[Jesus speaking]
Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

–Parallel verses:
II Corinthians‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭2‬, ‭7‬-‭9‬
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Being a good steward plays an important role in God’s kingdom. However, of much greater importance is generosity. The Bible mentions stewardship in Proverbs and in some parables as a virtue. But the Bible outright commands us to be generous, and to do this in an extreme manner. People with good and bad motives alike can be good stewards. But to be truly generous takes a special touch from God. This is modeled to us by the example of the Macedonian church’s giving to Paul’s ministry (to the other churches in need) out of their poverty.

As I have seen God’s mighty hand act in ministry a few times, sometimes these require us to step out in faith and lead without knowing how he will accomplish his work. I had a friend recently take on a project of clearing out hundreds of bankers boxes and shelves for a contact of his. My friend told the contact (who needed this done) that he should donate to a great cause and then my friend would get the volunteers to help him. The owner did donate to the Boise Rescue Mission. Then this friend of mine, who was generous with his time and connections, took a step of faith in two ways: 1) in trusting God to give him people to help, and 2) in trusting God to give him strength. Strength was important, as heavy boxes, full of documents, had to be carried down a full flight of stairs. Adding to this difficulty, my friend has had significant leg challenges as of late. He can typically stand for a maximum of three hours or so.

As it turned out, there were 8+ people that volunteered to help, plus another man hired a moving company to help on his own dime. My friend was on his feet for seven hours and God sustained him. He was generous with his time and connections and he trusted God to carry him through for the rest of the need. So in turn, God blessed him!

The Pharisees had the outward appearance of righteousness, but they were only generous when required to be so. They did not have a heart to understand the challenges of those who had needs and walk with them. They were cold to those in need, outside the law. They neglected justice and love, in all their lust for power, wealth, and control. Their faith, speech, knowledge, and earnestness, did not get them a free ticket into heaven. They didn’t have their hearts changed by grace, which overflowed in generosity!

In a day and time when many are concerned about storing up resources for a recession or getting bigger and better toys and houses, the Lord calls us to invest our money, time, and talents in the eternal currency of heaven — Changed Hearts!

Lord, continue to mold me into your image. Take hold of my finances, my resources, my time, and my talents, and use them however you wish … all and only FOR YOUR GLORY!