A Generous Soul

The late Corrie Ten Boom stated, “The measure of life after all, is not its duration but its donation.” All of us have been deeply impacted by a generous soul — one whose heart is marked by evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in their life by giving their time, and/or financial resources as an expression of God’s love. These generous souls are constantly seeking ways to share God’s grace with others, and they live their lives by true faith. They withhold judgement, condemnation, and unforgiveness while bearing one another’s burdens.

My husband is a person people turn to for encouragement, prayer and counsel. He has an incredible benevolent spirit, giving good things to others freely and abundantly. His life is marked by concrete examples of generous sacrifice. One of the most memorable gifts he gave me was an unexpected surprise visit. At the time, I was away ministering to a family member and in the middle of the day I called to speak with him and he acted as if nothing was going on but as our conversation waned I saw a car pull in the driveway. At that moment, I knew he had come to encourage me and our family member. He dropped everything to come and be by my side and I will never forget that moment. To this day, I am thankful for the loving sacrifice he gave with his time and resources under very difficult circumstances.

God gave his only begotten Son so that we could have life. Be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is asking you to be generous with this year. Are there areas in your life that require you to be generous through forgiveness, time, and/or finances? If so, turn to the Lord and he will create in you a sacrificial heart and an open hand to bless as many as possible for his glory so that you can abound in every good work!

Father, help me to understand the virtue of generous living, and to share my time and resources with others. Help me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit to help those in need. Amen.

Throughout This Day: Ask the Lord to lead you to opportunities to demonstrate his generous, gracious love.