Video Transcript: Be a Giver
So here we are at the last presentation of this mini course, on how to develop great attitude. This is sort of the wrap up, like, what's, what's something we can think about, that just sort of encapsulates a positive attitude. And that is to cultivate an attitude of being a giver, not a taker, giving attitude and great attitude go together. Luke 6:38, give and it will be given to you a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over will be poured into your lap. For the measure, For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. A person who is a giver is treated with favor. That's a true whether it's growing in the grace yourself and giving to yourself, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, or giving it to others through being a forgiver, this passage, the context to give it shall be given to you the verse before it says, Forgive and you will be forgiven and that word in the Greek is release. And you will be released forgive. And we talked about that in this session about not developing bitter roots and holding on to them, but forgive others. The Attitude of Gratitude the attitude of giving changes your life. People are seen as takers. And if you are a taker, you will see yourself as a taker. Now people say are you can Oh, you can be perfect and giving no. I mean, we have this sinful nature, I'm talking cultivate the attitude of giving. To get a great attitude sustainability. We read from Proverbs 11:18, the wicked man earns deceptive wages. But he who sows righteousness, reaps a sure reward. This is about giving again, it's about sowing righteousness, about sowing the fullness of a relationship with Jesus Christ. What that relationship means, how you live out the positive truth of resurrection life, hope that we have for all eternity. It's how to then sow those sort of seeds and to invest in people. I'm going to go back to something that was talked about earlier, but I just wanted to end with really making this point clear, overlook offenses. Ecclesiastes 7:21- 22. Do not pay attention to every word people say. Or you might hear your servant cursing you for you know, in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others. a giving person basically even look at people who curse them in a positive fashion. Again, overlook offenses. I've observed. So this last presentation is just observing. I have observed that the people who overlook offenses do well and they have a great attitude. My mentors had that I remember back one of my early mentors, was Marty Ozinga who's just been such a great man in my life, and he would be one to overlook offenses. And even like if that person did this, that that and that and whatnot, and, and he would just model, let's work with that person, you know, and, again, intelligently, not so they can bring harm, but not to hold a grudge to overlook offenses and Rich DeVos. Another mentor was always about, you know, you know, let's, let's not focus on that. Let's focus on the future. And that is how to live it. Many of us have so many offenses in our family. Many people have offenses in your work. But if you keep focused on the offenses, you don't make an impact in who you are called to impact. You're stuck. It's so easy to get stuck. Really to sum it all up. Is givers bear much fruit. If you're a giver, you sow seed. You move on you
give to others. We read Galatians 5 and this is the last verse of this mini course. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control against such things, there is no law to be a giver, to give as you've been given to that measure, to plant seeds like that, and to ask the Lord, to help you serve him in such a way that all you do is grow the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control all of that, as you give to that as you grow in them and give that away, it changes everything for you, your attitude, you grow in those traits, and you take responsibility for your life, you become a giver, not a taker, what happens is you become really positive, a positive person. Now, I want one little danger to watch out for. I am not saying Be a giver, to a constant taker. So you're an enabler, who you're giving to people who just take and but the pastor said to give. No, my talk is about having an attitude of giving. And it might be that for a taker, you must give to them a boundary that helps them do well and keeps them away from blame, which we talked about earlier, that's still a form of being a giver, you're thinking of the best interest of others, not only yourself. So here we have it, we've gone through this mini course, about how to get a great attitude. I would recommend that read books about positive thinking. I know some people go like oh positive the thinking, but don't become the preacher against someone who's going through a bad time. So do not take this class, and make it some sort of a stick and make people feel bad about how they don't have a positive attitude. I'm talking about you. This is for you, how you can develop a positive attitude. You know, I pray that each Christian will grow in the grace that is our Lord Jesus Christ, and receive from him the most positive news, and it so infects them and infuses in them a message. And that's this. And I started with us, in this course I end with it, your sins are forgiven. Your life is in Christ Jesus. He is with you every day, when you pray, he listens to you. Death is taken care of the grave was empty, for all eternity. You are alive with Christ in God. Your future is positive. You know, God was with us in the very beginning of time, he is with us in our lives right now. And he'll be with us forever. If that does not encourage a positive attitude, nothing will. So my encouragement for you is to grow in that and infect the world like a virus of joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, love, gentleness, self control, all the fruit, that the fruit of the Spirit might turn to seed. And that seed might bless others that they too exhibit the fruit of the glory of God. That's a positive attitude.