The open handed life
For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’~ Deuteronomy 15:11
What does your hand look like today, open or closed? When you think about generosity, do you feel freedom or hesitation? Is giving something you do occasionally or is it part of who you have become? Today’s scripture reading reveals the heart of God for His people. Every seven years debts were to be released. The poor were not to be ignored. The instruction was clear, do not harden your heart and do not shut your hand. Generosity was not meant to be emotional or impulsive. It was meant to be a lifestyle rooted in trusting your heavenly Father to be your provider . As a child of God in today’s world, you may not be canceling agricultural debts, but you encounter opportunities daily to live open handed. Time, encouragement, resources, forgiveness, influence, and compassion are all forms of generosity.
Below are some points to consider to help you live a generous life:
1.Generosity begins with a soft heart
God warned His people not to harden their hearts toward those in need. A generous life begins internally before it ever shows up externally.
When someone shares a need, pause before dismissing it. Ask the Holy Spirit what your response should be. Pray regularly that God would keep your heart tender and aware of the needs around you. If you notice yourself becoming cynical or guarded, bring that attitude before the Lord and ask Him to renew your compassion. In your current circumstances, this may look like listening patiently to a coworker who is struggling, offering prayer to a friend in crisis, or choosing kindness when it would be easier to withdraw.
2.Generosity requires intentional action
This chapter in Deuteronomy does not say think generously. It says open your hand wide. True generosity moves beyond good intentions into tangible steps.
Set aside a portion of your income specifically for helping others, even if it feels small. Look at your weekly schedule and identify one way to serve someone intentionally. When you see a need that you can meet, act promptly rather than postponing or debating your response. In your current season, this could mean helping a family member with groceries, mentoring someone younger in their faith, helping support someone going on a mission trip or giving toward a ministry that is reaching people you may never personally meet.
3.Generosity multiplies trust in God
The Lord promised to bless His people as they obeyed. Generosity is not about losing resources. It is about trusting the One who supplies them. When you give freely, you show that you believe that God is your true source.
When fear arises about not having enough, choose to give in faith instead of shrinking back.
Keep a record of the ways God provides after you step out in obedience. Thank Him daily for what you have, which keeps your focus on abundance rather than lack. In real life, this may look like continuing to give during a tight financial time, offering hospitality even when your home is imperfect, or forgiving someone who cannot repay you emotionally.
There was a large part of my life when all I knew was how to take. I never even considered that I had something valuable to offer or that I could give of my time or resources. Most of the time I felt stretched and overwhelmed by my own needs and responsibilities. It was easy to focus inward and protect what we had. After my husband and I began tithing, we chose to step into a deeper commitment to give, serve, and help wherever we could. At times it required sacrifice and intentional planning. Yet in those very moments, we saw doors open that we could not have orchestrated. Opportunities came. Provision arrived at just the right time. Most importantly, peace filled our home, and living generously strengthened my confidence that God sees every act of obedience and responds with faithfulness.
After that, I began carrying a specific amount of money with me for the sole purpose of giving it whenever I encountered someone in need. At first it was twenty dollars, but over time that amount increased significantly. I also used to struggle when I saw someone in need, trying to decide whether the person was worthy of my help. The Holy Spirit gently corrected my heart and showed me that my responsibility was obedience, not evaluation. I realized that we are all broken, and even if poor decisions contributed to someone’s situation, they are still precious in the sight of God. There is no amount of money too great to touch a life that is valued by Heaven. They are worth the blood of Jesus, and that makes them worthy to receive whatever I have set aside to give.
Today I want to encourage you to open your hand wide and trust your Father with what He has placed in it. Do not let fear close what faith is meant to open. A generous life is not measured by the size of your resources but by the posture of your heart. As you choose compassion over caution and obedience over hesitation, you step into the blessing described in Deuteronomy 15. You become a channel through which Heaven touches earth. Grow up into a mature child of God that imitate their dear Father that holds nothing back, just as He held nothing back from you.
Today’s scripture reading: Deuteronomy 15
1 “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts.
2 And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the Lord’s release.
3 Of a foreigner you may require it; but you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother,
4 except when there may be no poor among you; for the Lord will greatly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance—
5 only if you carefully obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today.
6 For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.
7 “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother,
8 but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.
9 Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the Lord against you, and it become sin among you.
10 You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.
11 For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’
12 “If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.
13 And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed;
14 you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the Lord your God has blessed you with, you shall give to him.
15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today.
16 And if it happens that he says to you, ‘I will not go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, since he prospers with you,
17 then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise.
18 It shall not seem hard to you when you send him away free from you; for he has been worth a double hired servant in serving you six years. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.
19 “All the firstborn males that come from your herd and your flock you shall sanctify to the Lord your God; you shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock.
20 You and your household shall eat it before the Lord your God year by year in the place which the Lord chooses.
21 But if there is a defect in it, if it is lame or blind or has any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.
22 You may eat it within your gates; the unclean and the clean person alike may eat it, as if it were a gazelle or a deer.
23 Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground like water.
Journal:
- What area of my life feels most closed off right now
- Who has God placed in my path that may need my generosity
- What practical step can I take this week to open my hand wider
- How has God shown Himself faithful when I have chosen to give in the past
The Daily Dose 