Day 7 – Wednesday
Deuteronomy
15:1-11
Generous God, You have forgiven us so
much! And you have commanded us to forgive not only personal offenses, but also
the financial debts of our neighbors.
You have called us to be a generous people
who lend and give freely. You have instructed us to be openhanded, not
hard-hearted or tight-fisted in response to neighbors in need. But we have made
it almost a creed among us that it is unwise to lend to our relatives and
friends, let alone neighbors whom we barely know.
Your prophet declared, “there need be no
poor among you,” and “there will always be poor people in the land.” We have
chosen to believe that the latter must be the case and that some, if not many,
are fated to be perpetually poor. We thereby excuse ourselves from taking the
risks that extravagant generosity requires of us. We do not trust You enough to
risk much. We will not expend much effort assuring that our neighbors may be
vital, fruitful participants in the life of our community.
God, forgive us for our hard-heartedness.
Forgive us for failing to trust You enough to lend and give and then forgive
the debts of those to whom we have lent.
Pry our fingers open, if You must, but
enable us to give with generosity that reflects your generosity to us. Amen.
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