One Word
This winter on The Daily Pattern we’re in a series called One Word. Each day we take one word – a feeling or circumstance – and bring a word from God to it. Let the Word of God speak to your life.
Invocation
Make the sign of the cross, and say,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5) O Lord, I am lowly and humble. You alone are my inheritance. Amen.
Word: Proverbs 11:24-25
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.
Meditation
Generosity by Jeff Cloeter
As a pastor, I can tell when people don’t want me to talk about money in the church. They avoid eye contact. They crinkle the bulletin. To be fair, the church has often fumbled when it comes to talk of financial matters. There is a reigning perception that “the church just wants my money.” Unfortunately, there have been enough financial abuses to justify some of the perception.
I prefer to dive headlong into the issue. Generosity is not only a matter of the bank account, but of the spirit. The bank statement is a diagnostic. How you spend your money is an indicator of where your heart is set.
The Proverbs are consistent in addressing a spirit of generosity.
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered. (Prov. 11:24-25)
In our world, when there is financial uncertainty, you hold back. You become stingy and say: “When I have enough, then I’ll give away. When I’ve taken care of myself, then I’ll share with others.”
The proverb is counterintuitive to the world’s prevailing way. It speaks of radical generosity. “Give freely, and grow richer.” Give and you’ll have more. In fact, the proverb gives the sense that if you hoard, you’ll be poor.
From time to time we experience something that causes a realization: our wealth is not really “ours.” I did not make it. I did not attain it all by myself. There is a hidden hand that financial planners cannot see. I’m merely a manager of the things given to me.
The proverb gives us the image of a waterfall: “The one who waters will be watered.” Picture a pool in a stream. A waterfall continually pours into it like a giant pitcher. As it’s poured into, it pours out. Likewise, when we are poured into, we must pour out. I dare not dam up what has been given to me. And so I learn generosity from the God who always gives freely. He just keeps pouring.
Lord, forgive my stinginess. Grow a spirit of generosity within me. Assist me to freely share my time, energy, attention, and resources. And when I am empty, keep pouring. Amen.
Prayer for Family
· For my immediate family (parents, spouse, siblings).
· For extended family (cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents)
· For close friends that are as family to me.
· For those who don’t have families, or whose families are broken.
· For forgiveness and reconciliation where there is division in my family.
· For provision where there is need in my family.
· For God to be the foundation, and the cross the center of my family.
· For a generation yet unborn, future members of our family.
Closing Prayer
O Lord and King, your Kingdom comes even without our prayer. But we pray that it would also come among us. We are desperate for your reign and rule, for all we see is rebellion. Come into my heart, my home, my family, my work, my church, my community. Rule with justice and with mercy. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.