becoming a generous giver

So, I've recently started the generosity devotional that Mark Beeson was talking about a few weeks ago. It's called Generosity: Moving Toward Life That is Truly Life...here's the link http://www.generositybook.com/pages/about_the_book. I'm only in the first few pages of it, and already this devotional is becoming life-changing. Day 1 is all about Jesus, being the first and most generous gift of all. It really is amazing to me and always will be to know how much He loves us. I mean, to send Your son to die for you and me...there's nothing more generous than that. And God won't ask you and I to do something that He hasn't already done...He just asks us to follow in His footsteps...to look more like Him everyday. How hard can that be, right? Look, He never said it was going to be easy, but the reward in the end is deliverance that no one other than the Lord of All can give to you. Rich Mullins said it like this, "If you've ever known the love of God, you know it's nothing but reckless and it's nothing but raging. Sometimes it hurts to be loved, and if it doesn't hurt it's probably not love, maybe infatuation...being loved by God is one of the most painful things in the world, it's also the only thing that can bring us salvation, and it's like everything else that is really wonderful, there's a little bit of pain in it, little bit of hurt."



One of God's generous gifts to me has been my friends. He has blessed me with some of the greatest people who continue to help me grow deeper in Christ. I am so thankful for what He has given me thus far...and He never stops giving. God has also placed in my life some friends that really need me. They need me to show them love and generosity where no one else can. I feel that God has placed these friends in my life so that I can "give that which makes it possible for them to find eternal life" in Jesus Christ. In this way, God has challenged me with the gift of generosity so that I might share His love and Grace with people who mean the world to me.



My prayer:

God, thank You for Your first and most generous gift of Your son, Jesus. Nothing is more sacrificial than this. Please walk with me in my transformation to become a generous giver of love, compassion, and care. Help me to give sacrificially so that I may look more like You every day. And as You transform me, I ask that I might deepen my relationship with You. Thank You for Your never-ending generous gifts.



What are some ways God has been extravagantly generous to you? What impact have these gifts had on your life?