The Generous Dollar

I have a friend who has a very wealthy brother, and at Christmas each year the gift giving is a little awkward. My friend gets a huge, lavish gift from his brother but he does not have the means to reciprocate such a gift back to his brother. So my friend gets a $200 electronic item and his brother gets a $25 Kohls necktie. My friend has mentioned a time or two that he knows his brother doesn’t care, but that he always feels a little sheepish about his minuscule offering.

Have you ever felt like you have so little to give compared to others? How about in the area of financial tithing? My heart wants to put another zero on the end of that check, but I just can’t—my account doesn’t allow it.

But the more I understand about biblical generosity the more I come to realize that God doesn’t care so much about the number as the heart that gives it. In fact, Jesus encourages us with that through the story of the widow’s mite found in Mark 12:41-44.

What I also find really cool is that sometimes these seemingly irrelevant gifts can bring the most impact. Not because of their volume but because of their intent. God can take a simple offering and turn it into a feast. (Oh wait, that’s a true story found here.)

Since it is the season of generosity and we all like to hear about God’s multiplying power, let me share this story with you. I find it encouraging, inspiring and altogether miraculous. But then again, should I be surprised? It just seems to be the way God works.

“I heard a missionary tell an amazing story of a child’s generosity. John Bechtel, a missionary in Hong Kong, wanted to start a Christian camp to reach people for Christ. A bankrupt multimillion-dollar hotel and conference center became available for sale. He made an offer to purchase the property and then traveled around the world to raise the millions he would need. But no one was willing to help and he returned to Hong Kong discouraged. Then one day he got a letter from a young girl that included $1 and a note saying she wanted him to use this to buy the camp. John Bechtel prayed and took the girl’s $1 to the real estate closing and the corporation decided to accept the $1 as full payment! Since the camp first opened, over a million people have come and over 100,000 have accepted Christ.” [1]

Be encouraged in your generosity. It’s not the number that matters. God can take a simple dollar and use it to bring Himself glory. It’s your heart that God wants. Seek Him, trust Him, and love Him with your resources. After all God loves a generous heart! (2 Cor. 9:7)