Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. People curse those who hoard their grain, but they bless the one who sells in time of need. PROVERBS 11:24-26 (NLT)

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This is a good time not to look at your retirement portfolio. The shutdown of the world economy has taken a toll on investments of all kinds. It will take years to repair the damage. 

A man who earned abundant wealth and also lived generously suffered a serious financial setback. When asked if he regretted giving away so much, he responded by saying that he did not lose a thing he had given away. 

There are different kinds of blessings accompanying generosity. God blesses us with resources and asks us to bless others with what he provides. He blesses those with generous hearts with more so that they can live even more generously. 

Generosity begets generosity. A few of the financial titans of our day are investing significant wealth into finding a cure for our current plague and a vaccine to prevent it in the future. Others are following their lead. This is good. 

Giving Tuesday two days ago saw over forty million dollars given to charity in the Fort Worth/Dallas Metroplex. Half of that went to COVID-19 related needs. This is good. 

Today is a good day to thank God for his generosity toward us. It is a good day to live generously. It is a good day to refresh others. Come to think of it, every day is a good day to work on forming these habits.

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I will live generously.

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Our Father, you have been abundantly generous with me. Make me an ever-more generous man. Empower me to live with an open hand. Deliver me from stinginess and hoarding. Use me to make things possible for others that would not be realized otherwise. Amen.