{"id":5193,"date":"2018-11-27T10:57:36","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T14:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/ian-fallis\/?p=5193"},"modified":"2018-11-27T10:57:36","modified_gmt":"2018-11-27T14:57:36","slug":"its-a-wonderful-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/ian-fallis\/2018\/11\/27\/its-a-wonderful-day\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s a wonderful day"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Generosity\"<\/a>
Generosity springs from a heart that appreciates having a ball.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Giving Tuesday is a beautiful thing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, I know, some think it\u2019s horrid, a day for charities to exploit people\u2019s seasonal feelings of generosity and goodwill.<\/p>\n

But in reality, it points to a cure that we as believers desperately need.<\/p>\n

Let me explain.<\/p>\n

Materialism, or consumerism, has so invaded American culture that it\u2019s finagled its way into the American church and worse, into our hearts. The constant bombardment of media and advertising asserting that we need more, we deserve more and we can be happier with more threatens to drive all sense of contentment from our lives. We don\u2019t feel blessed and loved and provided for by God; quite the contrary. We may never put it into words, but we live our lives as if God is stingy and miserly.<\/p>\n

Yes, we all know He\u2019s neither.<\/p>\n

But how do we make His abundance real to ourselves? How do we strip away materialism and consumerism, and find contentment in Him?<\/p>\n

Generosity.<\/p>\n

Generosity may not be the cure itself, but it\u2019s definitely remedial. It\u2019s a way to shift our attention from what we want to what God wants.<\/p>\n

So where do we start?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start where the Macedonians started. Paul cites the Macedonians as a great example of generosity in 2 Corinthians 8. In verse 5, Paul writes that \u201cfirst they gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

The way I read the chapter \u2013 and I encourage you to study it for yourself \u2013 the Macedonians first acknowledged that everything belongs to God. Not just everything they had, but everything they were. They said, \u201cHere, Lord. Use us. All of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

And when Paul came around collecting for the relief of the believers in Jerusalem, they insisted on being allowed to give with liberality. They gave \u201cbeyond their ability,\u201d or as one modern translation puts it, \u201cmore than they could afford.\u201d<\/p>\n

It seems as if Paul saw them as poor and didn\u2019t want to bother them with this offering. But they knew they were rich in God and they desired therefore to be rich in generosity. But it was more than a desire; we all would love to give lots to God\u2019s work, right? It was a desire they insisted on acting upon. It was a desire that they would not allow their financial straits to thwart, because they recognized it as a desire from God.<\/p>\n

So by the end of today, Giving Tuesday, will you demonstrate that all you are and all you have belongs to God? Will you act generously before this day is out?<\/p>\n

Maybe you don\u2019t feel it the way the Macedonians did. Maybe you\u2019re not thankful for opportunities to give. Maybe, to be quite honest, you\u2019re feeling put upon and bombarded. And maybe that\u2019s exactly why you need to act generously, to begin to silence the world\u2019s materialistic drumbeat and help align your heart with God\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n

We encourage you to seek, find and follow God\u2019s leading in generosity. We would welcome your partnership with a special gift to our ministry. You can send a check, with a note that it is for the ministry of Ian and Julie Fallis, to Ethnos360, 312 W. First St., Sanford, FL 32771. Or you can make a secure gift online.<\/a><\/p>\n

You\u2019re welcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Giving Tuesday is a beautiful thing. Oh, I know, some think it\u2019s horrid, a day for charities to exploit people\u2019s seasonal feelings of generosity and goodwill. But in reality, it points to a cure that we as believers desperately need. Let me explain. Materialism, or consumerism, has so invaded American culture that it\u2019s finagled its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[112230],"class_list":{"0":"post-5193","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-ministry","7":"tag-ethnos360","8":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/ian-fallis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/ian-fallis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/ian-fallis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/ian-fallis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/ian-fallis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/ian-fallis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5193\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/ian-fallis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/ian-fallis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/ian-fallis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}