Hey, my friend, welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

The reading for today titled, Generous Faith, was written by Matt Lucas.

A few years ago, our church was invited to host refugees fleeing their country after a tumultuous change in political leadership.

Entire families came with only what they could fit in a small bag.

Several of our church families opened their homes, including some who have

little room to spare. Their gracious hospitality reflects God's triple command to the Israelites

when they entered the promised land in Deuteronomy chapter 24. As an agricultural society, they understood the

importance of the harvest. The crops were essential to get them through until the next year.

This makes God's command to leave some for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, also a request to trust him.

The Israelites were to practice generosity not by giving only when they knew they had enough,

but giving out of a heart that trusts God's provision.

Such hospitality was also a reminder that they were slaves in Egypt.

They were once oppressed and destitute. Their generosity was a reminder of God's graciousness to them

and freeing them from bondage. Believers in Jesus are similarly urged to be generous.

Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 8, though Christ was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,

so that you through his poverty might become rich.

We give because he gave to us.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Deuteronomy

24, verses 17 through 22. Do not deprive the foreigner

or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you

were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command

you to do this. When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it.

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