1. Study what the Bible says about giving
2. Be thankful
Part of being firmly rooted in our faith is to be overflowing with thanksgiving. Learning to be thankful for the blessings in our lives makes us more content, satisfied, and less likely be striving for more. This totally frees us up to be more charitable.
3. Start paying attention to the needs around you
When you’re having conversations with others, become a detective of their needs—even if they’re unspoken.
4. Celebrate the victories and special moments of others
A generous person isn’t threatened when others do well. They’re not overcome with jealousy and they don’t fear the success of people around them. They’re happy to celebrate people’s achievements because they truly want the best for them.
5. Learn to accept generosity
It can be difficult to put yourself in a position of vulnerability, but it’s important. Learning to accept generosity from others can help you become more empathetic and better recognize the need for we all have for the kindness of others.
6. Give regularly to your church
Learning to give regularly is an important part of becoming unselfish. Think of it as the training wheels of generosity.
7. Find charities you can support
8. Prepare for spontaneous generosity
Invest in a couple gift cards to grocery stores, restaurants, or hotels and keep them with you to give to people who may need them.
9. Give something up and divert that cash
Do you eat out on Thursday afternoons? Do you make frequent trips to Starbucks? Take a break for a month and donate the money you would have spent to your church, a local food bank, or a charity.
10. Get rid of everything you haven’t used for a year
Because generous people don’t tend to find personal happiness in acquiring stuff, they often choose to live simply. Their closets aren’t full of clothes they never wear or equipment they never use.
11. Make giving your first priority
With the best of intentions, we tell ourselves that we’ll give from what we have left when we’ve taken care of everything else. The problem is that there’s seldom anything left.
12. Don’t think of generosity as being “nice”
Becoming a giving person isn’t about being cordial and pleasant; it’s about making people a priority. You don’t have to become a pushover or afraid to tell people no.
13. Become more forgiving
You cannot separate forgiveness and the gospel—they’re inexplicably united. But forgiveness is a powerful element of generosity.
14. Give praise
People are starving for appreciation. Recognizing and acknowledging what’s praiseworthy in others is truly benevolent behavior. It not only blesses them, it helps you become someone who sees the world with a more generous eye.
15. Spend time with people in need
It’s pretty easy to become isolated from actual needs. If you want to become more generous, you need to get closer to people with real obstacles. Volunteer at a homeless shelter, food pantry, or soup kitchen. Actually getting know people who are struggling can really change your perspective.
16. Set aside time each week to pray for others
Christians often tell each other, “I will pray for you.” I think we’d be surprised at how seldom it actually happens. But bringing petitions to God on behalf of others is one of the most compassionate things we can do.
17. Be patient
If you want to be a person that puts others first, learn to cultivate patience. Patience tells others that they matter. It’s no wonder that you often hear the descriptors “patient” and “generous” spoken together.
18. Spend time with generous people
Go out of your way to find generous people and get to know them. Ask them questions to better understand how they got that way, “Where did you start? What advice would you give to someone who wanted to be more generous? How do you decide what and when to give?”
19. Visit seniors
It’s amazing how many seniors live in assisted living facilities and have no one who comes to spend time with them. Volunteer your time to go sit and talk with them. Not only will you find you really enjoy it, you’ll immediately see how much it means to them.
20. Practice generosity in secret
It’s not always possible to give in secret, but do your best to try. Nothing will undermine the spirit of generosity like doing good for the purpose of being noticed by others.
Generosity matters!
