Generous With Time

June 8, 2020

DAILY READING

Colossians 4:5-6

FIELD NOTES

This week, we’re going to dive deeply into the next Fruit of the Spirit: goodness. To set it apart, we’ll be framing it as generosity. Imagining together one distinct way we can exhibit generosity – or goodness – in our lives. To be truly generous, we have to slow ourselves down, pay close attention to ourselves and those around us and the leading of God’s Spirit. 

Quality time is my love language. I could sit for hours with you – yes you – and listen and laugh and tell stories and cry. I could sit for hours with you and do my very best to get to know you. The real you. Not the version you want everyone to see. I’d want to learn what makes you sad and angry and ashamed and annoyed. I’d definitely ask you what movie you love that you’re embarrassed to love so much. I could sit for hours with you if I could. And I would – if there were hours to sit. It’s hard to make the time in our overwhelmed lives to just sit and be with someone. But it’s what we’re made for. We’re made to know and be known. So be generous with your time. Build quality time for and with someone else into your schedule. Put it on the calendar for a week from now if that’s what it takes. But make time. Find a way to be generous with your time.

QUESTIONS FOR THE FIELD

• Why is it important for you to be generous with your time?
• How will you be generous with your time? (Either do something today or create a plan for the future and put it on your calendar) 

PRAYER GUIDE

Lord, God. Help me open up my schedule and my life to be more generous with my time. Help me to generously give my time away to someone who needs to spend theirs with me. Amen.

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT CHALLENGE

For the duration of our sermon series, we are offering daily prompts for applying the wisdom from the scriptures to our everyday lives. Each week focuses on how we can encourage those around us and bear fruit! This week we are focusing on the fruit of goodness.

“Whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all.”
Galatians 6:10

Christ always gives us opportunities to do good and to serve others. Who has been a display of Christ’s goodness in your life lately? What opportunities is God providing you to do good?

To learn more about the Fruit of the Spirit challenge, click here.