Pete Hawker serves a United Methodist congregation in Anniston, Alabama. I don’t know Peter, but a friend sent me a column he wrote that appears in the Anniston Star, the local newspaper. A great column on the spiritual aspect of generosity, here’s a quote:

People who are dying spiritually stop giving in all areas of their lives, resulting in happiness and joy being ripped from their lives.

On the other hand, spiritually mature Christians have the generosity traits of their heavenly Father. God’s character mirrors generosity. When we are generous, our lives will reflect spiritual benefits. Thus, people have found this blessing: Generosity improves your life.

I can tell Pete is a pastor who knows his people and knows their hearts. Our spiritual lives and our faithful giving are so fundamentally connected. They are “in tune” with each other. It’s as if God wired our DNA that way.

And that’s good news. Because when we’re not feeling as close to God as we want, we can change that through generous giving. God never moves away from us, but sometimes we need to make an effort to move closer to God.

Enjoy Pete’s entire column. It’s not long, and you will be blessed by his thoughts.