Character: Generosity

You’ve got to love the stories of philanthropists—those who give away large sums of money through donations, trusts, and foundations. For example, Warren Buffet gives away 99 percent of his wealth. 

Considering that, in 2023, he made over $37 million every day, his pledge to give away 99 percent certainly gets our attention for he would give away $36.63 million a day. That sounds so noble and sacrificial, but if you had $135 Billion (Warren Buffet’s net worth) and chose to live on a mere one percent, you would still have $1.3 billion to scrape by on!  That's 3.6 Million dollars EVERY day of the year.

That’s a lot of money to give, but is that same as being generous? Generosity has nothing to do with the amount. Generosity is a heart issue.

Character: Contentment

After a week with the grandchildren most will have had a first hand demonstration of the need for contentment.  No matter how many toys are out on the floor there must always be more sought.  

Keeping grandchildren is sometimes a perfect object lesson for the need for contentment. Like little children, it seems that no matter what we have, we still have a craving for more. No matter what you have in your hands, you always want what someone else has in their hands. It seems that when children are together there is seldom contentment.  Often, the same is true of adults.

I saw a meme the the other day that said "I will never forget when my grandfather said to me: "Our life [then] was tiring for the body but it was comfortable for the soul.  Your life today is comfortable for the body, but it is tiring for the soul."

We look at Philippians 4:10-20 to learn that we should be content in the power and provision of God.  

Character: Humility

In 1961 Nat King Cole recorded the song Nature Boy whose lyrics conclude "The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is just to love and be loved in return."  It’s easy to love when we’re loved in return, when it’s convenient, or when others are lovable. But a love that loves when it is not reciprocated, easy, or convenient calls for a strong dose of humility.    

Love is a multifaceted human experience that can manifest in various forms. The components of love include connection, sharing, and closeness and a conscious decision to maintain the relationship even when facing challenges.  Love can involve suffering and enduring. 

But by the mid 60s many came to believe that the word love was predominantly romantic or sexual in nature. The "Summer of Love" in 1967, is often associated with a generation embracing a counterculture movement focused on peace, love, and freedom, sometimes referred to as the "Love Generation".  This era saw a rejection of traditional societal norms and a shift towards personal freedom, self-expression, and communal living, fueled by music, art, and a desire for social change. All you need is Love by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, was a prominent theme. 

Jesus also called us to love and to model the same humility and love he displayed, unconditional love that is given without expectation of return.  Love is not just a feeling, but also a practice, an action that involves actively showing care, compassion, and support for others.  It often requires effort, commitment, and a willingness to work through challenges; often involving acts of kindness, forgiveness, and empathy. We are to love because it is necessary, not because it is easy or pleasurable. 

Character: Godliness

Have you ever put a puzzle together and the last piece was missing? Without that critical piece the work is lacking and the whole picture is less than whole.

Previously we looked at Peter's catalog of spiritual character traits. This session points us to a quality that is the critical piece to building our own lives: godliness. Without godliness, the structure of our lives is incomplete and our wholeness is lacking. This study will point our attention toward this crucial characteristic of godliness as we see that a godly life points others to Christ. We look at 1 Timothy 4:6-16.