There are people in life who stand out for their generosity of spirit. They go the extra mile. They are people with exceptional awareness of others and an ability to put others before themselves. Truly socially smart and intelligent people. They observe others and see how they can add value to others. Truly generous people go out of their way to make others more comfortable. Is there some way you can excel in generosity today? Is there someone who needs something that you have two of? Can you share something with someone? Could you write an encouraging text to someone who is feeling down? All of these things are important. Can you refresh someone today? Your concern, care and love could make all the difference. 

Remember, Serving Jesus is a Privilege

If we are honest about it we don't always enjoy certain aspects of Christian service such as cleaning the loos at church, serving when we are tired and blessing those who ignore your kindness or treat you poorly. Serving Jesus can be costly emotionally, financially and in our time. There are times when we wonder if it is all worth it. Let me say, it is, because we are serving the King of Kings and Jesus Himself came to serve and not to be served. We must follow His example. 

There are times when serving Jesus is really rewarding and we can see real results for our effort. These times can seem few and far between. This is because we often invest and minister to people, who take time to change and grow. The results often are not instantaneous or can't be measured. 

Just remember on the days when you have spent time, effort and tears serving your best that God sees everything. Remember it is an honour to serve the King of Kings. In Galatians 6:9 it tells us not to be weary in doing good as in the right time you will reap a reward (my paraphrase). Don't get tired of doing the right thing. A season of blessing is coming your way so keep sowing, keep faithful and keep working hard as your efforts will be rewarded. 

The Night Sky

This evening I had the lights off in the kitchen and was looking up at the stars through the roof window. It was amazing to see how bright they were and incredible to think that some are thousands of light years away. It amazes me that God made all of this and is interested in every detail of our lives too!

Psalm 8: 3-4 came to mind:

3 

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

It also makes me think about the words in Jeremiah 32:17

“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."

And the words in Psalm 121:1-2 

I will lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from The Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

When I see the stars and think of God who made them, I realise He is all powerful in my situation and in your life too. All things are possible with our God.

Photo of Milky Way, NASA

Connection and Community

As human beings we are built for community. We read about the first church in the book of Acts and one of the core things they devoted themselves to was fellowship. We need each other in order to thrive and develop well. How can you connect with the community of God better? How can you connect with your local community? We are not made to be alone. If you see someone lonely, why not reach out to them. It is possible to be lonely in a crowd. Take time to be friendly. 

The Bible states that if we want friends, we need to show ourselves to be friendly. Just stopping in the shop for five minutes to talk to someone who looks lonely may make the difference to their day. The elderly are especially susceptible to loneliness. Sow seeds of kindness in the lives of others and you will also get blessing in return. Proverbs 11 says this   25A generous person will prosper;

whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Choosing the Right Response

We can't always choose what happens to us but we can choose our response. This is easier said than done I realise. There will be negative situations which occur in our life and we may feel badly upset and choose to remain in a place of bitterness. Every pain we have takes time to heal however we can't live in the place of pain permanently. 

I look at Paul and Silas who were thrown in Jail for preaching the gospel. Although they were in chains, they chose to sing songs of praise in the night. There was an earthquake and the chains released all of the prisoners. When we choose the right response of praise whilst still in our chains and in our own place of restriction, we begin to shake something in the heart of our situation which will cause a massive shift in our current state. The enemy can't do anything to upset a Christian who is determined to praise God no matter what. What is our response to our current situation? While I am writing this it is 2.08am and I have a baby who won't sleep tonight, although she is nearly there! I am choosing to thank God for the gift of family and I know this is just a season- do I always have such a positive attitude? In a word, no. We have to choose our response by intention. Tonight I decide to choose to be happy, even though extremely tired!

In Psalm 84 we read some beautiful words about God's people on pilgrimage. It says in verse 4 that those who dwell in God's house are blessed and they continually praise him. There is so much in this Psalm that I will write a blog post on it sometime, however, keep praising, even in the dark valley! It will soon be dawn. 

Winning with Others

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that wins souls is wise 

Proverbs 11:30

It's a long time since I did a blog post, but here is something I have been mulling over lately. I hope it helps someone. In life it is really important to get on with others well. There are some people who have a real natural ability to do this and others have had training in the workplace. To win souls actually means to win over peoples hearts, minds and emotions. It is about winning friends. Whether you are involved in a project or have a ministry, you need people onside, working with you and routing for you. The Bible states that if we are able to get people on board with us, we are wise. How do we win with people? Simple things like smiling, putting yourself in the shoes of the other person, making them feel comfortable in your space, seeking to understand rather than to be understood and shining the spotlight on the person you are talking with. People skills are really important! Jesus taught that we are to love others as we love ourselves. I am still learning and for those of us who might be socially shy, this is a real challenge. 

Enjoy today and while you are waiting for your dreams to come true, invest into someone else's - even if it is in a small way!