“‘So the three mighty men . . . drew water from the well of Bethlehem . . . and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord.’ –2 Samuel 23:16

What has been like ‘water from the well of Bethlehem’ to you recently–love, friendship, or maybe some spiritual blessing? Have you taken whatever it may be simply to satisfy yourself? If you are always keeping blessings to yourself and never learning to pour out anything ‘to the Lord,’ other people will never have their vision of God expanded through you” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest).

That’s a little convicting.

It’s easy to receive a blessing and let it end there. You can be thankful and gracious, but if you let the blessing stop with you, then you miss out on half the joy.

The other half is sharing the blessing and watching it multiply. You can pay it forward by being equally generous with others.

The good news is that the generosity from God never runs out. As I’ve read and experienced many times before, you can never out-give God. You can never be more generous because whatever you have to give back came from God in the first place.

When you think of yourself not as owning but stewarding, then it becomes easier to hold your life and your stuff with open hands. You can give to those in need when you remember how once God gave to you when you were most needing and least deserving.

A good place to start is in tipping your servers at restaurants. Also, be faithful to go above the tithe wherever you attend church services. But most of all, be generous with your life. Be generous in your actions, seeking to serve rather than to be served. Love others as God has loved you.