The holidays can feel like a collision—warm lights and hard memories, generosity campaigns and a quiet fear that there still won’t be enough. We lean into that tension and ask a harder question: what would it take to move from being inspired by generosity to becoming intentional about it? Starting with Advent’s core meaning—waiting—we explore why “no room at the inn” is more than a nativity detail. It’s a mirror for our scarcity mindset and a signpost to a different economy.

We trace the human tendency to mistrust the Host through Genesis: grasping in Eden, rivalry with Cain and Abel, consolidation at Babel, and Abraham and Sarah’s shortcut with Hagar. Each story shows how trying to manufacture blessing unravels us. Then we turn to Israel’s laws of gleaning in Deuteronomy, where God reorders life around margin—leave something for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. This is practical, local, and relational generosity, built on memory: remember slavery, remember redemption, and let remembrance shape how you give your time, money, and attention.

From there, we unpack 2 Corinthians 9 as a grounded blueprint for giving: decide in your heart, give cheerfully without pressure, trust God’s provision, practice wisdom without weaponizing scrutiny, refuse strings attached, and build intention into your calendar and budget. Along the way we address the pain many feel around church and money, and we offer a path that centers love, trust, and proximity to real needs. Love gave first. That’s the pattern that breaks scarcity and turns resources into good news.

If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs encouragement this season, and leave a review to help others find it. Then tell us: what intentional step toward generosity will you take this week?

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