Within the past week while driving my granddaughters to school, they pointed out a crockpot sitting on a table outside a four-plex. They sign read: "Free Soup." Beside the crockpot was a box that apparently contained some bowls and spoons. What made the offer of free soup most intriguing was it was in front of the door on a busy street and all the apartments around it are low income. It is also a frequent target of crime of various kinds.
My granddaughters wondered why someone would do that? I told them they just wanted to share and what a wonderful thing it was to offer help to others. Obviously, those living in the apartment are not in the middle or upper class neighborhood. But, they wanted to share what they had.
My mind was drawn to II Corinthians 8:2 where the apostle Paul commends the Christians in Macedonia and points them out as an example to the much more affluent Corinthians to whom he was writing. Paul tells us that the Macedonians "...deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality." In other words, in spite of their own needs, they showed great generosity. That's the mark of a believer in Jesus Christ. He is never tight-fisted and cautious because he recognizes everything he has is from God.
On our way to the girls' Christian school, one of the girls remarked, "Do you suppose someone will steal the crockpot?" I said, "I don't think so but if they do, God will provide another." The fact their father is a detective in the burglary section of the police department was showing BUT the lesson had been understood. We don't have to be rich to be generous and kind and we can trust God. That's a lesson for all of us.