GENEROSITY AND GREED IN DEEP POVERTY
As long as I live, I’ll never forget her. At a small village in India, our team was praying for the townsfolk. Limping up to me, with a smile as bright as sunshine, an older widow pressed a small object into my hand. Pausing, I looked down and discovered it was a half-rupee, worth about a penny. I stared in disbelief. Before I could thank her, she hobbled away. This poor widow, even in deep poverty, was so blessed by Jesus, that she shared her "wealth" with a rich American who didn’t need her money. I retain the coin to this day, as a reminder of radical generosity.
My mind flashed on another widow Jesus encountered in Mark 12:43. After witnessing wealthy men depositing their offerings into the temple treasury, this widow dropped in two coins worth less than a penny. Jesus observed, “This poor widow has given more than all the others. All of them have given what they could spare. But she, in her poverty, has given everything she had to live on." The apostles must have shaken their heads in disbelief, totally clueless.
Generosity is not connected to how much money we possess... but neither is greed. On the same trip, we presented ball point pens to everyone we encountered. At one meeting, I observed a woman snatch a free pen from the hand of a disabled orphan girl. I later learned she was a preacher’s wife. Imagine being so greedy for a ball point pen!
Although Jesus warns of the dangers of wealth, the Bible condemns the “love of money,” not money itself (I Timothy 6:10). That’s because it’s a heart condition, unrelated to the size of our financial portfolio. Generosity and greed know no financial boundaries, existing in conditions of prosperity AND poverty. Whether it's a penny or a pen, I learned this profound lesson from two women in India.
In what ways do I need to practice radical generosity?
How can I open myself up for Jesus to transform me from greed to generosity?
"Lord Jesus, root out any area of greed in my heart, and give me a generous spirit."