The Stories of Christmas | Spare Change

A gift is appreciated because of what a person can afford, not because of what that person can't afford.

2 Corinthians 8:12 (CEB)

In this passage, Paul is writing to the Corinthian church about a collection he's organizing for believers in Jerusalem who are facing famine. He wants the Corinthians to participate, but he knows some of them are worried. They're not wealthy. What if their gift is too small to matter?

So Paul reassures them: God doesn't judge your generosity by the size of your gift. God looks at what you can afford. He looks at your heart. He looks at whether you're giving out of your resources or out of your excess.

This echoes what Jesus said about the widow's offering. Her two coins were worth more than all the large donations because she gave from what she had, not from what was left over.

The question isn't "How much did you give?" The question is "Did you give generously from what you have?"

We tell ourselves a lot of stories about generosity. One of the most common is this: "When I have more, I'll give more." When I get that raise, I'll start giving. When I'm more financially secure, I'll be generous. When I have extra, I'll help others.

But here's the problem: "When I have more" never comes. Because when we get more, we always find new reasons why we need to keep it. We convince ourselves we need a bigger emergency fund. Or we deserve to upgrade our lifestyle. Or we should save more for retirement. There's always a reason to wait.

And meanwhile, opportunities to be generous pass us by. People who need help right now don't get it. We miss the joy of giving because we're waiting for a future that never arrives. But true generosity gives from what we have now, not from what we hope to have someday. 

Remember the contrast in Jesus' story. The wealthy gave large amounts, but they gave from their excess. After they gave, their lives didn't change at all. They still had everything they needed and more. But the widow gave from what she had to live on. Her giving required faith. It demanded sacrifice. It changed her situation. And Jesus said she gave more.

So the question we have to ask ourselves is: Are we giving like the wealthy or like the widow? Are we giving from what's left over or from what we actually have? Are we dropping spare change in the collection box while holding tightly to everything else? Or are we loosening our grip on our resources and trusting God with the outcome?

Because God doesn't need our spare change. God invites us to sacrificial generosity. Not because God needs our money, but because we need to learn to trust God more than we trust our resources.

The good news is that generosity isn't measured by the amount. It's measured by the heart. You don't have to be wealthy to be generous. You don't have to wait until you have more. You can start right where you are with what you have.

Whatever you can afford, that's what God is asking for. Not what you can't afford. Not what someone else can afford. Just what you can afford, given with a generous heart. Because when we give generously from what we have, God takes our small offerings and does something beautiful with them.

Prayer

God, I've been waiting to be more generous "when I have more." But the truth is, I can be generous right now with what I already have. Help me to stop making excuses. Stop me from comparing my giving to others. Teach me to give generously from what I have, trusting you to multiply it. Show me opportunities this week to be generous—not with my spare change, but with real sacrifice. Give me the courage to loosen my grip and the faith to trust you with the outcome. Amen.