Are you ready to grow more joyful in your generosity? Giving can become a chore or an inconvenience. It’s not meant for either. In this next section of the Live LIGHT Manifesto we look at how to grow more joyful in your generosity
I Live Generous Joyfully.
Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
We’re told throughout Scripture and the life of the Early Church that we need to be generous. Do you want to know how to grow more joyful in your generosity?
3 questions to grow more joyful in your generosity
God is generous towards us. He has filled the world with His abundance. His grace knows no limit. His righteousness endures forever.
We are to be like our Father who sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. Our generosity of time and finances reflect his generosity to us.
So how do you grow joyful in your generosity. Here are three reflective questions to help you do just that.
Print off a copy of these questions and keep it by your bed so it’s the first thing you see every morning.
Ask yourself these questions and contemplate them as you start your day.
Do it for 62 days. After that it should become a habit.
Grow more joyful in your generosity with these 3 questions
1. Who can I serve today?
2. What are three things I feel thankful for today?
3. How can I be generous today?
Unpacking the questions
1. Adam Grant in his book called “Give and Take” states people who help others out consistently not only feel happier, but are actually more successful. I encourage you to bless 3 people a week. It could take 5 minutes or an hour. There are measurable benefits to service that you don’t want to miss.
2. Feel the thankfulness. That’s the key for us to grow. Don’t do a rote list of things you should be thankful for. What do you FEEL thankful for? Take some time to feel it and appreciate it.
3. Generosity can be in our time and finances. Maybe you want to be a better tipper. Perhaps you want to be fully present in the time you spend with your family. Maybe there’s opportunity you haven’t thought of before?
One Warning
Jesus said we can’t do our good deeds to be noticed by others. Our motives matter in the Kingdom. Be sure you’re being generous to bless other people, not to make a name for yourself. If you do that latter, Jesus said that will be the only reward you get.
“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Matthew 6:1-4 (NLT)
Use this simple tool to grow more joyful in your generosity. If you want more personalized help to grow more joyful in your generosity AND discover how to amplify it in your life check out the coaching programs I’m currently offering https://revtrev.com/coaching
Luke has carefully researched the events around Christ’s birth – and he starts with the events around Jesus’ cousin’s birth – the miraculous birth of John.
The book of Luke was written to “Theophilus”.
Literally, that means “God-lover”. He could have been a wealthy patron, or it might have been a group of people. What if Greek Christians, before they were called Christians called themselves Theophilians?
Luke places Jesus in World History.
He writes about Caesar Augustus and Quirinus being the governor of Syria. His genealogy goes from Joseph all the way back to Adam.
Luke gives fuller accounts of angels.
The Greeks he was writing to were more accustomed to stories of the gods interacting with humans and so would be interested in angelic encounters.
He writes about the angel coming to Zachariah who didn’t believe He could become a father and so had his mouth shut until the prophecy was fulfilled. Luke talks about everything Mary hid in her heart about Gabriel’s visit.
He reveals the story of the shepherd in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night
and lo, the angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified and the angel said to them – “Fear Not, for behold I bring you news of great joy that shall be for all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you ‘you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.” And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts singing “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace to all men on whom his favour rests”…
Luke includes unlikely people.
He includes women – Elizabeth, Mary. He includes the outcasts like the Shepherds. He includes the elderly – Simeon, Zechariah, Anna.
Summary
Luke was writing to Greek speaking believers who needed to know the Jewish Messiah was for them. You don’t have to be born into the right family. You don’t need to be the top of society. You don’t need to be a man to be loved by God.
Luke Reminds us Jesus Came for Everyone
Luke Reminds us Jesus Came for Everyone
Luke reminds us that Jesus came for everyone. Not just the Jews. Not just the righteous. Not just the important. Not just those you would expect.
So what does that mean for us today?
It means that everything you’ve done…before you became a Christian or even after you named the name of Christ, is covered by His blood. His grace is sufficient for you. You can’t mess up too much for God. Your sin did not surprise Him or disgust Him.
And yet He calls you out.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:10
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.”
Don’t let His grace be without effect in you.
Paul says in Philippians 3:16
“Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Have you heard the 12 crazy-days of Christmas? The final verse goes like this.
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me Twelve dozen cookies Eleven shoppers fighting Ten cars a-honking Nine broken presents Eight bags a-missing Seven Christmas parties Six crazy in-laws Five extra pounds Four credit cards Three crying babies Two missing parts and a dried brown Christmas tree
We’ve all been there, right? It’s easy for us to get so distracted with the busyness of the season that we forget the real meaning of the season. Thanks for taking this time to focus on the real meaning of Christmas.
Real meaning of Christmas
The Christmas Story
The Christmas Story comes down to us from antiquity from two main sources. I’m not counting the Armenian Infancy Gospels or the more modern Saint Nicholas folklore.
The Story of Jesus coming to earth as a baby are delivered to us by primarily two of the gospel writers – Matthew and Luke. They give the details. They highlight the fulfilled prophecy. They place the event in world and Jewish history.
But the other two Gospels tell us a lot more about His arrival and purpose than we might otherwise pick up on in either of the main historical accounts.
The beauty of historical accounts show us the authors main focus and main purpose and taking a few posts to look at how each Gospel writer handles the coming of Jesus as a baby reveals their message to their first readers and to us today.
Let’s take a look at how Jesus’ birth is handled in each gospel and find the real meaning of Christmas.
The Story in the Gospels
Each Gospel handles the birth of Jesus a little differently. These differences are meaningful. They are written by different people and for different people, but each give us another reason to fall in love with Jesus all over again.
Over the next four days we'll get ready for the big event by examining the ways each Gospel writer looks at how and why GOD BECAME MAN.
Do you follow the path and pattern of Jesus? Do you know what patterns he followed that will help you Live LIGHT? In this next section of the Live LIGHT Manifesto we look at some important ones and how we can practically live them out.
I
I follow His path and pattern. I take my everyday life, my eating, sleeping, going-to-work, and walking-around life and lay it before him as an offering.I only do what I see the Father do.I only say what I hear the Father say. I do everything as unto the Lord. I take thoughts captive, I tear down strongholds, I demolish arguments.
There is a lot going on this this mouthful of the the Live LIGHT Manifesto. It’s starts with following His path and pattern.
I follow His path and pattern.
For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21
Jesus left us an example that we should follow in his steps. Bonhoeffer says it this way, “When Christ calls us to himself, he bids us come and die.”
Live LIGHT deals with the reality of of the day-to-day of our everyday. It’s not all about sunshine and rainbows, it’s about becoming more like Jesus. It starts with His attitude. “If Jesus suffered, who am I to complain?”
What it means to follow his path and pattern is fleshed out a bit in the following statements.
How to follow His path and pattern - worship
I take my everyday life, my eating, sleeping, going-to-work, and walking-around life and lay it before him as an offering.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Romans 12:1
Worship is a lifestyle, not the slow part of a song service. You can experience the awe and wonder of God in the moments when choose to do everything as an act of worship. Sometime was don’t experience the awe simply because we’re not aware. Other times, it’s obedience that’s required so let’s move on to the next statement.
How to follow His path and pattern - obedience
I only do what I see the Father do.
So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. John 5:19
Jesus only did what he saw the Father do. There’s a challenge for us too. What would it look like to live that way? Holy Spirit gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) so it’s not only desirable, it’s also doable or one do what we see the Father doing. Here are some tips for you:
I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. John 12:49
Jesus not only did only what He saw the Father doing, He also heard what He heard the Father say. He left us an example to follow in His steps. How can we listen so we only say what we hear the Father say?
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24
Ok…this is going to get a little long now, but I think it’s time for an acronym… how do you do everything as unto the Lord? WORK AS WORSHIP
WORK AS WORSHIP
Work with the right motivation (1 Corinthians 16:14)
I take thoughts captive, I tear down strongholds, I demolish arguments.
We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Well, if the last one I could explain with an acronym, this one is three days of training within the Live LIGHT Pathway course. Maybe I can hit the highlights…
It’s actually way too much to add to this blog post. But know it’s possible to take thoughts captive, tear down stronghold and demolish arguments. It’s done with the help and leading of Holy Spirit, knowing the Word of God and living out the Word of God.
If you have questions about this, I do encourage you to check out the options for coaching available here https://revtrev.com/coaching
Your life matters to everyone in your everyday world. In this next section of the Live LIGHT Manifesto let's look at your everyday world, who the people of peace are and why you matter to them.
My life matters to everyone in my everyday world.
“Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay. Luke 10:5-7
What is my everyday world and why does my life matter to it?
My everyday world is another term I may have coined or caught from someone…wait, I think it’s from Peterson’s transliteration of Romans 12:1-2
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:1-2 The Message (MSG)
Oh…that’s right. He used “everyday, ordinary life”.
Your everyday world is filled with your friends, family, neighbours, co-workers, classmates and anybody Holy Spirit highlights for you.
Your life matters to people of peace
Pay careful attention to people who want to help you out, do you favours without looking for favours back, and willing serve you.
These are the people of peace in your everyday world.
When Jesus send out his disciples he told them to not take any money, or a change of clothes and when they came to a town to search for a person who would have them. Give the home their blessing and if it turns our to be a friendly home, let their blessing remain…then let them serve you. Don’t hesitate to refuse their hospitality because a worker is worthy of their wages.
I don’t know about you, but I learned early on that some people only wanted to help so that you’d help them in return. So I became hesitant to accept anyone’s help.
I’d be happy to be the one who serves. I’ll shovel the neighbour’s walk. I’ll do it quick so they didn’t beat me to it and shovel mine.
But then I read what Jesus taught his disciples. Basically he said, “Find people of peace and let them serve you.”
And so I let them serve me, and learned to really appreciate it.
Your life matters when you value others
People find value and honour in service and you honour them by accepting their help.
And guess what? You are allow to serve them too. Just don’t do it as a competition - if they do something nice, do something even nicer. That’s not what it’s about.
What it is about is that you’re making a way for them to ask more about Jesus and His Kingdom by showing them a little bit of the Kingdom by honouring them by accepting their service. You're actually showing them their life matters to you.
You are the light that should not be hid. Are you willing to let others shine too?
There is more training on this inside Live LIGHT Academy, but training will first be accessible to those who are a part of one of the coaching packages. Learn more.
Your life matters to everyone in your everyday world. Why don’t you let yourself see that by allowing some of them to serve you?
You’ll be amazed at what you may experience as you let others know their life matters to you.
Priority became "priorities" by marketing executives in 1960's and did a disservice to our English language. In the next section of the Live LIGHT Manifesto we'll look at why Jesus doesn't give us an option to give into the hype.
I know priority can never be plural
I know priority can never be plural.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33.
Did you know the pluralization of priority is a fairly new phenomenon?
I like to coin and promote new words… you may have already come across a few I use that you can’t yet find in the dictionary. For example:
Lighterati - all those who have been called to freedom and use that freedom to serve others in love
Unoffendable - to live unable to be offended
Interruptible - to live being able to be interrupted like Jesus was
I can’t find any of these in a dictionary. Yes, I trained my auto correct to take off the squiggly read lines whenever I write them. No, I don't feel any remorse over doing that.
I like new words. I promote new words. I’m not afraid of new words.
I also rail against new words that take away the beauty of the original use of the word.
Case in point - PRIORITIES
Origins of priority
It comes from the Latin "a priori" meaning ONE. In English we never had more than one priority until marketing executives in the 1960s figured out they could sell us more stuff if we did.
Priority was always in the singular.
Why do I rail against this?
Regardless what marketing teaches us, Jesus doesn’t give us an option.
We can't have more than one priority.
He’s told us what our priority is.
my goal
We’re to seek first the kingdom and righteousness.
That’s it.
It’s all about His Kingdom. He’s the king. We aren’t. We follow Him; he doesn’t follow us. We have one priority.
To seek His Kingdom doesn’t mean we all need to be in vocational ministry to be obedient. It means we put him first in everything we do. That's our priority.
The Kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirt (Romans 14:17)
So the questions for us are as follows:
How do I see righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit in my home?
How do I see righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit in my work?
How do I see righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit in my relationship?
How do I see righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit in my church?
Troubling ways to live… but you can with Holy Spirit's help. Troubling ways to live are what these next few statements in the Live LIGHT Manifesto are to many people who hear them for the first time. They all come from what Jesus said during the sermon on the mount. That whole lecture is troubling when you really read what He says and it hits you that maybe that’s how he wants you to live… ouch.
I can't love God and...
I can’t love God and show. I can’t love God and dough. I can’t love God and worry. I can’t love God and hurry.
When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. Matthew 6:2
“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. Matthew 6:5
“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. Matthew 6:16
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. Matthew 6:24
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Matthew 6:25-32
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:34
Troubling 1 - I can’t love God and show.
In the sermon on the mount Jesus tell us that our motivation matters. We shouldn’t give or pray or fast so that others are impressed with us. We can’t do it to make ourselves look good. We can’t do good to get noticed.
For some of us that thought won’t even enter our minds. For other’s it’s a struggle because so much of what we do is to earn applause. Sometimes I think the second group are the honest group.
It’s good when people speak well of us for doing good and it seems a little ridiculous to be like some sports people who say, “I just want all the glory to go to God…” You ran a football. You scored a goal. Seriously, do you think God is that impressed?
But to think this way puts us on a slippery slope.
We can’t love God and show.
It’s not a matter of debasing ourselves so God looks better. “The song I sang wasn’t me, it was God.” “Really, don’t you think God would have hit that high note?”
It’s not a matter of thanking God because it’s the sports-culturally acceptable thing to do.
It is a matter for us to examine our motives.
Am I doing what I do to obey God or get other’s applause?
I can help you have an audience of one.
Troubling 2 - I can’t love God and dough.
Jesus goes on to say in the sermon on the mount that we can’t serve both God and money. He then moves in to talk about not worrying about the things everyone worries about. I think we can include money in that discussion.
He’s talking about money being our master.
Money is a wonderful tool, but a terrible master.
You can say the same thing about several things.
Social media can be a wonderful tool, but always is a terrible master.
Technology can be a wonderful tool, but always is a terrible master.
A vehicle can be a wonderful tool, but always is a terrible master.
Let’s stop with that.
I think the point is anything other than our good, good Father will be a terrible master.
The question we need to ask ourselves is:
Is money serving me or am I serving money?
You can’t love God and dough.
I can help you serve God
Troubling 3 - I can’t love God and worry.
I know too many followers of Christ who act as if worry is a virtue and not treat it like the vice it is.
In the sermon on the mount Jesus uses a term 15 for God that is only used twice in the Hebrew scriptures.
The word is “Father”.
Jesus was revealing the good Father and His care of us when he told us not to worry.
Worry is a sin because we’re told to trust God with our whole heart. Our heart is the seat of our emotion, the seat of our decision and the seat of our action.
We can’t worry and feel peace. We feel peace when we trust. We can’t worry and decide to trust. Trust and worry can’t coexist. We can’t worry and obey. We obey because we trust.
We can’t love God and worry.
The question you can ask yourself is:
Am I led by peace or do I worry?
If your answer is “I worry” the tools God gives you are confession and repentance.
Confession is agreeing with God worry is a sin. Repentance is doing a complete 180 and deciding and acting like you trust your good good Father.
I can help you be led by peace
Troubling 4 - I can’t love God and hurry.
The final thing Jesus says in Chapter 6 of Matthew is “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
That tells me I need to live in the now and let the future come to me.
Yes, it’s good to plan. Yes, it’s good to have goals https://revtrev.com/roadmap but we don’t put off living until…(you fill in the blank).
I know too many people who can’t wait until they graduate, or until they have that job, or until they get engaged, or until they are married or until they have kids, or until they have an empty nest, or until grandkids come… and they end up missing the blessings of today in the worries of tomorrow.
Don’t do that. Don’t live that way. #LiveLIGHT.
The question you can ask yourself is exactly that -
Am I missing the blessings of the today in the worries of tomorrow?
Gratitude is the antidote if you are. Be grateful in the little things. Be grateful for today. Feel the gratitude. Do something about the gratitude you feel. I have a tool to help you https://revtrev.com/happy
Why not check out what Live LIGHT Coaching can do for you?
