Living with an Open Hand

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Gentlemen, every day is a battle. A battle for your faith, your family, and your purple. The men who stand strong don't prepare when the battle arrives. They prepare before it begins. Welcome to the men's morning devotional. Let's get into God's word. It's time to man up.

Steve Alessi 0:27

Good morning, gentlemen. It's Steve Aleste, and it's time for another man up moment. And I want to talk about living with an open hand. Proverbs 11, 24, and 25 says, one man gives freely yet gains even more. Another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper. He who refreshes others will refresh himself. I'm going to be honest with you right now. This one is a challenge for me, especially when it comes to saying yes to my wife's purchases. So I need to man up. Now most men understand working hard, saving and providing for our families, and even protecting what we've been working for. It's called responsibility. But if we're not careful, being responsible can turn into holding on too tightly. Proverbs 11, 24 and 25 is teaching us that one man gives freely and gains even more, then it gives us a great principle. You ready? The generous man prospers, and the man who refreshes others will be refreshed himself. Guys, that's completely opposite to the way most of us think. We say, if you want more, you got to hold on to more. But God says, learn to release what I've placed into your hands. There's a story about a farmer who constantly grew some of the best corn in his county. Year after year he won awards. Someone finally asked him his secret, and the farmer explained that every year he shared his best seed corn with the farmers around him. One guy asked, Why would you give your best seed to the farmers you're competing against? The farmer explained that when the wind blows, pollen travels from one field to another. If his neighbors grew corn that was poor, eventually it would affect the quality of his own crop. So he said, if I want to grow good corn, I have to help my neighbors grow good corn too. Man, there's a great principle right there. Sometimes the best way to improve your own life is to help improve somebody else's life. When we hear generosity, we usually think about money. And yes, generosity includes our finances. But a generous man gives more than money. He gives us time, he gives us encouragement, his wisdom, he gives people opportunities. He even gives credit instead of always needing to take the credit. A generous man doesn't walk into every room asking, what can I get from these people? But instead he asks, what can I add to these people? And that's a mind shift because it's so different than the way most of us live today. I especially love the last thought in this proverb. It says, the man who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Listen, brothers, somebody around you today needs refreshing. One of your brothers needs to be encouraged because he's dealing with discouragement. Another is carrying a burden you know nothing about, and he needs encouragement. Somebody needs an opportunity, or maybe even needs some financial help. And here's the thought God may have already put in your hand what somebody else needs. So don't let God's blessing stop with you. If God gives you more, don't just build a bigger container. Build a bigger pipeline and let more flow through you. Because your family should be better because you're there. And the workplace, better because you work there. The church, our church, should be better because you're part of what we do, and your friends should be stronger because you're in their lives. That's the life of a generous man. So, gentlemen, here's your man-up challenge. Refresh one person today. Now don't wait for them to ask, but instead go out and bless them. Maybe buy them lunch, leave the bigger tip after dinner, send the encouraging text, give somebody some extra time of yours. Maybe even share some wisdom with a younger person that's around you. Open the door for somebody. Whatever you're doing, just help someone else who is struggling. And don't do it because you're trying to get something back. Do it because that's the kind of man you've decided to become. And then trust the principle of Proverbs. When you refresh others, God has a way of refreshing you. So live with an open hand and refresh somebody today. Let's pray. Father, thank you for everything you've placed in our hands. Help us not to hold too tightly to what you've given us. Make us generous men, generous with our finances, our time, our encouragement, our wisdom, and even our opportunities. Show us somebody today who needs refreshing and give us the willingness to do something about it. Keep our hands open, our hearts generous, and make our lives a blessing to the people that are around us. In Jesus' name, amen.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

All right, gentlemen, you've heard God's word. Now go live it. Lead well, stand strong, honor God in everything you do. Share this devotional with another brother. Remember, every day is another opportunity to man up.