Generosity
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear Lord, all I have is because of you. Please help me to hold loosely to the abilities and resources you’ve blessed me with so that I can use them to support people who need what I can offer.
READ:
“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:10-15
“…and now I bring the first fruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given to me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.
When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.” Deuteronomy 26:10-12
“Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever.” Revelations 4:9-10
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1
REFLECT:
I am naturally very conservative with finances. It has never mattered how small the price is for something, I won’t spend a dime unless I see the value. Before I became a Christian it’s accurate to say being generous with my money just wasn’t a thing. There were two things I didn’t understand then: I didn’t see the value in being generous and I didn’t realize it wasn’t actually my money.
Thankfully, God placed several different people in my path that helped me come to know Jesus, and I accepted him as my Lord and Savior. I’ve learned many things while walking with Jesus, and among them is the tremendous value I receive from being generous, as well as knowing there’s no such thing as “my money,” just money with which God has entrusted me.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m as frugal as I’ve always been, and it’s still not always easy to part with what often still feels like “my” money. I’ve learned on my walk, however, that being generous with what God has given to me is pleasing to him. There’s really no better value you can get for your resources than using them generously and pleasing the creator of the world.
APPLY:
Do you find parting with time or money difficult? If so, try starting small. Do a small favor for a friend or co-worker. Leave a tip that’s a little more than what’s recommended. See how it feels. Generosity, no matter how small, is always pleasing to God.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Thank you Jesus for the generosity you have shown me. I was dead and you gave me life.