Day 49 - Issue 37
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READ: Proverbs 11.24-25 NLT
'Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.'
The whole Bible is concerned with the issue of money and what to do with it, and Proverbs devotes a huge amount of energy to the issue. The quick summary of his teaching is that if you use money badly it will destroy you and those around you. But the writer also paints a picture of the wise use of money and that is wonderfully attractive, because, when it is used well, money brings life to everyone it touches. At the heart of the wise use of money is generosity.
Generosity is a key theme throughout the Bible’s teaching on money for the simple reason that God is always generous. In our use of money God is inviting us to reflect his nature. In his teaching on the subject the apostle Paul writes, “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” 2 Corinthians 9.8 Paul was writing to a church whose members were probably considered poor by the world’s standards, but he urged them to give generously to help out the Christians in Judaea who had suffered a terrible famine. Generosity is principally a matter of the heart and so it is possible to be generous whether you have much or little.
The ultimate example of generosity in the Bible is the widow who gave her tiny gift into the Temple collection box. (Luke 21.1-4) Her two little coins were of tiny monetary value and stood in complete contrast with the generous giving of the rich people. But Jesus saw her heart and recognised that she had been more generous than any of them, because she gave everything she had. Whether you consider yourself wealthy or poor be sure of this – it will always be possible to be generous.
QUESTIONS: In what way will you be able to be generous today?
PRAYER: Thank you, loving God, for your perfect generosity to me. Help me to reflect your generosity in my life today. Amen
Released on 19 May 2021
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