Frames - Your Perspective Is Everything!Sample

Greedy Frames Vs. Generous Frames

Some of the scariest stories in the Bible to me are the ones about greed. In Acts chapter 5, this couple sold a piece of property and made a public display that they were giving all of the money to the church. They didn't have to do this, but they said they were going to. The problem was that they were lying. They kept part of it for themselves and they both lost their lives because of this public lie. Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else that heard what happened.

The crazy thing about this story is that it includes generosity. Lots of people sell their property, stocks, or crypto and don't give any of it to a local church or non-profit organization. So, it's great that they wanted to give, but there is a fine line between greed and generosity. They lied. Their greed canceled out their generosity. Nobody reads this story and thinks about their generosity. Some people give for the wrong reasons. How do we flip our frames from Greedy to Generous? Here are a few helpful steps to help you reframe it:

1. Kick comparison to the curb! It is so easy to get caught in the comparison trap with social media. We see what everyone has, what they are doing, and where they are traveling. But, remember most content on social media is only the highlight moments and a good amount of it is staged! Stop comparing and start celebrating what you have.

2. Develop Compassion. Generosity starts with compassion. We develop empathy when we put ourselves in someone else's shoes, reframe it, and see the world through their eyes. Once you begin to develop authentic compassion, the generosity begins to naturally flow from that. Ask God to break your heart with compassion for those he wants you to reach. You could be the answer to someone's prayer!

3. Don’t expect anything in return. Don't give to get! It's easy to give something if you know you are getting something back. Learn to give just because it's what your Creator wants you to do at that moment. Don't focus on the blessings that could come from it. Remember, Jesus said it's more blessed to give than to receive. Pray about how you can reframe your stuff and how you can be a blessing to someone in your life today.

Reframing Questions for today:

Have you ever experienced greedy frames come back to bite you or someone else in your life? What happened?

In what ways has God provided for you as you were consistently giving and being generous?