Refreshing Generocity 好施舍的必得丰裕
Dexu Xia
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25
Today's Scripture Proverbs 11:24-31
Today’s Insight: In Proverbs 11:24-31, King Solomon says the generous are blessed. The miserly end up miserable. And in these proverbs, generosity is defined not only as giving freely, but also as making goods available at a fair price to those who need them. Spend some time making out two lists. In the first list include examples of your generosity; on the second list write down some ways in which you hold back from giving. Go beyond money and other things to the ways you share or hold back your time, your affection, your presence, your skills. Dig as deeply as you can in making these lists. Then invite God to review them with you. What does God applaud? What does God criticize? What do you want to change. Ask God to help you learn the wisdom of generosity. (from The Bible of spiritual formation)
Today's Devotional An auditorium full of medical students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine listened intently as ninety-year-old Ruth Gottesman spoke. As she concluded, Ruth announced—to the students’ gasps, cheers, and pandemonium—that she was donating $1 billion so they could finish their education tuition free. This is the largest donation ever given to a medical school. Yet in the interviews that followed, you would have thought that Gottesman was the one receiving the gift. She expressed joy, delight, and honor to be able to give her money away.
Proverbs tells us that this is how generosity works. The one who “gives freely,” far from being left diminished or bereft, finds blessings they hadn’t anticipated (11:24). When we open our hands to others, we’re left with something more—not less. “Whoever refreshes,” Scripture says, “will be refreshed” (v. 25). We’re often tempted to tightly grip whatever we have, fearful that we’ll be taken advantage of or left with nothing. God’s economy works differently, however. Jesus went a step further, stating that it’s “more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
We can be generous with our lives and our resources, offering what we have to others in need. And then, in return we’ll find that we end up with bumper harvest too. There’s plenty for everyone in God’s kingdom.
Reflect & Pray How has giving to others blessed you? Where might God be asking you to be more generous? Dear God, please help me to be generous like You, and trust that I’ll have all I need. By Winn Collier
“好施舍的必得丰裕；滋养人的必得滋养。”（箴言 11:25）
今日经文：箴言 11章24-31 节
今日灵修：在箴言 11章24-31 节中，所罗门王说慷慨的人有福了，吝啬的人终必遭祸。在这些箴言中，慷慨的定义不仅在于慷慨施予，还在于以合理的价格为有需要的人提供所需之物。花些时间列出两张清单。第一张清单列出你慷慨的例子；第二张清单列出你吝啬付出的方面。不要局限于金钱和其他物质，还要列出你是否愿意或吝啬付出你的时间和情感、你的陪伴和技能。在列出这些清单时，要尽可能作深入地思考。然后邀请上帝与你一同审视这些清单。上帝会赞赏什么？祂会批评什么？你想在哪些方面作出改变？祈求神帮助你学习慷慨的智慧。（摘自《灵命塑造圣经》）
今日灵修：在阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦医学院一个挤满了医学生的礼堂里，大家正在认真聆听九十岁的露丝·戈特斯曼的演讲。演讲结束时，在学生们的惊叹、欢呼和一片沸腾中露丝宣布，她将捐赠10亿美元，让他们可以免费完成学业。这是有史以来医学院收到的最大一笔捐款。然而，在随后的采访中，你会觉得戈特斯曼才是受赠者。她表达了能够捐出这笔钱的喜悦、快乐和荣幸。
箴言告诉我们，慷慨就是这样运作的。“慷慨施予”的人，非但不会有损失或匮乏，反而会得到意想不到的祝福（箴言11:24）。当我们向他人敞开双手时，我们得到的会更多，而不是更少。圣经说，“滋养人的必得滋养”（箴言11:25）。我们常常会不由自主地紧紧抓住自己所拥有的一切，害怕被人占便宜，或者最终一无所有。然而，神国运作方式却截然不同。耶稣更进一步指出，“施比受更为有福”（使徒行传 20:35）。 我们可以慷慨地奉献自己的生命和资源，将我们所拥有的给予有需要的人。然后，我们会发现，作为回报，我们最终也会大有收获。在神的国度里，每个人都有充足的资源。
反思与祷告 给予他人如何祝福了你？神可能在哪些方面呼召你更加慷慨？亲爱的神，请帮助我像你一样慷慨，并相信我必拥有所需的一切。——温·科利尔