Generosity

"The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor. He covets greedily all day long, But the righteous gives and does not spare." (Proverbs 21:25-26 NKJ)

Wisdom . . . what a marvelous gift from God! It is wrapped up in the elements of knowledge and experience and understanding. How these elements come together is a mystery. Then wisdom occurs and we ask: "where did that come from?"

A lazy person's desire . . . now how does that kill him/her? Generally, laziness doesn't harm anyone but the lazy louse. The refusal to work, however, is a seed that produces death. Covetousness and greed produce destruction. The tragically humorous thing is this: the lazy louse scratches his/her head and asks, "how did that happen?"

On the other hand, the righteous individual will not be lazy. The righteous individual will not refuse to work. He/she won't be greedy or covetous either. And these seeds will always produce enough surplus so that he/she can give generously.

Generosity is also a marvelous gift from God. What a blessing to serve the God who gives us more than enough!  "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJ). "All sufficiency in all things" is always more than enough for our needs, plus our generous giving.

God is generous and supplies all our needs from his riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). The wisdom of generosity and the generosity of wisdom are beyond our capacity to clearly understand. The Wise Teacher says it succinctly: "the righteous gives and does not spare."

At first glance, it is so simple that its profound wisdom can easily be missed. Yet, a more careful consideration is required to plumb its depths. Wisdom . . . a generous gift from our generous God (James 1:5). Generosity . . . a wise use of God's blessings.

Dear Father, thank you for the generosity of your wisdom and love. Empower us with wisdom and generosity. I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN

Give wisely and generously today,