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If you ever feel
bored or frustrated with your life, maybe it's because
you know deep inside that you're not doing what you're
supposed to be doing. Nothing is more rewarding than
a fulfilling life--a life in which you are passionate
about something and then you do something about that
passion. This brings about that sense of completion
and satisfaction we all crave. If your life isn't satisfying
you, the culprit could be you aren't doing what God
has called you to do--GIVE.
God has called
us to all be givers. He has given us different talents
and abilities that we are to use to help others. Giving
matures us and makes our lives full. Giving doesn't
diminish us; it increases us.
2 Corinthians
9: 9-11
As one psalmist puts it, He (God) throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living,
right-giving ways never run out, never wear out. This most
generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread
for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He
gives you something you can then give away, which grows into
full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so
that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great
praise to God. (The Message)
Hands-on versus Hands-off
There are two ways in
which we can serve or give to others-the hands-on approach
and the hands-off approach. The hands-on approach requires
you to get personally involved in meeting a need. This is
service God does not allow you to delegate to someone else
to fulfill or pay someone else to do it. He requires your
time and commitment. You can tell if God has called you to
do hands-on service because no matter what you try to do to
get out of it, it seems to fall back into your lap.
For instance, at one
point in time God called me to personally meet the needs of
some relatives on my husband's side of the family. Every time
a situation came up where help was needed, my husband was always
out of town on business. Now keep in mind that my husband
does not travel on business frequently, maybe two or three
times per year. I would always wonder, "Why can't he
do this? After all they are his family." But, God arranged
it so that I was the only one who was available. Why?
God used the hands-on
approach to kill my flesh and its self-centered ways. When
you are personally involved in solving the problem, you see
and experience the challenges that the person you are helping
faces first hand. This destroys critical attitudes and pride.
Especially when you see people with greater problems than
you going through them with a better attitude than you. You
get a fresh perspective on everything you should be grateful
for in your own life. The hands-on approach develops our character.
The hands-off approach
towards serving is when God calls you to help someone without
getting personally involved in solving the problem. For example,
when you give money to your local church for outreach or to
charitable organizations that help people with critical needs
you are serving people indirectly--hands off.
However, giving
to people that help other people is very important. Your financial
gifts enable those who are called to help people one-on-one
to do their job effectively. When you give your financial
gifts with the right attitude, not grudgingly but cheerfully,
God rewards you as if you were personally involved.
When you give it may
seem as if you are losing something. You are. You are losing
your self-concern and your fear of lack. Every time you make
the decision to meet someone else's need ahead of your own,
you are defeating fear by demonstrating your faith in God.
Remember...
Luke 6:38
Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not
merely given back--given back with bonus and blessing. Giving,
not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."
(The Message)
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