Oct. 26th Devotion

For Willingness to Express Generosity
Chuck Swindoll

Many will seek the favor of a generous man,
And every man is a friend to him who gives gifts. (Proverbs 19:6)

We stand before You, our Father, as an act of allegiance and submission. And we bow before You in humility and trust. We desire to follow You. Every day, it's an uphill climb. It is often an internal battle to stand firm in what we believe and to model what You have asked of Your people in a world that is self-serving. We ask that we will be stirred from within and moved in our hearts, so that our actions reveal change. May we practice acts of generosity over and above what we have ever considered. We pray that You will convince and convict us deep within and that You will then find us as obedient as the ancient Hebrews who gave to You to the point of having to be restrained from giving more. We are Your people. We are the sheep of Your pasture who belong to You—nothing is too difficult for You. So we pray that we will be able to focus our attention, our thoughts, and ultimately our wills on what You have said, what You have promised, and how You will provide. May we be stimulated to good works in ways we have never known before.

And now, Father, we acknowledge that we have been the recipients of numerous benefits: blessing, healing, forgiveness, grace, mercy, even relief from guilt and shame and long-standing grudges we've held against others. We stand before You in allegiance and in submission, in generosity and joy. In the name of Jesus, our strong Savior, we pray. Amen.