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 Corinthians 8:2 ESV

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coastal states, Louisiana Baptist Convention officials received an envelope containing a donation of exactly $854 in cash. As you may remember, many gifts poured in with aid for that hard-hit region. But this unusual offering came from a group of twenty men in Sumatra, Indonesia, who eight months earlier had seen their homes destroyed by a devastating tsunami. During their crisis, a Southern Baptist disaster relief team had arrived to help them, and news of the historic storm in America had triggered in these Indonesian men a desire to return the favor with a gift that represented great personal sacrifice. 

Gospel-Motivated Giving

While most of us have never been driven from our homes by a natural disaster, a majority of people can relate to being financially stretched at some point. At such times, our instinct may be to cut back on our giving. 

Yet that may be the time to be even more intentional and sacrificial in our giving. Such gospel-motivated giving can be a means of sanctification in our lives and a means of exhibiting the generous heart of God to others. 

Spiritual Treasure

While I was a teen, I was deeply impacted by watching my parents continue giving generously and joyfully during a devastating downturn in the business they had worked so hard to build. 

“The righteous is generous and gives,” God’s Word says (Psalm 37:21 ESV), “and does not hold back” (Prov. 21:26 ESV). If you want to be spiritually rich, then help others be spiritually rich. At times, that may mean reducing your lifestyle and sacrificing personal comfort or convenience, in order to be able to give more. But I’m convinced that in eternity no one will ever say, “I wish I had given less.” I believe most if not all of us will say, “I wish I had given more!”

When was the last time you gave a sacrificial gift? Reflect on all God has given you in Christ, and ask Him to make HIs generosity the source and the measure of your giving.

Content adapted from The Quiet Place by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2012) and the November 2023 edition of Daily Reflections, a monthly devotional resource for Revive Partners. Used by Permission.

Speaking of gospel-motivated giving, we’re so grateful for what God has done through the gifts of friends like you to our #GivingTuesday campaign. As of today, God has provided 115% of our $156,000 goal toward the production and distribution of Revive Our Hearts content in Portuguese and Khmer! If you’ve already given, thank you, thank you, thank you.If you haven’t had a chance to participate yet, it’s not too late for your year-end gift to be matched!