Hey, my friend, welcome to today's encouragement from your friends at Our Daily Bread.

The devotional for today titled A Handful of Rice was written by Matt Lucas.

The state of Mizoram in northeast India is slowly climbing out of poverty. Despite their

lack of income, since the gospel first came to this area, believers in Jesus have practiced

a local tradition called handful of rice. Those preparing meals each day set aside a handful of

uncooked rice and give it to the church. Miserum churches, poor by the world's standard,

have given millions to missions and sent missionaries around the world, and many and their home state have come to Christ.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 8, Paul describes a similarly challenged church.

Believers in Macedonia were poor, but that didn't keep them from giving joyfully and abundantly.

They saw their giving as a privilege and gave even beyond

their ability to partner with Paul. They understood they were merely stewards of God's resources.

Giving was a way to show their trust in Him, who provides for all our needs. Paul used the Macedonians to encourage the

Corinthians to have the same approach to giving. The Corinthians excelled in everything, in faith,

in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in love.

Now they needed to excel in this grace of giving.

Like the Macedonians and believers in Miserum,

we too can reflect our father's generosity

by giving generously out of what we have.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 2 Corinthians chapter 8,

verses 1 through 7. 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. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their

ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this

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