This Christmas I am learning a lot about generosity. We are in the middle of our Christmas series at OneLife called “[re]Gifted” where we are discovering what it means to become givers and redefining the concept of generosity. We called it “[re]Gifted” because of the fact that everything I have to give has already been given to me. That completely shifts my thinking to realize that I’m not really giving my own stuff away, but I’m giving God’s stuff away!

In addition to that, generosity needs to become who I am not something that I do. And when it does, I become more like the Father who gave his only Son and more like the Son who gave his only life; all for me, expecting nothing in return.

Honestly, I can’t really get my mind around that. But what I can get my mind around is that one way to become more like the Father and the Son this Christmas is to model their generosity in my own life. The same is true for our church as a whole. To become more like Him, we should be givers like Him.

That is one reason we are taking up a Christmas offering this Sunday called “The Big [re]Gift”. In 2011 we want to give away more than $30,000 to various needs and missions causes. As I said on Sunday, we could do a lot with that money for our own church and staff. But we would much rather make an impact all around the world. So we are taking a day to give specifically toward these causes, and every penny given will go straight toward this goal.

To see all the different ways this money will be used as we re-give what God has given to us, check out this brochure. And if you would like to give toward this offering as we redefine generosity in our church, you can do so this Sunday during the special offering time or at any of our services in December. Just be sure to use the blue “[re]Gifted” envelope so we know that’s what it is for! Or you can also do it online at any time by going to www.onelifeknox.com/give.

I am so excited to be part of something that is bigger than myself and is making a huge difference all around the world. And I am thankful that God is using it to teach me and to redefine generosity in my life. I truly want generosity to be who I am, not just something I do.