Catalyst Track: Giving It All Away // Day One
David Green
This track comes from the book, Giving It All Away … And Getting It Back Again by David Green.
A seen legacy looks like those things we manage in this world, like our money and physical resources or assets. An unseen legacy, however, possesses so much more power because it stirs within our hearts and minds. It’s our character, values, and beliefs. I say unseen because it begins inside of us, but the fruit of the unseen legacy is anything but invisible. It is a living, breathing human being living their life for Jesus, using everything they’ve been given—their money, time, and resources—for his glory.
This perspective, however, is counter-cultural in today’s world.
Our culture today has deteriorated. That’s because we’ve gotten so far away from God’s Word. God’s Word takes us away from ourselves. Our culture, on the other hand, points us toward ourselves.
What culture without God leads us to love others? Only God’s Word does this.
It directs us toward others and their well-being. God’s love for us compels us to love others. Imagine what that understanding does for a person, and then another, and then a culture.
This is why I believe it’s so important for our family to commit ourselves to the eternal things: man’s soul and God’s Word. These things are eternal.
In this 3-day track, David encourages leaders to remember the ways in which God has blessed them and challenges them to consider how their lives might reflect this same generosity to others.
Whether you’ve been in leadership for 50 or 5 years, the tension between a world that prompts you to store up treasures for yourself and a different kind of kingdom that asks you to give to others, still stands.
Day One – Blessings Wide & Rich
I love British cricketer and missionary C. T. Stud’s poem “Only One Life.” The one line that really gets me is “Only what’s done for Christ will last.” I have committed myself fully to this. I believe that God has placed us on this earth to work, to earn, and to care for those he has entrusted to us. Yet I also believe that we are put on this earth to give, to devote ourselves to a radical brand of generosity that changes lives and leaves a legacy. To paraphrase God’s words to patriarch Abraham, we are blessed so that we can be a blessing.
But what do we mean when we talk about being blessed? In our culture, this might be interpreted as financial blessing. And certainly finances can be part of it. I believe, however, that the blessing God talks about encompasses so much more. Since I have been exceptionally blessed in my life, I have determined to give exceptionally as well. And what about the other ways in which I’ve been blessed?
Family.
Friends.
Talents.
Freedom.
Education.
I could go on. I’m sure you could too.
When I consider all of the blessings I’ve been given, it’s hard for me not to pause and thank my Lord and my God. His heart is generous. His blessings are wide and rich.
REFLECT:
Take a moment to make a list of the ways in which God has blessed you.
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