A Lifestyle Of Giving

A Lifestyle Of Giving
Tanya James
"Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Luke 6:38
"...whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." Galatians 6:7b
When I read those two scriptures, I get very excited about giving. I mean uncontainable excitement and guess what, I am not even thinking about financial giving. It seems sometimes we get stuck there - believing the only way we can give is with money. This means if we don't have any money, we may feel that we have nothing to give.
However, there are so many other ways to give. Matter of fact, giving should be a part of your lifestyle. It should be something that you do so freely and regularly that it's just a natural part of who you are.
So you ask, "How can I give something other than money?"
You can give of your time by serving in a ministry within the 4 walls of your church or even volunteering with an organization in your community. Going even further than that, make sure you are giving your time to your family. Don't always give the best of you to everyone else and only give your family your leftovers.
You can give of your heart and compassion to those that may simply need someone to talk to, or a shoulder to cry on or someone to pray with them. Sometimes giving of your heart may be sharing an encouraging word or even a simple hug or hello to a stranger.
Of course, you can also give of your money - in addition to your regular tithes and offering - you can give to some of the special projects your church may be working on. You can give to that youth trying to save money to go study abroad. You can give to that family down the street that may be struggling due to someone being laid off. You can give to your local homeless shelter or children's hospital ...
Needless to say, daily we are presented with opportunities to give - lets all make an effort to give something of ourselves daily until it becomes a lifestyle. I guarantee you will find out what it means to be blessed to be a blessing!