Saturday, November 19: 2Corinthians 9- A little generosity goes a long way.

Late June through mid-July, I spent time in Jos, Nigeria on a 3-week mission trip. We stayed in friends’ house in a walled compound. The two gates were guarded 24/7 by guards who worked 3 weeks on, one off. It was not uncommon for us to take our leftover dinner out to the guards to share. On one such visit to the guardhouse, the guard, Peter, said, “Aye, I remember you from 2 years ago. You brought us food then, too. Thank you, thank you. I have been praying for you since then and hoping that I might see you again. Thank you.”

For two years the gate-guard Peter has been thanking God and praying for us because we shared our leftover meal occasionally with him. A little generosity goes a long way…

Paul understands the power of generosity too. In verses 13-15 Paul writes: Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

My simple thought is this…. how can I cultivate generosity as a part of who I am? And what can I do today to be generous to someone?

Think about it. No, better…..go out and be generous… cultivate generosity in your life.

O, God, you are so generous and lavish with Your love for me. Help me in turn to be generous with others… generous with my money, resources, time and words. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.