By Lisa Wilmore
Blessings, Dear Hearts!
I pray God’s continued blessings over you during these winter months of sleet, snow, and cold weather. Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus, our Everlasting, Eternal, and Endless Savior! No matter what life brings, through both joys and challenges, God is always good. I love you with the heart of Jesus and pray that you and your families are well and surrounded by His peace.
God has a remarkable way of placing people in our paths to help guide us and steer us in the direction He has ordained for us. Even in the most crucial moments of our lives, He will allow someone to say or do something that changes the trajectory of our thoughts or actions. These moments stir our hearts, and we find ourselves yielding our thought processes to God’s will. I have discovered that often these moments inspire messages that speak deeply to me, and I find joy in sharing with you inspiration drawn from a spoken word or thought from the mouths of others.
As we journey through this message, one moment that recently appealed to my heart was a conversation with my god-grandson, who is 8 years old. This child, Kyree, is beyond his years and never ceases to amaze me. He has such a big heart. He is a giver and does not expect anything in return. A few weeks ago, I talked with him about his three-year-old motorcycle that we bought him at Christmas three years ago. He received drums this Christmas and was no longer thinking about the motorcycle (Yes! Spoiled!).
When I called him and asked what he wanted us to do with his motorcycle, without hesitation he said, “You can give it to charity.” Mind you, he did not say, “I want to keep it,” or “I’m going to come and get it.” Instead, he said, “You can give it to charity.” This was a huge lesson for me, and hopefully for you as well. We should be willing to give as Christ has given to us without reservation.
In Matthew 10:8b (KJV) the author noted, “…freely ye have received, freely give.” Jesus shared this principle with His disciples as He sent them out to minister, teaching them that because they had freely received God’s power and provision, they were to give freely in service to others. Their actions were to be motivated by gratitude, not gain. As the Life Application Study Bible explains, because “God has blessed us abundantly, we are to give generously of our time, love, and possessions” (LASB, p. 1357).
This is exactly what Kyree did. Without hesitation or expectation, he said, “You can give it to charity.” Through him, God reminded me that generosity is simple. It flows from a grateful and willing heart. When we truly understand how much God has freely given to us, giving becomes our natural response and a reflection of Christ living within us. It is ok-“You can give it to charity.”
Jesus Saves!
