Have you ever met a tight fisted, arms folded, protective, fear motivated person who is always uptight about everything? We were youth pastors in the early 90s and I remember there were wild and crazy, fun teenagers who were always happy to see everyone and then there would be some who stayed to themselves over in a corner and it was like ya had to pry their folded arms open and coheres them to open up and interact. There are givers and takers. There are people who realize to have a friend, you must first be a friend. Someone has to go first. Someone has to put themselves out there to GIVE a smile or a “hello” or a hand shake.

Think about people who walk in the room and make you feel so special because they show up with arms open wide, so happy to see you. When someone greets you like that, doesn’t it just make your day? Don’t you want to be that person for someone? I want to genuinely be someone who is generous with my smile, my greeting, and my approach to people. It’s so much better to live an arms open wide, generous life than a tight fisted, clinched up, arms always folded, insecure taker kind of life. Show up to give and watch your whole world brighten up!

Acts 20:32 says it’s happier to give than to receive.

Scripture also tells us that if we sow or give sparingly, we will reap sparingly. BUT….drum role please…..if we sow or give bountifully, we will reap bountifully!!

One reason it’s happier to give than receive is because God knows when you give, you will reap a harvest from your giving and what makes us happier than seeing our kids blessed? God loves and is unwilling to do without a cheerful giver, the Bible tells us! God is a good Heavenly Father and He gave His only Son so we can be saved. We are made in His image and we are never more like Him than when we give. We are also never happier than when we give! Side note my husband always points out: Have you ever noticed during a big storm, if you are on the receiving end, it’s because you are in trouble. But if you’re on the giving end, it means you were spared from the storm and have something to give! It’s happier once again to give than receive!

Scientists have studied the brain and found out there are parts of the brain that light up only when we give. So guess what? There are levels of happiness we can only experience when we give!! Maybe that’s what happened to Scrooge…bahumbug….

There is this attitude of giving that produces the action of giving. Let me ask you something…. When people say your name, would they follow it up with man, she is such a giver!!! Is that a goal to be thought of as generous? If we are Christians, that means we are Christ-like and so that would mean that generosity oughta mark us as a key trait people know us by.

There is something about generosity and how it expresses the goodness of God. God’s goodness is what draws people to repentance. The goodness of God is the noblest form of love. Goodness is holiness lived out and not on dress parade having a form of godliness but denying the power of it. Did you know you get to choose the level of lifestyle you lead? What if you are living at only half or even less than half of the level of abundance Jesus came to provide for you to walk in? In your health? Your relationships? Your finances? Your job? Your talents? What if you’ve been limited by your generosity?

If you boiled the Bible down to a subject and a verb, the subject is God and the verb is give! You want the power of God in your life? You want to truly live? The Bible says if you want to live, you gotta die to selfishness. If you want to have, you gotta give. You want to gain a friend, you have to sow friendship.

What is God calling you to give today? What is He asking you to be generous with? Your time? Yes! Your talent? Yes! Your treasure? Yes!

When you give God your entire life, what’s 10%? Did you know tithing isn’t even being generous!? Tithing just means you aren’t a thief. It just means if I let you borrow something, you would bring it back and not steal it. So the kind of generosity I’m talking about is the kind of generosity that is even more than tithing. It’s not a money thing. It’s a heart thing. Where your treasure is, there your heart will go also. Want your heart to go more after God, give to Him! Your heart will follow!

A generous life is a happy life! It’s happier to give than receive!

Happy Monday!

Adrienne

@addiecooley IG

@adriennelcooley FB

Join my Believe ANYWAY Launch team FB Group for a FREE 6 week Bible study I will personally lead on Zoom starting next week!

Go to AdrienneCooley.com for all the resources you need to FIND YOUR HAPPY, FEEL THE LOVE, and REGAIN HOPE TO BELIEVE ANYWAY NO MATTER WHAT LIFE THROWS AT YOU!