August 20
Job 20-21
Psalm 94:8-15
Proverbs 20:26-28
2 Corinthians 8
Generosity
“During a severe testing by affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity. I testify that, on their own, according to their ability and beyond their ability, they begged us consistently for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints.” 2 Corinthians 8:2-4 HCSB
This is a really important lesson to learn. Generosity has nothing to do with wealth. In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus makes this very clear. Jesus and His disciples were at the temple and Jesus was people watching. He watched as many people came and put their money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums of money. Instead of telling His disciples how great they were for giving so much money to the Lord, He instead pointed out a poor widow who gave what would have been less than two pennies. That small amount of money couldn’t do anything and yet Jesus said she gave more than all the people who gave a lot of money. They gave out of their wealth, but she gave all she had. They did not sacrifice anything to give their offering and she sacrificed greatly. Jesus is trying to make the point that He can do more with 2 pennies that are given in love and sacrifice than a large amount of money given out of guilt or in hopes of recognition. The motive of our hearts matters when we give. Paul is telling us in these verses about the church in Macedonia. They were experiencing a time of extreme poverty and persecution. Typically, when we are going through seasons of financial hardship, we tighten our belts. We limit any nonessential expenses, and we discipline ourselves to get by on less. These seasons are not typically characterized by generosity to others. We are in hunker-down mode, so we are barely getting by and have nothing to spare. That was not the case with the church in Macedonia. They begged Paul to let them give to his ministry. They were so committed to his work and to the Lord that even though they barely had enough money for their own expenses, they gave all they could to help Paul.
This is a powerful example for us. Unfortunately, I think that some people have the idea that the rich should give a lot and the poor don’t need to give anything. The problem with that is that we can always find someone who has more financial resources so if we are trying to get out of having to give generously, we can easily find an excuse. We can tell ourselves that when we have more money, we will give more and until then we just aren’t able. Then when we have more money, we also increase our expenses so there never seems to be any left over to give. Many churches are barely making ends meet because the people of God do not give generously to His kingdom work. Brian and I made a commitment early in our marriage to tithe. There have been seasons when this was very difficult because we weren’t sure how we were going to pay all our bills, but God has never failed to meet all our needs. There have been a few times when our bills were late, but we have always had the money we needed when we needed it. I believe that God has been faithful to us financially because we have been faithful to give generously to Him. We have been blessed so much by the opportunity to give to ministries all around the world that are making a kingdom difference. There is a deep abiding joy that comes from knowing that our resources are being used for eternal purposes. I am blessed to have a husband who is committed to giving. I struggled with writing this devotion because I do not want to seem like I am bragging about tithing. Please understand that I am telling you this to testify to God’s faithfulness. He has been so generous with us over the years when we absolutely did not deserve it. We have certainly not done everything right, even in tithing, but we have been consistent. I would strongly encourage you to give generously to the work of your church and to other ministries as you are able. Prayerfully ask God to show you needs that He can meet through you. Ask Him to show you how He wants to use your money and resources for eternal purposes. May we be so committed to His work that we beg for opportunities to participate as those in the church in Macedonia did.
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