Your generosity includes money and material, obviously, but it’s about a mindset more than anything. It’s also about being ridiculously generous with love, encouragement, forgiveness, time and everything else you possess materially and non-materially. And one of the many benefits of being ridiculously generous with your life in all its dimensions is that it frees you up on the inside. Studies show that generosity is tied to less stress, lower depression, a better marriage and higher happiness. Bottom line: Be generous—riduculously!
The Journey: Luke 21:1-4
As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
Blog Disclaimer: I’m not posting this because I need your money. Neither does God—he less than me. But we both want your soul to be freer than it is. That is why you find an amazing amount of teaching in the Bible—both Old and New Testaments—on the subject of money and wealth. And Jesus—wow, did he talk about it a lot.
Including the story of the poor widow woman putting her offering into the temple treasury. Interestingly, Jesus was watching her like a hawk—which would be a faux pas of the highest order in church culture today. But without apology, he was watching her, and others, and offering a running commentary on the amounts that each giver was giving. And his conclusion was that those with much more wealth to give were nowhere near as generous as she with her pitifully small offering of two insignificant coins because she gave out of her poverty all that she had.
So why so much attention given in this particular event, and in general, why so much attention throughout the scriptures on money and material possessions? The answer is simple: God owns it all, and he wants you to be worshipful with it by giving a portion of it back to him, and generous with it toward others by sharing it. The bottom line to the Bible’s teaching on money is that we are called to be ridiculously generous with it.
Now generosity includes money and material, obviously, but it’s about a mindset more than anything. It’s also about being ridiculously generous with love, encouragement, forgiveness, time and everything else you possess materially and non-materially. And one of the many benefits of being ridiculously generous with your life in all its dimensions is that it frees you up on the inside. Studies show that generosity is tied to less stress, lower depression, a better marriage and higher happiness.
Jesus knew that way before the social psychologists came along. That’s why he said, “it’s more blessed to give than receive.” (Acts 20:35) That is why he made an example for all time of this generous widow. She got it, and she was blessed of God more than most with extreme wealth.
The Greek word for “blessed” is markarios. Not only blessed, it meant hilariously happy. Hopefully she knew that in this life, but for sure, the poor widow is hilarious happy for all eternity in heaven—and ridiculously wealthy.
Want inner health and happiness now? Be generous! Want to be ridiculously wealthy when it counts—in heaven. Be generous now!
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