Live Love Give: Living

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Living with humility. What does this mean? Simply put: It means a shift away from me. A shift to putting God first, others first. Matthew 22:37-39. 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your mind'. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  

God knows something about humility and knows if we put Him and others before ourselves we will build a better, more confident version of ourselves (with His help). In short, faith in Him and loving others sets us up for success. Notice, He does not say we have to like others. But putting Him and others first helps us like ourselves.

The Culture of Give is achievable by all.  For Starters- Give: your place in line, a smile, a glass of water, a compliment, groceries, gas money, a story, a song, socks, lunch money, a glass of lemonade, a knock knock joke, a stick of gum; the list is endless if you let it be.  

Galatians 6:2  'Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.'  Simply Give.

Purposefully living requires saying 'I will purposefully live faithfully with Jesus as my guide.' Not the world as my guide. Not people who may not have our best interests in mind. 

Will you live purposefully perfectly? No one does. But the Creator of the Universe has your back: Jeremiah 29:11 'For I know the plan I have for you' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'   

Believing this lets us know we have God working in our lives for good.

It's not unusual to see wisdom in the world suggesting ideas to be our best selves. 

Firstly the Bible is clear that we do not get into heaven by good works. But it does state once we have faith, we need to do something with it. Colossians 3:23, 24: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as if working for the Lord. You will receive your reward from the Lord as it is Christ you are serving.         

 Simply put: Do your best, be your best and put your heart into it for God - and you will see results.

Do Good: In a Country where citizens can do anything they set their minds to: Have faith. Do good. Love others. The rest is up to God. 

Shine: Our life's work is to learn how to put light in the places it doesn't exist.                                                       Ephesians 5:8 For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Self Control: We do not have to give feelings the big vote. We can decide to do what's best regardless of our feelings. 

James 1:19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.                                                                                                               

Help: Do what's right and good and let your feelings catch up with your acts.                                                        Feel Better: The surest cure for a bad mood is treating others kindly. 

Thoughts have power. Words have power. 

Verse for victory: 2 Timothy 1:7: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline.   

Simply put: Fear is not from God. We can face our problems with a calm and well-balanced mind, knowing that God is mightier than all of our problems. God did not give us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power and love and sound judgement and personal discipline. These abilities result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control. Self control is freedom from 'feelings' and that freedom gives us victory!  

There are a couple of different counts  on how many times the word 'give' appears in the Bible depending on the version. Somewhere between 900-1100 times. I submit to you that God knows we are not truly happy if we are only thinking of ourselves - thus giving 'gives' us an opportunity to move beyond 'me' to others.   

2 Corithians 8:7-8,  But just as you excel in everything, [and lead the way] in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in genuine concern, and in your love for us, see that you excel in this gracious work [of giving] also.  I am not saying this as a command [to dictate to you], but to prove, by [pointing out] the enthusiasm of others, the sincerity of your love as well. 

This can be a multitude of things: offering a neighbor a ride, volunteering at a food pantry, reading to children in the library, volunteering at your child's school, helping at a community event, helping with church outreach, etc. There are tons of opportunities to volunteer our time.   

Colossians 3:23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Everyone is good at something. Whatever your talent is, using it for good will enrich your life!

If you aren't sure what your particular talent is, consider: What do I really enjoy doing, what have people told me I'm good at, or what motivates me?

1 Peter 4:10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.

Many times I've heard mention of those not giving to charity because they're not sure where their money's going. There are thousands of charities out there and numerous 'charity checkers' - if you're not certain how to start; just google charities - you'll find one that leads you to give. Also, most of them also have a charitable tax ID so you can write off any cash donation if you itemize.  

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 

We give according to our faith.  Take a leap of faith, give more - and it will come back to you!

Think of it his way: You can give a stranger a smile. You can give a food pantry a can of food. You can give your child encouragement. You can give your friend a cup of coffee. You can give a co-worker a compliment. You can give things you no longer use to the goodwill. You can open the door for someone. You can let someone in in traffic. The opportunities are endless. 

Can we give daily? I'd shout a resounding Yes!

When we give, we become the best versions of ourselves. Period. 

Give cheerfully. Increase your giving. You will have a better life for it. 

Simply give.