“Freely ye have received, freely give.”
The first of 25 ways to #LightTheWorld in 25 days leading up Christmas.
Instead of waiting to receive or giving only on Christmas lets find ways to give to others now and always.
The #LightTheWorld campaign website makes the following suggestions for Day 1
Jesus made it clear that everything we have is a gift freely given from God. We should be grateful for all that we have and be willing to give just as freely to others.
WAYS YOU CAN GIVE FREELY
What can you sacrifice today to make someone else’s life better?
Put down the electronics and spend some quality time with family or a friend.Would someone less fortunate appreciate something you have?
Make an anonymous donation to someone who's struggling to make ends meet.How can you show your gratitude to someone who has positively affected you?
Send the person a thoughtful thank-you card acknowledging the ways he or she has helped you.
These are the suggestions the site gives to help prompt us to a little introspection and inspiration around how we could reach out to those around us. I am sure there are thousands of ways we could reach out.
Each of us live in our own set of circumstances surrounded by those with their own set of needs.
Take a little time to think over who you could help out and in what way.
In the comments please don't share with us necessarily what you did, but how it made you feel.
@hanshotfirst will be doing tomorrow's challenge from more secular, less religious perspective to demonstrate how all can participate no mater what their religions persuasion or lack thereof.
Both of these will serve as an example and promotion of how to post regarding the day's challenge. The 3rd day or Sunday's post will be open to the community to post to promote or share your take on the day's video and challenge.
I will be monitoring the #lighttheworld hashtag and will be throwing all spare voting power in that direction, to comments and posts.
If you decide to participate using your own top level post, please just insert the days video, theme and link, as I have done. The rest is up to you and lets see how creative and positive a contribution we can all make.
I haven't devised a formula for exactly how I will be voting yet, would like to get a good look at the contributions first.
Besides lots of smaller votes, we may decide to vote up the best contribution to the hashtag for Day 3. Then the winner of that day would be requested to select the winning post in the hashtag on Day 6 when the cycle returns to the community contribution.
Wow. I literally discovered Steemit less than an hour ago and this is the first post I've seen. Mindblowing how different this is than other social media. I don't fully understand what's going on here, but I'm excited to be a part of it. I haven't done anything yet, but I'll report back when I do.
Ah. Yes, that's how Steemit actually is. There's something about this platform that makes people want to be positive in a way that is unmatched elsewhere on the internet. You will see a lot of positivity like this from @gavvet and others.
Welcome to the community! Steemit is hands down the most encouraging and supportive community on the internet. There truly is nothing like it anywhere :)
Wonderful to meet you!
I'm in the same boat. Let's see where this takes us :)
I can say the same, I just made my account yesterday
Well, you were in the spot I am now 22 hours ago. What have you learned? xD
By the way, our God bless you all.
I saw an old lady who was homeless on the streets of Oxford in UK where I live. She was sitting on the pavement feverishly knitting hat after hat that she placed on the pavement in front for people to buy. What a fighting spirit, I thought. She was not just begging she was trying desperately to earn her next meal. I gave her some money which lifted my spirits but still felt sad that an old lady was forced to live on the streets in the freezing cold, as winter draws in. Sadly, this is becoming more and more common.
The more evil that is prevalent the more opportunity there is for good.
I fully agree, @gavvet, and have noticed, spiritually, how attentive the forces of darkness can be, how they rush to answer our ill-conceived wishes. Also, as we progress towards the Light, how jealous shadows redouble their efforts...
Thank you, for sharing these noble reminders to help others as we've been helped. When as a struggling writer, I find myself worrying about tomorrow, making a steady income or having health insurance, I am reminded of these luminous words, and my heart is more at ease:
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them."
Peace, all ways, Yahia
Agree 💯
You said it. Precisely this is what the Lord said would happen; when evil abounds, love over-abounds!
Your write up is a great one but it stirs a lot of questions.
if i'm to suggest to you that some times when giving make sure you give something that can worth more than money, clothes and shows to a person in need... maybe an idea is what the person needs. thank you.
The same Teacher that teaches us to give also advises us not to "cast our pearls before swine", therefore wisdom and discernment should be applied to our giving.
Awesome start! I can't wait to see what the community contributes.
I need to show my kids this after school today so we can start "the good deed days" (as my daughter calls them).
You're up next, lets have some of her input on one or two of them too.
Brilliant! I think I may get her to draw a picture or two.
Nice & Beautiful!
I remember this from last year! This was awesome. I have quite a few people that might want to participate in this challenge, so I am spreading the word.
Giving should come from the heart and not because Abel gave so I have to give. Giving is a sacrifice, which is between you and God when u start to tell people what u did it is no more giving but bragging. When Jesus healed the 10 lepers He told them to go and show themselves to the priest and not go tell the priest i Jesus healed u. Another example Peter and John with the man at the beautiful gate, when Peter commanded him to rise and walk he didn't say go tell people it is me. Your good deeds would speak volumes even in your absence. One principle I know is no matter how much u give u can never lack. We are in the Christmas season and the end of the year , I urge everyone to touch a life before this year runs out.
Matt 6 vs 1-4
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.''
Just as Jesus Christ admonished us, we should not try to seek glory or praise by broadcasting what we've done. Let's leave all the glory to God alone, and enjoy of His blessings.
I support @gavvet idea of not telling what we did. Telling how we felt while and after doing it is much much better. It would motivate people to want to feel that way, and that should be the right mindset behind giving.
Generally speaking giving is an act of the heart. And in the context of Faith giving is an act of worship. As such giving should be kept "private." While Christmas is a great opportunity to give both as an act of the heart and act of worship we should remember to keep the "good stories/good feelings" to ourselves. God knows and sees everything we do around us. My two cents.
Thank you, I feel the same way: "when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.'' Bless you, @stellastella. Pity, like humility, is endless and ennobling. We are One.
Oh, a big thanks to you @yahialababidi, and bless you too. Am glad you feel the same way. We sure are one. The moment we take in the fact that we are one, this world will be a far much better place. If I don't help my neighbor, he is still the one that would probably turn to be the one stealing things in the neighborhood, and we feel the effect. So at the end of the day, our lives are intertwined. Our destinies are intertwined. This is why we have to help each other.
Wow. Thanks for this. I wilk really strategize on how to go about this. I need for there to be maximun impact. God bless you.
Each of us has something to offer. We can give our money and our time to charity, be a friend to someone who is sick or lonely, do volunteer work, or be a peacemaker, teacher or minister. We may give unselfishly of our time to our spouse, children or parents. We may choose a service-oriented occupation, or we may just do our everyday jobs with integrity and respect for others.
It would seem that the more we give to others, the poorer we become, but just the opposite is true! Service to others brings meaning and fulfillment to our lives in a way that wealth, power, possessions and self-centered pursuits can never match. As Jesus said,
For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give -- large or small -- will be used to measure what is given back to you." (Luke 6:38)
I want to use this medium to point out something we should be conscious of while doing the outreach.
Sincere Motives
Our good deeds should be motivated by a sincere desire to help others. Public recognition should not be the goal.
Matthew 6:1-2
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
John 15:12
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Matthew 5 :16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Mark 10:21
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Gavvet,
Thank you for the inspiration! I was just thinking how tight things are financially. With the holidays coming up, how would I express my love and appreciation to my family and friends. Thank you for reminding me, that a simple thank you is the light beaming on the heart of another. I have work to do. #lighttheworld #loveandlight
Yup, its about more than just presents and spending money
Yes it is and we learn this all the time. Please read my recent post about one way it happens to people. You can be one way one day and another the next. Like a flip of a switch. Perhaps this is just another reason I was lead to do steemit.
Thank you to everyone for upvoting my reply. I will search out the old lady living on the streets when I go into work next week and give her all the money from your upvotes. Peace to you all as we approach Christmas
Awesome,
From Matt 12 vs 41-44
''And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”''
I support the fact that we should not talk about what we've done to help those around us, but rather how we feel.
To a person, $1 might mean $1million,while to another $1million might mean $1.
What matters the most is you giving your best at your level, that's what God checks.
To God it's not about quantity of what you give, but about quality of what you give - what it means to you.