Trinity Lutheran Church Blog

You may have heard about the 40 Days of Community campaign that is underway. It is a journey of deepening God’s purposes in community within our church and serving the community around us. We are being asked to make increasing levels of spiritual commitment throughout the 40 days of community. Each small group is targeting an outreach project in the community. Each outreach project is a demonstration of faith active in love. We are learning to tell our story of how God has worked in our lives so that we can willingly and easily share the hope we have in Christ with those who don’t know Him as their Lord and Savior. The campaign is surely a spiritual workout that will enable us to strengthen our individual faith. We will celebrate the conclusion of our journey on Reformation Sunday with the challenge to continue to live out God’s purposes in community beyond the campaign.

Are you generous? The Bible tells us, “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” (Proverbs 1:25)

You can have every blessing God has for you but not through focusing on yourself, drowning in your own misery or worrying about how others treat you.  Think about the impact you can have if you look for opportunities to be generous to others everywhere you go.

If you embrace generosity and give of yourself every day, you will make the lives of those around you better. You will be blessed more than the person who is receiving the blessing.

God loves a cheerful giver. Check yourself to see if you need an attitude adjustment.

Every one of us needs to deliberately declare war on selfishness. Jesus went about doing good for others and we should, too. So many people need to know that someone cares.

Here’s your challenge: Spread the love of God by being generous. It could be through simple, deliberate acts of kindness or sharing your monetary resources. Trust God to lead you in practical, loving ways … with JOY!

Are you willing to share your time, compassion, prayers and attention with someone who needs it? Do you give not only your money, but other resources – including yourself – to others who need a helping hand? How are you sharing your talents, gifts and abilities with others?

We must be willing to give ourselves as a sacrifice. Decide to live a life of loving generosity and then watch what God does IN you and THROUGH you.  The best way to survive a financial crisis is to be generous. The Biblical perspective of finances is to keep on giving, especially during challenging financial times.

You can reach out to bless others in your family, your neighborhood, our church, at your job … anywhere and at any time. As we obey God and help others, He will meet all of our needs and bless us.

Don’t be fearful about tomorrow. Instead, do whatever you can to live in righteousness, peace, joy and generosity, and trust God for the rest. Proverbs 28:27 says, “He who gives to the poor will not want …” That’s the power of generosity!

Stay in His Grip!

Filed under: Messages from Pastor Kittel