DEVOTIONAL - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012

DEVOTION,   SATURDAY,  OCTOBER 20, 2012

Be generous

By

PASTOR BOB COY

A good man deals graciously and lends… Psalms 112:5 (NKJV)

There are definite and undeniable traits that mark the "good man," the righteous person, the person who has been truly touched by the hand of God. And one such trait is a spirit of graciousness and generosity.

God is a giver. He gave life to man, He gave Eve to Adam, He gave them both a warning, and He gave them a covering for their nakedness. God gave Cain protection, He gave Noah instruction on how to survive the Great Flood, He gave the rainbow as a sign of His covenant, and He gave Abraham promises that seemed impossible and even laughable. God gave Joseph dreams, power, prestige, and the wisdom to use them for His glory.

God's giving nature graces every story and scenario in scripture. From Moses' commission to Daniel's visions, the current of giving flows strong and steady until we finally come to the central moment in history, that moment in which God gave us His own Son as an eternal sacrifice for our sin.

Suffice it to say, our God is a giver. And if we're His children, then we ought to reflect this trait in our Father by being a good person who deals graciously and lends to others. We should view each and every opportunity to be generous as an opportunity to express the new spiritual life that's in us by virtue of our being in Christ.

Something is wrong if we're not gracious and willing to lend towards the needs of others. Whether it's time, money, know-how, or anything else that the Lord has entrusted to us, He wants us to be generous with it.

Giving God, examine our hearts and show us if we're growing in the spirit of generosity…and help us identify and overcome anything that would be holding us back in this regard.