 They learned that their God would still provide their daily bread. They learned that they can have great joy despite having very little by way of possessions. And this gave them the freedom to be generous with what little they had. They begged for the opportunity to contribute. It kind of sounds like Paul and his companions tried to excuse them from the offering. I can imagine Paul saying, no, no, you don't have much, so you don't need to give. I know the Corinthians over there, they have some money, so I'll hit them up for it instead.