Generosity is all about Sharing with Love

This post is worth sharing. It's from one of my favorite authors, Bo Sanchez. He may be known as someone " spiritual" or "holy" which is oftentimes attributed to being "corny." But well, guess that's just how the world's standards are. On the contrary, he's more of practical spirituality, that is, showing God in simple and practical ways. And I'm proud to say that he's one of my constant inspirations. And yes, he has always been an instrument of God's love and presence. So here's one of this truly inspiring articles. And it's truly, really worth reading. Read on....

Have You Received The Rewards Of Your Giving?

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon playing with my boys.

We drew spaceships, airplanes, and roller coasters. We played a video game. (Can you imagine me, a 43-year old guy, playing with his 4-year old kid, Mariocart? I’m nuts.) And finally, I brought Francis to the barbershop. We didn’t have a car yesterday, so we rode the tricycle together. Francis loved it so much. Every time we passed over a hump, he raised his arms and said, “Wheee!”

When we were in the barbershop, Francis had so much fun getting his haircut, making faces on the mirror, twirling on the barber’s chair, laughing and singing the entire time. He was so happy.

But guess who was happier? The Daddy, of course.

Yesterday, I was generous with my time with the kids. Despite a mountain of work that I had to do (including this article), I put it all aside and spent time with the boys.

Instantly, I receive the reward of my generosity. Just listening to the happy laughter of my kids was music to my soul. It made me feel wonderful. It removed my stress, made me healthier, and refreshed my spirit.

Friends, there is an absolute law written in the fabric of universe. It states, “When you give, you will receive a reward.” Always. No exceptions. Oh yes, there can be delays. Sometimes you’ll have to wait for a long time. But the reward will always come.

And the Bible also says that we will receive more than what we give. Example: In the years to come, I know I’ll receive an even greater reward for spending time with my kids yesterday. Because they’ll grow up to be men secure in their father’s love.

It doesn’t end there. In Heaven, I’ll receive even greater rewards. (More on this next week.)

Let me explain why you get rewards.

Too Full To Receive Anything Better

In my talk yesterday, I showed people a big fishbowl filled with grey stones. It was overflowing with them. I then showed some gold nuggets. (Okay, they really weren’t gold nuggets. They were stones covered with gold paper, but don’t spoil my illustration. Imagine them to be really gold nuggets!)

Even if I wanted to put gold nuggets in the bowl, I couldn’t, because it was already filled with stones.

This is a perfect picture of a selfish person.

God is a generous God. He wants to give us better things. But He can’t do that if there’s no space to receive new and better things in our lives.

I then removed one stone from the bowl. I explained to the audience that the first reward of giving is “space”. And space is beautiful. Space means we can grow.

I placed one gold nugget in the bowl, and explained, “Some people give only a little and so receive only a little. But there are people who give more,” I explained, removing more grey stones from the bowl, “and thus create more space for God’s new blessings.” I quickly filled the bowl with more gold nuggets.

Remember, when we don’t receive much, the problem is not in the Giver. The problem is in the Receiver. The Lord wants to give more to our lives (that’s His default posture), but the Receiver has not created enough space to receive more.

And friends, the universe abhors space. The universe will fill up that space with better things.

But what if you don’t get your rewards?

Real Generosity

One person asked me, “But Bo, I’ve been giving and giving and giving all my life—but I haven’t been receiving my rewards!”

Perhaps because it may not be generosity at all.

You see, there are two types of giving that happens in the world.

1. When we give because we love

2. When we give because we want to be loved

Look. There’s nothing wrong if you want to be loved. It’s your most basic need. But friends, never use generosity as a way of getting love. That’s toxic. You call that co-dependent love and it’s lethal. Pleasing people so that they will love you is slow suicide.

If your “Love Tank” is empty, you need to do two things. First, ask God to love you. And second, love yourself. Unless you learn to be generous to yourself, your generosity will not be real.

My friend Mila (not her real name) was such a woman. She always gave gifts to her friends. Food. Clothes. Flowers. Sometimes, expensive stuff like cellphones and Ipods. People would tell her, “Oh, you’re so generous.” But deep within, I know Mila is one of the most miserable people on earth. She’s constantly depressed. Because she has no true friends. Her friends are there simply because she gives them stuff. People abuse her constantly, asking things from her.

Mila isn’t receiving the rewards of her generosity because she’s not really generous. She is needy.

When you give out of need, you will become even more needy. But if you give out of love, you will receive more love.

Remember the bowl with grey stones? Mila gives away her white stones—creating space in her heart. But because she’s giving out of need and fear and not out of love, misery and bitterness fill up that space she created.

I repeat: Real generosity is giving out of love, which fills our lives with more love.

And let me share with you the biggest reward of generosity.



The Greatest Reward Of Giving

My friend and fellow preacher Arun Gogna just came from Japan. He met a Filipina there who told him a wonderful story.

Years ago, this Filipina married a Japanese man. Her husband was earning very well and asked her to manage his money. So every payday, he gave all of his money to her.

This Filipina loved God and wanted to follow Him in the area of giving. So she gave 10% of her husband’s earnings to the Lord. When the husband—who was an atheist—found out about it, he asked her, “What are you doing with 10% of my salary?” She said, “I give it to my God.” The amazing thing was that he didn’t object at all. He let her be. So she continued to do it every single month.

Here’s the great news: A few years later, this man converted and is now a baptized Catholic. Today, with his wife, he serves in a ministry in a Church in Japan.

What’s so beautiful about this story? Even before he got baptized, he was already generous to a God whom he didn’t fully know.

My point?

Generosity brings you closer to God.

Let me tell you why.

Your Heart Follows Your Treasure

Last year, I bought stocks in Ayala Land.

I noticed that whenever I read the newspaper, I would be very interested to read anything about Ayala Land. I would read their Ads. I would ask people in the industry about what’s happening to this company.

Before I bought stocks in this company, I didn’t give a hoot. I didn’t care. I didn’t read their articles or their ads.

Why the change? Simple: The Bible says that my heart follows my treasure.[1] Wherever my treasure goes, my heart will go there too.

When your money goes to God, your heart goes to Him as well. Yes, even if He really doesn’t need your money.

Tithing Is A Declaration Of

God’s Importance In Your Life



God doesn’t need your money.

But why is it that the Bible says over and over again, “Give the first fruits of your harvest to God”?[2] Yes, God doesn’t need your money, but God wants what your money represents. Money represents value. What do you value the most? When you make God your first expense, you’re saying that God is first in your life.

Tithing is a declaration that all things—including your life—belong to God. The Biblical standard of 10% is a fantastic guideline to follow. When you give 10%, you’re saying that 100% belongs to God. Tithing is your declaration of God’s ownership over your life. God gave all that you own. When you die, you’ll give it all back. So all you have is lent to you. You’re a steward of His assets. As stewards, you use material blessings for His purposes. That’s what you declare when you tithe.

Friends, I invite you to give because you love.

And receive the fantastic rewards of generosity.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

Your Greatest Curse can be your Greatest Blessing!

Gone with those make-over sessions for now. I'm just too damn busy with those piles of "to be edited" tasks. For now, just wanna have a quick post from one of my favorite mentors, Bo Sanchez. And I tell you, he's really worth your time so I'm also urging you to check out his sites.

This post really inspires me..and its true as I look back on what Ive been through. I actually do not believe in coincidences. For me, there's always the reason behind and well, it may be one of HIS ways to tell us something. We may even see it as something negative but HE can turn out those negativities into something positive. Even those that we consider as curse can turn out as our greatest blessings. All we need to do is just to offer those curse to HIM, and He'll surely turn that out into a blessing. There's nothing He can't do. That's how pwerful my, our God is.

Be blessed! Read on...

How To Turn Your Good Friday To Your Easter Sunday

Are you a good person?

If you are, do you wonder why bad things still happen to you?

Harold Kushner wrote a book with this same title and it became an instant bestseller. Because people want to know the answer.

Sorry, I’m not going to give you an answer. (Nobody can.)

Because the problem of suffering will always remain a mystery.

Instead, I’m going to tell you what to do.

I will tell you what to do in the midst of your suffering—so that you can overcome your suffering. How you can turn your Good Friday into your Easter Sunday!

Are you ready?

Let me share with you a powerful story…

Your Greatest Curse Can Turn To Be

Your Greatest Blessing

Michelangelo had a persecutor who was very jealous of him.

(I don’t mean the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, but the real Michelangelo.)

The persecutor’s name was Bramante, a famous architect during that time.

By the way, do you know Bramante? I’m positive 99% of you never heard of him. Do you notice how persecutors fade away in the dust, but the one they persecute become legends? An important lesson to remember!

When Pope Julius thought of making a tomb, he asked Michelangelo to do it.

But when Bramante heard of it—and thought of the acclaim that Michelangelo would receive from it—he discouraged the Pope from continuing with the project. True enough, after Michelangelo searched far and wide for the perfect marble for the project—which took 8 long months—he learned that the Pope had abandoned the project. Michelangelo was very disappointed.

One day, the Pope thought of another project.

Upon hearing about it, Bramante concluded that it would be a time-consuming project and would receive very little public acclaim. So he told the Pope to give it to Michelangelo. In his mind, it would keep the artist busy for years—and accomplish nothing of great value.

Besides, it was also a painting job, and Bramante knew that Michelangelo was not even a painter, but a sculptor.

Michelangelo saw the trap. He knew it was a ploy by his enemy to destroy him. At first, he declined. But the Pope insisted, and not wanting to deny his Holiness, he agreed.

The project was indeed time-consuming. It took Michelangelo 4 years to finish, and he almost lost his eyesight because of it…

I’m sure you know the project by now: The Sistine Chapel. The grandest masterpiece of Michelangelo. More than anything, it made him one of the greatest painters of all time.

What was meant to curse him turned out to be his greatest blessing.

Good Friday was supposed to be the greatest curse.

Yet it also turned out to be the greatest blessing.

No Matter What Trials Come,

Keep Doing The Good You’re Supposed To Do

I reflect on this story and look at my own life.

I’ve been serving God for that past 27 years, and I do get my share of little “Bramante’s” scattered here and there.

But without them, I would have missed my greatest blessings: spiritual growth, opportunities to serve, and the impact I have on people’s lives.

My biggest Bramante’s were the two men who molested me as a child.

Because of these indescribable painful experiences, I’ve been able to heal so many people who have the same inner wounds. (You can read more about this in two of my books, Your Past Does Not Define Your Future, and 7 Secrets To Real Freedom.)

I could also think of my other trials in life…

Oh, why do bad things happen to good people?

Here’s my great theological answer: I don’t know.

But this I know. No matter what trials come, I’ll do the good that I’m supposed to do.

And at the end of the day, I will win.

Friend, remain faithful to God in good times and in bad times.

And you’ll see how all things work for good to those who love Him.

And you’ll see how your Good Friday will turn to Easter Sunday.

Don’t ever give up!

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez