Generosity | Kristi's Morning Devotional

March 28, 2020March 28, 2020

Encourage Each Other

As I opened the template to begin writing this morning I was “Wow-ed” by what I saw. Today’s post is number 1001! Oh my. What a privilege I have had, being able to share my thoughts from God’s word with you each day.

This morning I want to talk to you about encouragement.

We are self-distancing and it’s the right thing to do. However, I miss my kids and my grandkids. Yesterday our youngest daughter contacted us for a Facebook video call. It was so sweet – we were able to have one-on-one time with her and each of our three littlest grandkids. The first words out of Sam’s mouth, he’s 4 1/2yr, was “thank you for sending the baby chick racecar supplies, Besta”.

It’s hard not being close to those we love in challenging times.

Making baby chick racecars is something we do together. It’s becoming an Easter tradition. We were supposed to take Sam camping next week and were going to make them at the campsite. Since we had to cancel those plans, I sent the supplies to his mom so they can make them at home. It really tugged on my heart – I miss them all.

As much as I miss not having my children close I know God misses it even more. He is our loving and gracious Father; He wants his kids close so He can reassure us and calm our fears. He wants to hold us close and dry our tears. His door is always open; we can enter His presence anytime, any hour of the day and He’ll be there waiting.

“Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! ¹⁶So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:15-16 CEV

He understands and He is waiting for us to come!

Once we receive encouragement from our Father we should reach out to encourage others. A phone call, a text, a video chat or a note in the mail – all will be welcomed by the receiver. A friend of mine calls her grandkids and has a story time video chat. We all like to know we are being thought of – we all like to know that we are loved and missed! Send along a little prayer or simply say “I love you”. Those are words everyone likes to hear.

“When you talk, don’t say anything bad. But say the good things that people need—whatever will help them grow stronger. Then what you say will be a blessing to those who hear you.” Ephesians 4:29 ERV

Sometimes when we are in the midst of a trying situation our thoughts turn inward. Our thinking might be something like this – “I wish someone would call me and say something kind. Why do I always have to be the one to reach out to others?”. Let’s be honest, there are times when we all have a pity party or think selfishly. Get rid of that kind of thinking, it will destroy you! It will spread like a cancer.

Go to the Father, hand those thoughts over to Him and then follow Jesus instruction.

“Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” Luke 6:38 MSG

Give some encouragement today; it will bless them and bring a blessing back to you too.

October 23, 2019October 23, 2019

True Treasure

One of the things I value most is the cedar chest I have in the guest bedroom. It was my Mom’s hope chest. I loved it when Mom would open it and let us go through the keepsakes that were inside. I remember seeing a newspaper that told about the end of World War II and then there was the program from the Ice Capades, a date night that she and Daddy had so many years ago.

It’s interesting that my kids, grown adults now, also enjoy going through the cedar chest. It’s contents are my most valued treasures. There are the family photo albums which contain pictures of my parents as young adults; my grandparents wedding picture and then the treasures that our kids made in Sunday School or public school. There’s a plastic candy cane wrapped in eyelet, a wooden board that has been sawn in wood shop and painted with red letters that say “#1 Mom”. There’s a sweet letter that tells me how much I am loved and a bud vase with a red rose that was made in ceramics.

My treasures!

All this has me thinking this morning, what have I given the Father that He would deem worthy of putting in the cedar chest for safe keeping? What is valuable to Him? It was then I remembered the story of a widow who gave all. I’m sure her two little pennies are in the Father’s treasure chest.

“Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. ⁴²Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. ⁴³Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. ⁴⁴For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44 NLT

What the widow gave was an insignificant amount but the way she gave was priceless!She held nothing back; she gave her all.

When I was little, before we would head out the door to church, Mom would take some coins and tie them in a hankie for us to take to Sunday School and place in the offering. I remember being so excited to carry that hankie, my offering, and give it to Jesus. Sometimes I would pull the knot so tight, I didn’t want to loose the coins, that I would have to use my teeth to loosen the knot at offering time. I loved giving all I had to Jesus!

If the Lord had a cedar chest I’m sure my hankie would be in it. It was the symbol of a child’s love, a cheerful heart, giving all.

“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” ⁸And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. ⁹As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”

¹⁰For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. ¹¹Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.” II Corinthians 9:7-11 NLT

True Treasure isn’t measured by the amount given but by the attitude of the heart. It’s just like that candy cane, wooden sign and sweet letters that are in my cedar chest. Those items have value because they were given from the loving heart of a child to their parent.

Whatever we give to the Father should be given from a heart of love. We can give money, time, possessions, attitudes, kindness. When we give, we are planting seeds and those seeds will return a harvest in like kind.

Give the Father your best; that is the treasure He desires!

July 30, 2017February 27, 2018

How Generous are You?

How generous are you? Think about it for a minute, this morning’s devotional will possibly challenge and stretch you a bit. Generosity and trust go hand in hand.

Some people are stingy and miserly because they are afraid they won’t have enough for themselves. Others react that way because they feel everything they have is a result of “their” own hard work and sweat and so they have no desire to share.

But a truly generous person realizes that everything they have is a blessing from the Lord and that they can trust God to provide ALL their needs. When the Lord instructs us to give He provides!

I was really challenged by the story of Elijah and the widow woman of Zarepath this morning. Oh, I’ve read it many times – many times but this morning I was challenged.

“There was no rain, so after a while the stream became dry. 8 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 9 “Go to Zarephath in Sidon and stay there. There is a widow there that I commanded to take care of you.”

10 So Elijah went to Zarephath. He went to the town gate and saw a woman there gathering wood for a fire. She was a widow. Elijah said to her, “Would you bring me a small cup of water to drink?” 11 As she was going to get the water, Elijah said, “Bring me a piece of bread too, please.”

12 The woman answered, “I promise you, before the Lord your God, that I have nothing but a handful of flour in a jar and a little bit of olive oil in a jug. I came here to gather a few pieces of wood for a fire to cook our last meal. My son and I will eat it and then die from hunger.”

13 Elijah said to the woman, “Don’t worry. Go home and cook your food as you said. But first make a small piece of bread from the flour that you have and bring it to me. Then cook some for yourself and your son. 14 The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘That jar of flour will never be empty and the jug will always have oil in it. This will continue until the day the Lord sends rain to the land.’”

15 So the woman went home and did what Elijah told her to do. And Elijah, the woman, and her son had enough food for a long time. 16 The jar of flour and the jug of oil were never empty. This happened just as the Lord said through Elijah.”
I Kings 17:7-16 ERV

There had been a drought in the land. Food was scarce and people were starving. Elijah was a servant of God and He was used to listening for the Lord’s voice and obeying it. However, we have a widowed woman in a town who is down to her very last morsel of food and she probably isn’t accustomed to the Lord speaking to her too often. And she is presented with a life and death challenge.

This preacher walks into town and requests her last bit of food. “Don’t worry. Go home and cook your food as you said. But first make a small piece of bread from the flour that you have and bring it to me.” Really? That’s pretty bold!!

Don’t forget verse 9. God had already commanded the woman to take care of Elijah. Now she has a choice – obey God and feed the prophet or make her bread, feed her son and starve. I’m sure she struggled a bit in making her decision. Maybe her struggle came when the Lord first spoke to her or maybe it was when she was confronted by the prophet. A mother who has already seen her husband die and now she knows the life of her son is in danger – her instinct is to protect her child.

She chooses to obey God! Struggle over – victory comes.

What are you struggling with today? Has the Lord asked you to be a blessing to someone – maybe even a stranger? Be obedient, follow the Lord’s instruction, His provision is always enough!