One of the marks of true generosity is giving that hurts. As they say, it is not giving if it does not cost the giver anything. Giving out of abundance and surplus are expected, but giving out of poverty is the kind of generosity that our God smiles upon.
And this is why in the Gospel, Jesus lauded the widow who donated two small coins in the treasury compared to the rich who offered gifts.
“So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” Luke 21:3-4
And so when we give to others, and offer to the church, let us always remember that it is not the amount that matters. It is our sincerity in giving, the motivation of our hearts, and our genuine desire to give back to God and help others. We, after all, are just stewards of every blessing we receive from above.
“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38
As someone once said, generosity is not measured in how much we give, but how much we leave to ourselves.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to
ponder on Luke 21:1-4 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: When was the last time you gave to others? How did it make you feel?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for being very generous to us. Give us the confidence and grace to be genuinely generous to others too. Amen.