There are a couple birthdays in our family this week. Levi turned 15 yesterday, and Zoe will turn 10 tomorrow. While we do not make an overly big deal of birthdays in our home (i.e. no big parties), we do, like most people, celebrate by giving our kids some gifts. They also get to pick what they want for supper, and we all share something we love and appreciate about that person.
Over the years, it has been interesting to see how the non-birthday kids in our family respond to others’ birthdays. Naturally, as they grow in maturity and in their love for the rest of us, they have become more charitable in their comments about what they love about us and in their desire to give gifts.
When we would go around the table on someone’s birthday and share our “best thing” about the birthday person, we used to get comments like, “He has nice teeth.” Now, though, the comments have grown to be a little more heartfelt and meaningful (sometimes and depending on people’s moods, of course).
Likewise, while we used to have to convince our kids to do something nice for other family members, they are – while slowly at times, it seems – beginning to desire to do those nice things without being asked. Last week, for example, I heard one of our kids asking Levi what he might like for his birthday and different things he had considered.
As you grow in your love for someone and your commitment to that relationship, so does your generosity grow. Your relationship with the Lord is no exception. The closer you are to Him and the more you love Him, the more you want to serve and honor Him.
On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching from 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 on “Over-and-Above Giving” for the sake of the gospel. How much are you growing in your generosity for the sake of more people knowing and following Jesus? If your relationship with Jesus is growing, your generosity will follow. And really, as Jesus Himself declared, if your generosity is growing, your heart will follow.
DrakeCity 