Lutheran Devotional 8th July 2025, Tuesday Message
TOPIC: Living Generously
Leviticus 18:1-2, 19:9-10 – And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God.” … “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”
It interests me that God gives such specific instructions for how people are to harvest their wheat and their grapes. He tells them to do the very opposite of the way most people think nowadays: that we should try to get every last grape, every last kernel of wheat.
God had a good reason, of course. The fallen or overlooked harvest belonged to anyone who could collect it—which normally meant the poor, the hungry, and the foreigners, who had no land or harvest of their own. By giving them a share in the harvest of others, God provided for their needs and also taught the rest of Israel to live generously.
It’s not a bad principle, to build a little extra into your own plans for the sake of people in need. For example, I’ve been to church conferences—and at the end of the day, there are generally pencils and pads of paper left lying on the tables. Those helped my Vietnamese church supply its schoolchildren. Or there may be food left over after a church potluck or lunch; could that be given to people who need it? The LWML already uses mite boxes to gather up loose pocket change; that money has funded mission work around the world.
Living generously requires two attitudes—first, a concern for our fellow human beings, whoever they are and wherever they come from. All of them matter to Jesus; and He calls us to love them as He has loved us (see Matthew 15:21-40). In the same way we should leave no one out of our own care, whether they are poor, disabled, immigrants, children, or people who are unwanted by the rest of our society for any reason.
The second attitude we need is one that pays attention to overlooked gifts. After Jesus feeds the two large crowds, He directs the disciples to pick up the leftovers. He notices a food source that could be used for the poor—and He uses it.
In the end, we live generously because God Himself has been so incredibly generous to us. He doesn’t make us live on scraps from His table; no, He saw our need and He sent us the best He had—His own dear Son Jesus, to become our Savior and to rescue us from the power of evil. Through His death and resurrection Jesus bought us back to be God’s children, forgiven and living forever. With such gifts as that, how could we not be generous to the people around us?
WE PRAY: Dear Father, thank You for Your incredible gift of Jesus! Teach me to care generously for the least of Your people in this world. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- Who do you usually take care of first with your money and belongings?
- Who else could you care for, that you are not reaching now?
- Is there anybody Jesus would leave out of His love—or yours? How do you know?
Today’s Readings:
Lutheran Devotional 8th July 2025 was written by Dr. Kari Vo.