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Key Bible Verse: "You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'" Acts 20:35). Bonus Reading: Luke 6:38

My dad and mother would have amended [today's Key Bible Verse] slightly: "It's more fun to give than to have." As an adult, you know this is true. Your happiest Christmas memories since growing up are probably marked by what you gave, not by what you received.

Growing up, I don't recall a single speech on the virtues of generosity. Dad never called a town hall meeting to espouse the virtues of giving. But my siblings and I knew this because, as all children do, we paid attention to what our parents did with their things.

In church, I never saw an offering plate pass my father without his drawing something out of his wallet. Even when we were on vacation, visiting a place other than our home church, Dad always put something in.

Our mother fed more guests than some of the diners in our town. She scoured the newspaper for new recipes she could make on a budget. The abundance of our dinner table made people feel welcome in our home.

A Christian home is a place where the door is open to guests, where at least 10 percent of your income is invested in your church or other worthy ministries, and where people inside are willing to share their toys.

—Robert Wolgemuth in The Most important Place on Earth

My Response: Have I learned to share my "toys"? Can my family see that?

Thought to Apply: Generosity is an act of faith that says, "There's always more where that came from."—anonymous

Adapted from The Most Important Place on Earth (Nelson, 2004) by permission.

Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Generosity is hard for me, Lord. Teach me to loosen my grasp and share with others what You've loaned to me.

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