Ever notice how sad people are? We have a lot of stuff, but we are an incredibly sad society. Americans are a lot like the rich guy in Mark 10.

At this the man’s face fell, and he went away very sad, for he had many possessions. Mark 10:22

This guy went away sad because he had many possessions? That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Possessions are supposed to make us happy. You get a lot of stuff. You get a lot of happiness. But, Scripture says this guy walked away with all his possessions and he walked away sad.

The truth is that possessions are just a mirage of happiness. We strive and we strive to get possessions only to discover that it was just a mirage and our soul remains in a dry thirsty desert. So, we strive and we strive for more possessions.

Jesus says that we will never be happy until we begin living our lives by the Generosity Principle. This principle is pretty simple. As a follower of Jesus give generously into God’s Kingdom. Scripture teaches us that the tithe (10%) is a good place to start. Begin with 10% and then grow your generosity from there. In other words, don’t stop at 10%, but learn to be generous.

Mom and Dad instilled this principle in me when I was very young. I still remember getting a $5 bill for my birthday from my Aunt Rita and putting 2 quarters in the offering in Sunday School. That was really hard to do as a 7 year old. Fast forward a few dozen years and the zero’s on the end of that dollar amount have grown.

Strangely it has become easier, not harder, to give. That’s because I have found more satisfaction and contentment in giving than getting.

When we choose our possessions over Jesus we walk away from Him and we walk away sad every time. Choose to live by the Generosity Principle and watch what Jesus does in your life.