If you want to become a generous person, do these: 1) Be grateful for whatever you have. Generosity rises out of contentment; it doesn’t come from obtaining more. John D. Rockefeller admitted, ‘I have made millions, but they have brought me no happiness.’ It’s an inside job; if you’re not content with a little, you probably won’t be content with a lot. And if you’re ungenerous with a little, you won’t abruptly change when you become wealthy. 2) Don’t allow the desire for possessions to control you. Jesus said, ‘Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own’ (v. 15 NLT). Author Richard Foster writes, ‘Owning things is an obsession in our culture. If we own it, we feel we can control it; and if we can control it, we feel it will give us more pleasure. The idea is an illusion.’ If you want to take control of your heart, don’t let your possessions take control of you. 3) Regard money as a resource. The first time popular French author Dominique Lapierre went to India to conduct research for a new book, he rode in a Rolls-Royce he had just bought with a book advance. While there, he learned what he needed for his book The City of Joy. But he also encountered something else: a passion to help the poor. And that discovery transformed his life. Until his death in December 2022, he distributed his time between writing, fundraising, and giving time and money to help people. His attitude can be summarised by these words on the back of his business card: ‘All that is not given is lost.’

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.