A Generous Life: 28 Days of Devotion

By Horizons Stewardship Co Inc

Not only are humans born to be generous, we are born in the image of a loving and generous God. And sometimes we need a reminder.


These 28 devotionals gathered into four weekly themes, inspire the reader to discover the powerful Christian principles of gratitude, prayer, and faith—leading them back to the generous life they were born to live.
The daily readings are written by the diverse group of pastors, business and church leaders, speakers, and authors who make up the Horizons Stewardship Team.

Each reading includes scripture, a message containing personal stories and anecdotes, and a challenge to inspire the reader toward the discovery of the powerful Christian principles of gratitude, prayer, and faith—all which will lead them back to the generous life they were born to live.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: Jun 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9781501882746

Horizons Stewardship Co Inc

Horizons Stewardship partners with churches and nonprofits to guide them on the journey to fulfill God’s unique vision for their ministry. With a multi-denominational team of ministry strategists, the company provides a full range of services to inspire generosity and grow disciples. Horizons is headquartered in Cabot, Arkansas, and serves churches and nonprofits across the US. For more information, visit https://horizons.net.

Book preview

BORN TO BE GENEROUS

The journey home—the journey to discovering your best self—begins with this fundamental truth: we are created in the image of a loving and generous God.

For God so loved the world that he gave . . .

(John 3:16)

The very essence of God is loving and giving. Because we are born in the image of God, we are born to be generous.

In Generosity Rising, Scott McKenzie rewrites the opening words of the Declaration of Independence. He writes:

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all people are created in the image of a loving, giving, and generous God. We believe real life, true liberty, and eternal joy are only realized when we live lives of abundant generosity and sacrificial love.¹

Eugene Peterson in Run with the Horses says it this way:

Giving is what we do best. It is the air into which we were born. It is the action that was designed into us before our birth.²

Can you believe this fundamental truth? Can you look in the mirror and say, I am born in the image of a loving and generous God. I am born to be generous? Perhaps your answer is no—that’s fine. Perhaps you aren’t quite sure—that’s fine too. Sometimes we struggle with this truth because we know in our hearts that we do not always reflect this fundamental truth. Often, we choose to live by the motto The person who dies with the most stuff wins. We choose stuff over generosity. How many times have we said to ourselves, If only I had [blank], then I would be happy? But when we finally get [blank], some other thing or need rises up and becomes the next if only. A friend of mine once told his wife, If you will let me buy this motorcycle, I just know I’ll be happy and won’t ask for anything else. However, the following year they came out with a new model with new features that he just knew he couldn’t live without. The pursuit of stuff for happiness is unending and unfulfilling.

We hope these next seven days will serve as signs along the road, pointing us in the direction of our true home and our best selves, who were born in the image of a generous and loving God. We pray that at the end of this week, you will be able to look in the mirror and say, "I am created in the image of God, born to be