Luke 21 - Giving for the Right Reasons

“1As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3"I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

I can picture the rich smugly looking at the poor widow putting in such a “meager” offering, in comparison to their gifts, and the widow feeling down and ashamed that she could not match their wealth. Oh, how glorious it must have been for her to hear Jesus’ voice saying she had given more than the others, for she gave out of poverty, she gave all she had for the Lord. How outraged and flustered do you think the rich were then?

You see, as this passage clearly illustrates, it’s not the amount of the offering in relation to others (or a collective whole) that matters, but in proportion to what you have to give. In fact, God doesn’t need our money, the giving is not about that, He wants our obedience and a relationship with us. You see, the widow gave from her heart, what she felt called to give. Her gift, though less than the others, was very special because it was all she had (100% of her money) AND her giving was in obedience to God. It appears that the “wealthy” were just giving to draw attention to themselves at how much they had given. It wasn’t about God, it was about their OWN pride, which is no reason to give. So when it comes time to give to the church, ministries, organizations, missionaries, etc., have the Holy Spirit search you and guide you on what to give, whether it be a lot or a little, if you follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit and give out of love and obedience, for God’s will to be done, then the offering (no matter the size) will be exactly the right amount. Amen?