As a young parent many years ago, I became aware of one fact: my little ones were growing at lightning-fast speed. With three toddler boys, someone was always in need of longer pants, shirts that completely covered their tummies, and of course, shoes that didn’t scrunch their toes. When we were in the midst of our family-growing years, shoes were purchased at Mom-and-Pop shoe stores, not the large discount department stores that currently dot our retail landscape. Those shoes were well-made, but my, they were also pricey! Buying three pair certainly would stretch our limited budget. Enter on the scene my mom, a woman gifted in the art of generosity. Upon returning home from a visit with Grandma, the boys burst through the door brimming with excitement, all proudly sporting spanking-new tennis shoes! She had saved and sacrificed for weeks, planning all the while to treat her grandkids to new shoes. She would repeat that act of kindness often as they grew into young men, young men who still honor the memory of a woman who was the epitome of generosity.
We serve a generous God, evidenced by the glorious creation that surrounds us daily; the light, colors, and sounds; the senses we have to appreciate that beauty around us. He blesses and supplies our needs on a daily basis. And if that were not enough, He offered His precious Son as the ransom for fallen man, so that we could be forgiven “for Christ’s sake,” a future home in heaven could be secured, and our fellowship with the Father could be restored. “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.” What a giving God we serve! How pleased He must be when we reflect that model of giving that He has set for us. He promises that “The liberal soul shall be made fat,” and he that “scattereth…increaseth.” When Jesus walked this earth, His own words emphasized the importance of generosity as He reminded His disciples to “Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.”
Be watchful during this Christmas season for those placed in your path who may be in need of your generosity; be alert for those God-given opportunities to be that helping hand in someone’s life; be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in regards to giving. Your response to those needs that God places before you will reap rich blessings in your life, and will please your Father immensely.
Proverbs 22:9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed;
Lord, bless me with a bountiful eye. Help me to be willing to be a conduit of Your love to others. May I always remember that all I have is Yours; teach me charity.