Paul said in Second Corinthians, “I want you to excel in the gracious ministry of giving.” He could have said, “I want you to excel in business, excel in sports, excel in medicine.” That’s all good. But he said, “What I want you to really be great at, what I want you to excel in is giving.”

I’ve made up my mind I’m going to live my life as a giver and not a taker. If you get around me, I better warn you, you’re going to get blessed. I’m going to study ways that I can be good to you. I’m going to encourage you. I’m going to buy your dinner. I’m going to be good to your children. I’m going to help make your dreams come to pass. See, when I come to the end of my life, I don’t want people to say, “Oh yeah, Joel had that big church, didn’t he? He wrote some nice books.” No, I want them to say, “Joel was a giver. Joel made me better. Joel brightened my day. Joel was good to me.”

Let that be your desire, too, to leave people better off than when you met them. Excel in the grace of giving and glorify God in all you do!