2 Corinthians 9:6 - The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

The owner of a large estate once gave his gardener some red roses to take home to his wife. The flowers, however, never made it to their intended recipient. On the bus that afternoon, the gardener sat next to a widow who spoke of her loneliness. Knowing his wife would understand, he gave the roses to the lonely widow and brightened up her day.

But the widow didn't get home with them either. At the grocery store, she came upon a tearful young girl. The girl's mother was very ill. "Here," the widow said, handing the flowers to the girl. "Give them to your mother; tell her I'll be praying for her tonight."

Gratefully, the girl accepted them and took them to her mother. The roses cheered the bedridden woman, but even she didn't keep them. "They're too beautiful not to share," she told her pastor when he came to visit the next day. "I'd like the church to have them." So the pastor took them and placed them in the sanctuary where his congregation could see and enjoy them. After the service, the minister gave single roses to some of the church members as they left. The beauty of the flowers was extended once more before they wilted.

There's a beautiful poem entitled, "Flowers Leave Their Fragrance on the Hand of the Giver," and the words are true. Every good deed, every selfless kindness, every thoughtful action which comes from a heart full of faith—a heart touched by the abundance the Lord has freely given—has a way of blessing the giver and multiplying the gift. Like the ripple effect of a stone tossed into water, the circles that emanate can reach many unseen shores.

So it is with the greatest love of all. Jesus' redemptive work on the cross comes to us through God's Word. By the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, we are made clean and acceptable to God through faith in the salvation Christ has won for us. God's fragrance, the perfect sacrifice of His Son, is offered to everyone.

It is free and available to everyone. Share it the next chance you get.

THE PRAYER: Thank You, Father, for Your love. Help me today and always to have the courage to pass it on. Amen.

Taken from the message, "Fragrance of the Hand of the Giver," by a worker for LHM-Uganda

Reflection Questions:

1. What's a meaningful gift that you've received lately? What's one that you've given?

2. Do you think the whole sowing and reaping thing holds true in real life?

3. When have you seen a gift that ended up being multiplied in its blessing to others?

Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 130-132    1 Corinthians 1

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