Living Generously in a Global Pandemic
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"There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself."
(Proverbs 11:24-25)
This week, I am writing about being generous during this pandemic. My goal is to share how you can have a positive impact on others during this hard season of life. Life is very different right now, would you not agree? School buildings are closed, and proms and graduations are canceled. It is Spring, and there is no "Play Ball!" to be heard anywhere. Two of my favorite sporting events, the Masters and March Madness have been canceled. (There is hope that the Masters will be played in November, though.) How strange is that? On a more serious and somber note, over 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment, many businesses are suffering, and there is a palpable sense of fear permeating our world. How now shall the child of God live in such troubling times?
As followers of Christ, we are to be generous. You may question me on this and say that now is not the time to be generous, but it is the time to be cautious and make sure you look out for yourself. That is precisely the world's philosophy, but you cannot find such a viewpoint in the Bible. Instead, you find examples in Scripture and throughout history when the people of God give, serve, and help not only out of abundance but also out of need.
I love the Book of Proverbs. I have been reading a chapter in this wisdom literature every day for 15 years. The verses for today's devotion are so instructive and helpful. At first, you may read them and think, "This does not add up. How can the person who scatters actually increase? How can being generous and giving lead to being rich?" True, it may not make sense at first glance, but look a little closer.
The Hebrew word translated "generous" is berakah, which is often translated as "blessing". The person who constantly seeks to bless and be a blessing to others, the one who is generous and does not become greedy or stingy or hoard possessions will be richly rewarded. The second part of today's verse gives further explanation to the first part, an example of Hebrew parallelism. "He who waters"... I like that. Are you one that waters, refreshes, gives life, makes things better for others? If you are, then you are being watered and blessed yourself. Just like friendly people have more friends than unfriendly people, generous people who bless others will receive more generosity themselves and more blessings will come their way.
I like the following interpretation of Proverbs 11:24-25:
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It is axiomatic that greedy and selfish people, epitomized in Western literature as Mr. Scrooge, are hated by the populace at large, while generous people gain love and respect. What the hoarder fails to realize, however, is that in the economy of God, the greedy ultimately lose even the material things they try so hard to keep, while the benevolent only prosper more and more.
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(Garrett, D. A. (1993). Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 14, p. 127). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
My desire is to be a person of generosity. One of the purposes of DFEA is to bless others and be a conduit through which God touches and helps others. Ashley and I have seen so many times that as we seek to bless, support, and help others, God just keeps blessing and watering us. The following statement is so true: you cannot out-give God.
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Podcast of the Week
10 Principles for Effective Living: Generosity
Pastor Danny focuses this episode on the principle of Generosity, tackling what it means to be a cheerful giver and how generosity benefits YOU just as much as those to whom you are generous.
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