Our Generosity Begets His Generosity

Daily Reading:  2 Corinthians 8-9

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. (2 Corinthians 9:10)

Devotional Thought: Paul makes an interesting assertion in this chapter: When you give, God will increase your righteousness.  What's this?  Can you “buy” the favor of God?  Does God favor rich people?  Does he make them more righteous because they can give more?  No, that’s not it at all.  Jesus himself said that riches were more likely to preventa man from receiving God’s blessings than help him to do so.  What God blesses is a truly generous heart.  You see, when we are generous, we are like Christ.  And God blesses Christ-likeness!  When we become like Jesus and give ourselves, our goods, our efforts, our love – and yes our very lives – away, then God takes notice of it.  And God takes that giving heart and refills it with himself!  It’s a cycle!  He refills us with goods, energy and love so we can be generous again.  So he can fill us again.  So we can be generous again. So…  You get the picture.

One of the most generous people I’ve ever known is my mother.  She did not have much in the way of this world’s goods.  She was by no means rich.  But, she was generous.  If she had it, she shared it.  It made her happier to give something away than to keep it.  I’m not like her nearly enough.  And, I’m not like Jesus nearly enough.  I want to be generous on every occasion!

And - Amazing Grace! - our generosity results in thanksgiving to God (v. 11)!  When we are generous, God is praised!  What a wonderful way to give glory to our Savior – by being generous.  It blesses the recipient; it blesses us; and most of all, it blesses God!

Give something away today!

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for being so generous with me.  Help me to be more like you in generously giving myself away so that others may experience your kindness and generosity through me.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 115:9-13

9 O Israel,trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.

10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.

11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.

12 The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;

13 he will bless those who fear the LORD, both the small and the great.