Are you rich or are you poor?
That’s a question that we all think about from time to time. Actually that’s a very subjective question. The fact is, that if you live in the United States, you are already living in one of the richest countries in the world! You may look at your neighbor who has a bigger house or a newer car and think that you are “poor,” but if you make $50,000/year your income is in the top 2% in the WORLD! You are actually RICH in a worldly way!
I think that a better question would be to ask if you are generous or if you are stingy. You can be “dirt poor” and still be generous. Actually, studies show that the more people make, the lower percentage of their income they give to charity! To be “generous” is not related to the size of your wallet, to be generous is all about the size of your heart!
There is an incredible story in the Gospel of Luke about a generous woman who had lost her husband but continued to live a life of generosity. In Luke 21:1–4 we read, “Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”"
What’s amazing is that according to our currency today, she actually gave less than a penny, but we are still telling her story 2,000 years later! The amount of money that the lady gave was not a lot, but what Jesus is showing is that God welcomes us into a life of sacrificial generosity. God invites us to “put our money where our faith is!” To be generous is to trust that God will provide for your needs, and you have faith that he is bigger in your life than your money is.
Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”(Matthew 6:19-21)
We have a generous God who gives us the treasure of His love for you in Jesus Christ! Jesus became “poor” so that we would receive the riches of His love! May the Holy Spirit give you the courage to follow Jesus living a generous life for others!
Receiving Jesus’ generous love,
Pastor Maske