We often think about generosity coming from those who have an abundance. This is a humanistic way of looking at the world. The kingdom view is that generosity comes from those who have nothing. Mark records a time when Jesus sat opposite the treasury and was observing people putting money into the offering box. He saw a poor widow put two small copper coins in. He was moved by that and called his disciples over. He said, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mark 12:43-44).
Paul echoed the sentiment when he was asking for money from the wealthy Corinthians to help the church in Jerusalem. the Macedonian church gave abundantly out of their extreme poverty. Paul said, “For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part” (2 Cor. 8:2). Paul said they gave according to, and even beyond their means and begged Paul and his co-workers to take part in the relief of the saints in Jerusalem.
Paul goes on to say that their request was not expected. So where did it come from? “But they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us” (vs. 5). Paul didn’t guilt the Corinthian church into giving, but instead gave an example of the poor Macedonians giving abundantly out of their extreme poverty. They did it because they first gave themselves to the Lord. They realized that they belong to God and God is the provider of all that we have. This is what generosity in scarcity looks like!