Wonderful Joy + Deep Poverty = Rich Generosity (huh??)
This passage in 2 Corinthians 8:2 has always been so curious to me - "though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, their wonderful joy and deep poverty have overflowed in rich generosity". The believers in Macedonia were commended for their giving and it says that they begged again and again for the privilege to give even more. Further on in the chapter, Paul urges the believers in Corinth to also excel in this ministry of "giving", because of how it truly shows the depth of their love.
The Spiritual Discipline that we want to emphasize in the month of February is "giving". Absolutely everything in our North American culture pushes us to be selfish, to be consumers, and to look out for "number one" - giving is the antidote for that. One of the growing trends identified by analysts in our culture is a "joyless prosperity" that seems to be increasingly pervasive. People have more disposable income than ever and yet are still feeling an emptiness deep within.
Jesus talked about money so much because he understood the deception that it so quickly leads to in our human weakness. Giving all of who we are (Romans 12:1) including (and maybe especially) our money, helps us to experience the freedom that Jesus offers. Maybe a good question to ask is - is there anything counter-cultural about your approach to "giving"? As the Macedonians found out... giving is a gift and a privilege that leads to a very real joy.