by Rev Douglas Brauner

We Are Never More Like God Than When We Give.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” 
Matthew 5:16 English Standard Version

Though I had no background to understand the meaning of this bench in Avon, Colorado, it was still my favorite. I don’t know where the license plates came from, they looked shiny and new and no tags had ever been pressed into service on them.

Avon, Colorado

The slogan on the main license plate caught my attention, “Racin’ to Raise Cash.” My first thought, and maybe yours as well, was, “for what?” For what were they raising cash? I should have known by the color of the CTAC license plate that it was for cancer, or rather for scholarships for families that have been affected by cancer.

It’s a virtue to be generous.

One statement from Financial Peace University has stuck with me, “We are never more like God than when we give.” There is no one more generous than God; God who emptied heaven of his one and only Son, God who sent his Son to a cross to give himself for the sin of the world, for our sin.

Our generosity is a reflection of God.

I’m blessed to be part of a very generous Christian community. In my time as pastor at Holy Cross I have watched people give of their expertise so that families who couldn’t afford a computer might have one. I’ve seen people stop what they were doing to give their time to someone who needs a hospital visit. I’ve watched members empty their pockets to help people in Honduras when weather destroyed their crops.

Let me repeat it again, “We are never more like God than when we give.” May God receive the glory when we are more like him.

So, where is God opening an opportunity for you to be generous today?

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado