Mark 12:41-45
The Widow’s Offering
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
As I was reading Mark 12 this morning God highlighted these scriptures to me. When Jesus was watching the crowd put their money into the temple treasury, He saw many rich people throw in large amounts but what caught His eye was a poor widow who gave but two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
Jesus then points out that the significance is not in the amount she gave but in the conditions she gave in. She gave in lack rather than in abundance.
God was reminding me of two things here. One, that God is watching what we do with what He has given us. In the same chapter Jesus reminds us that everything belongs to God. Mark 12:17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” God wants us to be good stewards of all that He gives us.
Another one is that God is more interested in equal sacrifice than equal giving. He is not interested in the amount that you give as much as He is interested in the heart in which you give. Jesus wasn’t impressed when the rich people gave large amounts of money in their abundance. He was impressed when the poor widow gave all that she had in her poverty.
The challenge is not to give when we have it all but to give when we are in lack. At a time such as this the world is telling us to hold on to what we have and to suggest that we are in lack. But I tell you this that Lifespring has been an example of what giving looks like. When the world says to keep all you have, we say who shall we give to. We give not only in abundance but in every season because we know that we are merely stewards of what God has graciously given us.
My Prayer is simply this:
We thank you that everything belongs to you and that you have entrusted us with your possessions. We ask that you would continue to use us to bless those around us. God we don’t want to be a people who give circumstantially but to give because you have called us to do so.
We pray this all in Jesus name, Amen!