October 22
When it comes to being generous, God wants us to be joyful about it. I don't know about you but that doesn't necessarily come naturally to me. Giving joyfully is like a muscle we need to work at and gets stronger with time.
Three Thoughts
God loves a cheerful giver. If the only reason you're giving is out of guilt or pressure, I think God would prefer you give five dollars willingly rather than fifty dollars in a resentful way.
2 CORINTHIANS 9:7
You can't out-give God. Jesus gives an illustration of God's generosity like someone selling grain that packs it down, shakes it, and piles it so high that it spills onto your lap. That's just who he is. It isn't always this way, but a lot of times it seems like the more you give to others, the more that comes back to you in unexpected ways.
LUKE 6:38
"It's more blessed to give than to receive." Most of us learned that as we were growing up and never quite believed it because we like to keep our stuff held with a tight fist. But think about the last time you blessed someone in your life and how good it felt. It's because you were made in the image of a Giver.
ACTS 20:35
Two Quotes
Author Max Lucado on generosity:
"When grace happens, generosity happens."
Author Ann Voskamp on being inconvenienced:
"A willingness to be inconvenienced is the ultimate proof of love."
Prayer
Dear God, I admit that sometimes I give with a clenched jaw instead of an open heart. Would you change that deep within me? Remind me of the generosity you've shown me so I can let it spill over to others with joy. Show me one person I can bless this week. In Jesus' name, amen.
Question
Who is one person you could bless this week in a way that they would never expect? What's stopping you?
P.S. My son started walking this week!!! Having a kid really shifts your perspective on God as our Father and how he feels about us. It's been really cool thinking about that lately.