The Generous Janitor
Theme of the Week: Untamed Generosity
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: Those who are stingy will lose everything. The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed (Proverbs 11:24-25). Bonus Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:6-10
A generous person focuses on meeting the needs of others—with money, deeds, or emotional support or assistance—without expecting anything back.
A lot of people think you have to be rich to be generous. Nothing could be further from the truth.
One of the most generous people I've known was a janitor I worked with in college. He scrubbed toilets five nights a week and took care of his bedridden wife during the day. He was generous with his time, his kind words, his thoughtfulness, and his considerate acts. I once asked him if there was anything he needed. "Heavens no." he replied. "Everything I have ever needed has always been abundantly provided." To this day, I've never met a happier man.
And those who are not generous? Solomon says they'll fall into poverty. Not necessarily financial or material poverty, but poverty of the soul. They're never satisfied with whatever they have and constantly need more. They become emotionally bankrupt. Generosity starts in the heart. It always takes action, and it's never passive.
—Steven Scott in The Richest Man Who Ever Lived
My Response: What can I learn from this janitor about avoiding poverty of soul?
Thought to Apply: It's not what you'd do with a million if riches should ever be your lot, but what you're doing right now with the dollar you've got. —source unknown
Adapted from The Richest Man Who Ever Lived (WaterBrook, 2006) by permission.
Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
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Teach me, Lord, to give more like You do: ungrudgingly, freely, lavishly.
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