How to Live Generously
What’s your most prized possession? It might be the most valuable thing you own, like the house you’ve worked your whole life to afford. But it could also be a photo from a special time you spent with someone you loved. Or it could be a meaningful gift from a friend.
The value we assign to our “things” is tangled up with our emotions. How we choose to use the things we cherish most reveals our true priorities.
Jesus’ death on the cross is one of the greatest examples of God’s generosity. Despite knowing we could never repay Him, God didn’t hesitate to give up his greatest treasure—His only Son—for us. And through that sacrificial act, He demonstrated what generosity looks like: willingly offering up what we have so that someone else can thrive, even if it causes us pain in the process.
You don’t have to just give financially to practice generosity. Living generously simply acknowledges that God is able to do anything He wants through the gifts He has given you. When you let God give through you, and you honor Him with your giving, it draws you closer to Him. Generosity flows out of a thankful and trusting heart, and when you trust God with what you have, He starts to entrust you with more.
Practicing this habit will remind you that you are not in control, but you know the One who is in control—and He can provide for all your needs.
So what do you have to give? Try finding a place where you can invest what you have in some way. Start small, or go big. Just start.
The Greater Light
From the gentle morning sun rays that break through your window to the headlights that guide you on your way home at night, light is a constant presence.
Yet, there is a greater Light than any physical light we know…
In Isaiah 60:1, the prophet speaks of this greater Light. And his words are more than pretty poetry and a prophecy; they are a call to action, an encouragement for God's people to find hope—Light, in the midst of darkness (Isaiah 59:9-10):
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you."
Isaiah 60:1
This Light is a beacon of hope, the picture of salvation and spiritual awakening. This Light is the true Light, the Messiah—Jesus Christ. He is the light God’s people needed then (Isaiah 59:9-10), and He is the light our hearts desperately need today.
In a world that sometimes can feel like it’s drowning in darkness—disasters, wars, injustice, and suffering—Isaiah's message is an invitation to embrace God’s true Light of ...