Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
- 2 Corinthians 9:10

Yesterday we explored the biblical truth that God is generous by his very nature. Today, we want to pay attention to what he already has done to be generous toward us.

What good gifts has God given you?

If we want to take stock of God’s provision, we need to look at the world around us with eyes that have been transformed by Jesus. We need to learn to see his hand of provision at work around us.

In today’s passage, Paul wrote that these ordinary things – “seed” (what you need to do your work) and “bread” (what you need to survive) – come from God. Now, a farmer might be tempted to disagree. The farmer may have paid for that seed or worked hard for that bread. The seed and the bread may have come from the market. But Paul pointed out that God is the one who makes all of that hard work possible and is the one who makes all of that effort fruitful.

Sometimes, God supplies our needs in extraordinary, miraculous, I-have-no-explanation-but-that-God-came-through-for-me ways. But most of the time, God provides us with the day-to-day things we need through ordinary means. In every case we’re invited to see God’s generous hand.

Seeing God’s generosity in action changes the way we think about generosity. God is not just generous in his disposition. He is generous in his behavior. He doesn’t just intend good things for us, he actively brings his provision to us.

Take a few moments to look around your life. What has God provided for you? Where has he give you “seed” and “bread”? What can you thank him for today?