This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:16–20It was great to have Katilyn Phillips share with us at Creekside this past Sunday. She said something that particularly stuck with me. She said “I don’t think I am really a generous person, I think people have been generous to me.” You can listen to the entire interview here.
Kaitlyn does not see herself as a generous person. Yet, if you heard her speak you heard a heart of generosity lived out in a life of generosity. I think there is something to that, something we need to pay attention to. I suspect that truly generous people do not feel generous. They don’t feel generous, because they experience the joy of their generosity flowing back to them – truly generous people may actually feel selfish. A life of generosity flows from repeated filling up and a pouring out; seeing God replenish what you gave so that you can give again – and in the process an experience of freedom and joy.
Agree? Disagree? What has your experience been? What might you do to truly experience a life of selfish generosity?
Talk about these questions with others and with me.
Peace, hope and love
Doug
P.S. The video that we showed and that was referenced in the interview can be seen here.
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