You Are BelovedSample

 Generosity without a need for recognition is a great practice. It’s called “the discipline of secrecy.” It’s also the best way to invite God’s blessing into your material pursuits. When you give to those in need, whether or not the person is grateful, you show God that the money is His and not yours. Practicing generosity is the best way to train yourself into finding an identity in something other than material possessions.

Whether it’s your money, your words, your time, or your attention, being generous with people who need you will invite blessing into your life. When you bless others, you’ll be blessed. When you withhold blessing, blessing will be withheld from you. The Bible says, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse” (Gen. 12:3 NASB). I read that years ago and began thinking, 

That was written for everyone in covenant with God, not just me. If I bless or curse others, I will also invite it on myself.

I call this the conduit theory. You are a conduit for either heaven or hell (blessing or cursing) and as they pass through you, they get on you. It’s like this, you can’t paint a house red without getting a little paint on yourself. You can’t bless others without getting a little blessing on you, and you also can’t curse others without getting a little on you. That’s why people who are always saying the worst about others also seem to have the worst luck. As they spew nastiness on others, a little gets on them — in the spiritual sense. That’s why being positive and generous, even when you’re angry and tired, keeps you in a better place in life. You are setting up for yourself a good future, because you are sowing the seeds that will prosper you and not harm you.

When we find our identity in what we own, we become misers, and we eat our seed instead of planting it in the ground. But when we let go of an identity in our material belongings, we free ourselves to plant seed in the soil that will reap a lasting harvest. God wants you to be blessed, but first, you have to stop trusting in the world and start trusting in Him. If you continue to be a positive, faith-filled, and generous person, it will reap dividends in your future.