LENT 2016 Day 11 - The Heart of the Gospel

GIVE AND FORGIVE. 

Generosity and forgiveness are two of the most radical invitations the Gospel makes. 

Jesus wants generosity to reach into every area of your life so that through you He can love and intrigue people. I like this sentence. It's about sharing. Not just sharing the "stuff" that attempts to fill our lives but more so the "stuff" that really does fill the empty spots.  Giving will do that "fill you up" with warm fuzziness. Matthew Kelly tells us today in this book (Rediscover Jesus) Astonish the people who cross your path with your generosity.  ASTONISH people. As you'll learn through reading, I love to start things with definitions or define words within my stories, blogs, letters - whatever.  Astonish means to fill with sudden wonder or amazement. If we are really going to astonish people with our generosity it has to be more than just giving the homeless guy some food or a $5. It also doesn't just constitute monetary giving. True generosity comes from sharing our time, energy, brain, talents, skills and abilities with people and becoming more Christlike when we do that. Feed the homeless, clothe the naked, free the captives (from whatever is holding them back), do for the least of the brothers. How often do we do this? After last Christmas I told people that I wasn't giving Christmas gifts anymore. That all of the "stuff" we were buying for people was because it's Christmas. But there wasn't one item that any of us really needed.  We all could have saved hundreds of dollars. Mom and I (and two relatives) bought items for a family in need at my church. We spent about $400 on three people and another lady at our church bought for the other people in the family. I wish I could have seen their faces when they opened all of their gifts. I shopped at Wal-Mart so that I could get them more items. It was amazing...to give. But why only at Christmas? 

POINT TO PONDER:

Generosity is incredibly attractive.

VERSE TO LIVE:

"Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due, and only suffer want. A generous person will be enriched, and one who gives water will get water."  Proverbs 11:24-25

You know I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I've never heard this verse before.  Or if I have, it has never struck me the way it has today. 

QUESTION TO CONSIDER:

How is God inviting you to become more generous? 

I think He wants us to ask ourselves questions:

- do i really need this? 

- if not then who does? 

What did I do with my time? My energy?  My knowledge today? What did I do with my money? Was I giving? 

PRAYER:   

Jesus, liberate me from any inclination to be stingy. 

Jesus, liberate me from any inclination to be stingy. 

I put that twice for a reason!  :)