How to get God's attention

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BhTAJ49MQ0

Living generously begins with the recognition that our God is a generous God. 

Psalm 100:5 The Message (MSG)

⁵ For God is sheer beauty,
    all-generous in love,
    loyal always and ever.

Psalm 145:16 The Message (MSG)

¹⁶ Generous to a fault,
    you lavish your favor on all creatures.

Romans 10:11-13 The Message (MSG)

11-13 Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”

Deuteronomy 15:10-11 The Message (MSG)

Give freely and spontaneously. Don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God’s, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.

We must have open hearted generosity  which is a desire to help others with our time, gifts, and money.  We are to be a plus and not a minus.  We must be people who lift and not people who lean.  

1 Timothy 6:17-19 The Message (MSG)

Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.

1.  We must live on the other side of yes.  Be quick to say yes.  

Philippians 4:8-9 The Message (MSG)

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

How you think will determine your success or failure.  Don't live on the other side of no.  Don't focus on failure.  Focus on success.  

2 Corinthians 9:8-11 The Message (MSG)

God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,

He throws caution to the winds,
    giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
    never run out, never wear out.

This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.

2.  We must continually sow seeds.  

We must judge ourselves by our seeds that we sow not the harvest that we reap.  The field cries give me your seed not give me your need.  

Luke 6:38 The Message (MSG)

37-38 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”

Focus on increasing your standard of giving not your standard of living.  Tell people that "you don't want to know".  It makes them want to know.    You can give it away, or they'll take it away. 

3.  We are growing in our faith.  

2 Peter 1:5-9 The Message (MSG)

So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.

If you are selfish, you'll live a lonely life.  

4.  We must attract people to God.  

Matthew 5:14-16 The Message (MSG)

14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

1 Peter 4:7-11 The Message (MSG)

Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!

Our job is to make people hungry for God by our lifestyle, actions, and attitudes.  

5.  We receive more than we can ever imagine when we give. 

Proverbs 11:24-25 The Message (MSG)

²⁴ The world of the generous gets larger and larger;
    the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.

²⁵ The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
    those who help others are helped.

6.  We are to live out our God created identity. 

Matthew 5:48 The Message (MSG)

48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”

We must up our standard of giving.  We are just God's delivery boy.  God will only give you what He knows will flow through you.

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