How Generous are You?

Today’s first reading made me realize how important it is to be generous with what God has given me..

Saul then said to David: "You are in the right rather than I;
you have treated me generously, while I have done you harm.
Great is the generosity you showed me today,
when the LORD delivered me into your grasp
and you did not kill me.
For if a man meets his enemy, does he send him away unharmed?
May the LORD reward you generously for what you have done this day.

David went into hiding because Saul was planning to kill him. Then one day, David had the chance to kill Saul. Yes, he was tempted and was planning to, but eventually he restrained himself and as we can see in the reading, things ended well. Saul aknowledged David’s generousity, thanked him and realized that David really is a man of God.

Being generous is not all about money. Giving money does not necessarily make someone generous. God has given us so much, so we should be generous of these things. David was generous with love and respect. He repaid Saul’s anger with love and respect, and that’s what made Saul realize things about David, That was a great testimony on David’s part and that’s what changed Saul’s perspective.

These days, there are a lot of things we can be generous of, aside from money. One is time. Yes, time is something we all have, no matter how rich or poor you are, we all have the same amount of time. When we give God our time, we are giving Him something we can never get back. Another thing is love. How do we repay those who are unlovable? Do we become unlovable to them too, or do we exert entra effort to love them, to make them feel and realize God’s love through us? Respect. How do we treat people who disrespect us? Do we disrespect them as well, or do we give them due respect, no matter how undeserving we think or feel they are? Another is forgiveness. How do we react to those who hurt us? Do we try to get even or do we forgive, thus healing all people involved in the process?

May we be challenged by today’s reading – to be generous with the things God has given us. May we be like David, who repaid evil with good, thus making his testimony powerful. As we follow God, as we serve him, let us allow ourselves to be used by God, let us allow ourselves to be more generous with everything God has been giving us. As we try to be generous, let us remember one fact – God cannot be outgiven. We may give so much, but he has been giving, and will continue to give so much more thatn we deserve.

May you feel and share God’s generousity today!