“People with an abundance mentality don’t direct deposit God’s blessings into a savings account; they open a brokerage account and reinvest the dividends in others. They don’t just love to give; they live to give.”- Mark Batterson
“While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.”- Luke 21:1-2 (NLT)
Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 9 of Double Blessing as he compares a scarcity mentality with an abundance mentality. A scarcity mentality, Pastor Batterson observes:
- operates out of fear rather than faith
- nets greed rather than gratitude
- plays not to lose – satisfied with breaking even
- thinks in terms of addition and subtraction – so 5 loaves + 2 fishes = 7
- turns you into a cul-de-sac of blessing; because the blessing dead-ends with you
On the other hand, an abundance mentality recognizes that everything comes from God and is for God. And it understands that since every good and perfect gift comes from God, we don’t own anything. Furthermore, what God does for us does not dead-end with us. Ultimately, it’s for others. Thus, 5 loaves and 2 fishes = 5000 R12.
Certainly, the poor widow who put two coins in the collection box loved to give. Around the time the King James Version hit the presses, the mite represented the smallest coin in circulation. However, in first-century Judea, the lepton was the smallest and least valuable coin. With a diameter the width of a pencil eraser, the lepton possessed a worth of about six minutes of an average day’s wage.
So, the poor widow gave the equivalent of twelve minutes of time. But, even though that seems like so little, Jesus celebrated her generosity. In conclusion, Mark notes:
“The value of a gift isn’t determined by how much you give. The true value is a function of how much you keep. This woman gave so little, yet she gave so much>”
Today’s question: Do you lean more toward abundance or scarcity? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Stop watching the clouds – seed them”
