Wednesday, June 20, 2012

June 21, 2012 ~ Generosity



It is good to be merciful and generous.
       Those who are fair in their business
 will never be defeated.
       Good people will always be remembered.
Psalm 112:5-6

Thoughts~

Since Christ is generous then I want to be a copy cat and model my giving after Him. I want to be remembered for generosity and goodness and not stinginess or rudeness.

Being a generous tipper is one way that Christians can make a quiet faith statement. When I was in my twenties I had a lot of Four Spiritual Law booklets and I would always leave one with my tip. Even back then I left more than the customary tip because one day I overheard waitresses talking about Christian diners after church on Sunday. They said they tipped horribly but always wanted to leave a tract or talk about Jesus. 

Well, I made up my mind right then that I would try to tip the best I could, be thankful and share my appreciation.  Later a friend told me that she likes to say “thank you for the great service” to the server or “thank you for making my dinner” to the cook if she saw him or her. Together we decided that we would start a “GAK” Campaign, being generous, appreciate and kind to our servers, sales clerks and customer service workers. And before long, we were known not just for our generosity but for our faith in the little town I lived in. It was for the glory of God, not so we would be popular or praised. But still, we did make a difference and the wait staff didn’t dread serving us.

Being the human that I am, I admit that when I get a horrible server that is rude and forgetful, I am not so generous. I think it’s time for me to raise the bar and try “GAK” with them.  Perhaps they had a horrible day at home, a child is sick or personal issues are piling up. And maybe they are just rude. But perhaps I can make a difference. I vow to do better.

Actions~

It’s fun to start a GAK Campaign and you can do it alone or with a group. Agree to be as generous as possible, appreciative and kind to your servers, etc. These days I try to leave a small encouragement card with my tip. I will admit I do not always have them on hand and I need to be more diligent about keeping them to hand out. 

You can make cards on your computer or purchase ‘pass it on’ cards at Christian bookstores or on line. This is my favorite one to leave with my tip because it’s an effective attention grabber and most chuckle when they read it. On the back I write out John 3:16.



Sometimes I leave this one that I made.  On the back is John 3:16.



The GAK principle is easy to remember.

Generous - Proverbs 22:9
Generous people will be blessed

Appreciative -1 Thessalonians 5:12
Appreciate those who diligently labor among you

Kind – Philippians 4:5
Let people see your kindness

Pray~

Lord, I confess my selective generosity.  I want to be more like You and be free with my giving to everyone.  Help me be generous, appreciative and kind to everyone.

Trusting in Him,
Becky

Like my Facebook page here:

June 20, 2012 ~ Trust and Commit to the Lord



Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.
For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
Trust in the LORD and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.
Psalm 37:1-5

Thoughts~

As I think about people who do not love the Lord, who are super nice people to have as friends, I feel sad.  These are the people that wither and fade away one day. It makes me sad because they are the people I would like to spend eternity with.  And yet, I cannot force anyone to trust the Lord; not anymore than the Lord will make someone trust in Him. We have been given free will and that is a blessing and sometimes a stumbling block. For the people who ignore God, who are wicked and who are evil, free will is a huge stumbling block as they refuse to accept the truth about eternity with God. Free will can be a stumbling block for believers, too, because we tend to want to try things our way and not God’s way so we stumble in our walk with Him. Thankfully we confess and He restores our relationship with Him.

In Psalm 37:1-5 there are some short reminders that give us a blueprint for a secure walk with the Lord. I want so much to share these things with my friends who don’t want to trust that Jesus is the only way to God.  When I have tried, they tell me I am arrogant that I believe it’s “my way or the highway.” We get into discussions that lead nowhere and even when I share Jesus exact words (John 14:6 “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”) they dismiss me as a Radical Jesus Loving Bible Lover. They are right, of course. J

All of Psalm 37 is an encouragement to me because it offers hope and promises of justice and comfort. Someday I want to memorize it but for now, I have it book marked in my Bible.

For this devotion I used the New Living Translation: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2037&version=NLT


Action~

Remember we can share, share, share but we can’t make anyone trust the Lord. These 5 reminders show us that we aren’t supposed to worry about anyone else, just ourselves. We should always trust in the Lord for everything.  We should do good (not evil). We should delight in the Lord. And we should commit everything to Him.

That includes committing our unsaved family members and friends to Him. It includes being a good example of a Jesus follower to them. And it means that we should delight in God, not in the things of the world.

*Don’t worry about others
*Trust in the Lord
*Do good
*Delight in the Lord
*Commit everything to the Lord

Pray~

Lord, I don’t ever want to be concerned over other people and let myself get distracted from my walk with You. You are what matters the most to me and I thank You for your word.


Trusting in Him,
Becky

Like my Facebook page here: