Lent Devotion Daily Guide – March 16, 2022

Today we are going to continue to learn lessons from the life of Basil the Great (329AD-379AD). During his lifetime Basil was known for giving away loaves of bread to the hungry. Sometimes Basil would hide gold coins in the loaves of bread as an act of generosity to the poor. Basil once said, “When someone steals another’s clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.” Basil believed that showing God’s love to others required great acts of generosity. Basil believed this so strongly he felt that living in excess was tantamount to stealing from the poor. Christ expects us to show God’s love through generosity. Today I encourage you to think about Basil’s call to generosity. Are you being as generous as God has called you to be? Are you sharing God’s love though great acts of generosity? 

~ Pastor Adam Ricks