Living Generously (JustJeff

Living Generously

Psalm 112 (NIV)
1 Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands.

This Psalm describes the how the fear of the LORD affects the way one lives his life. This man does not see the commands of the Lord as restrictive or burdensome. Instead, they are rules for success. Rather, they free one's self from self-dependence to recognize God's care.

2 His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.

"Their children will be successful everywhere;
an entire generation of godly people will be blessed." (NLT)

Since "more is caught than taught," the way my children see me living my life become the way thier lives are lived. This God-fearing, and life-releasing way of living is passed down to each generation. What is it that my kids are "catching" from me? I want them to experience the blessing that fearing God produces. Some of these blessings are described in the following verses.

4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

In the darkest times, personally or circumstaneually, there is aways hope. When my life reflects the compassion and grace of God, that resource is measured back. It doesn't come as a result of my actions. Rather it is out of the overflow of what I experience of God that I'm able to live compassionately and graciously.

5 Good will come to him who is generous...
....who conducts his affairs with justice.

I'm blessed to be surrounded by many generous people. I've never seen someone who is authentically generous ever "lack." It's because of how they view what they have; they don't "own" it (or let things "own" them). Generosity is not a "gift," it is a value. It is what you are when you hold a certain perspective on life.

Generosity also allows one to conduct one's affairs with integrity. There's no need to maintain an upper-hand or to seek an unfair advantage or leverage. That's a "poverty" mindset - I need to do what's best for me. The generosity approach produces benefit for all involved.

7 He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

For so many, any news that is outside of what they are expecting is life shaking. Fear of God produces trust in God. It is the Romans 8:28 principle - "in all things, God is working for the good of those who love (or "fear") Him..."

I think this Psalm teaches me how to view life from God's perspective. As His word take hold of my heart, the life principles of the Kingdom begin to become "second nature" (better to say my "new" nature).

Posted by Jeff on May 4, 2007 8:35 AM | Permalink

Living Generously

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