SPECIAL TEAMS- SMALL THINGS THAT MAKE THE BIG DIFFERENCE
PLAY #3- GENEROSITY-The Habit of Giving Freely
Do you ever get the feeling that the entire world has their hand in your pocket? Everybody needs money:
- Schools need money for supplies
- Athletic teams need money for uniforms
- School bands need money to go march in the New Year’s day parade.
And you haven’t even gotten to church!
- Special offering for a new bus or to repair a broken air conditioner.
- The youth group is raising money to go to camp.
Everybody wants money, your money. But how do you give? How much, when and why? We need wisdom and discipline to know how to manage the money we’ve been entrusted with. Not only do we need to be wise about how we give away money, we need to have some sort of grid to evaluate giving opportunities against. Here are a few points to consider before making a contribution:
- What do I know about the group asking for a donation?
- Do this group have a good reputation for spending money well.
- Has there been any guilt or coercion involved with this request.
SCRIMMAGE
The fact is wealth presents substantial dangers for every man, even more so for today’s increasingly more affluent man. So how does a guy keep his heart and mind pure in the area of money? The following are three simple, but highly effective disciplines:
1) Be Careful – Money is powerful, it can cause men to do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do. That’s why a man needs to keep up his guard. Three questions to help you keep money in it’s proper perspective.
- Do you feel desperate to earn more?
- Are you constantly anxious that you don’t have enough money?
- Are you envious of others’ financial success?
2) Be Generous – One of the best antidotes to greed is giving. When you’re generous, something mysterious happens in a man’s heart. Suddenly, the things you couldn’t live without aren’t so important after all. Giving keeps us from clinging onto our possessions too strongly.
3) Be Thankful
Simple, yet profound.
There are times as men when it’s our job to provide resources to those who need them.
“Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.” Proverbs 22:9
HUDDLE DISCUSSION STARTER
Are you handling your money in such a way that you’re able to be generous?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
As Lynyrd Skynyrd sings, “SHO got that right!”
I want to chime in on what I call “guilt marketing”, where a group will send you something, usually return address labels or postcards, then expect you to feel guilty seven ways ’till sundown and send money. But since I didn’t ask for it, you’re not getting anything. Besides, it’s all clutter and goes in the trash.
“Money is powerful, it can cause men to do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do.” Greed, suspicion, theft and more. Because we love it and cling to it.
You’re also right about generosity. Less clinging helps us put things in perspective. My Buddhist and Christian friends would agree.
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