How to View Giving

Scripture Reading: Luke 21:1-4

Key Verse: Luke 21:3

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.”

This lesson challenges all of us that really want to please God. It is a lesson about giving and how God sees the givers.

Our human reaction to giving would be based on how much a person gives. If we could see everyone’s giving habits, we would be tempted to be impressed with the large offerings of some of the givers! We would be tempted to discount the small offerings given by poor people. I say “tempted” in each of these cases because I think most of you know that it wouldn’t be “Christian” to discount what a poor person gives. However, we are human, and our flesh tends to judge things by the amount of giving rather than the heart of giver!

At one point, Jesus was in the temple and was watching rich people dropping their gifts into the collection box. It’s my opinion that Jesus knew the thoughts of those around Him and decided to make it a teaching moment. It’s interesting how Jesus started His lesson: “I tell you the truth…” (Luke 21:3).

Jesus knew the thoughts of those around Him and realized they were concluding these events as “truth”. In other words, they were seeing these large gifts going into the collection box, as the most important offerings; they believed “larger is better” was the truth about offerings.

Jesus stepped in and basically said: “stop thinking that these large gifts are the most important gifts in God’s sight!” Jesus pointed to this widow’s small gift and declared that God was most pleased with her offering! What lessons should be concluded from Jesus’s words?

First, God hates pride and I think He saw pride in these rich people’s minds. I think it’s very possible that some of the problem in this situation is the attitudes and motives of these rich people. Their giving was all about being seen as the “big” givers and receiving the applause of those around them.

The second lesson we can get out of this event is that the percentage of our giving is more important than the amount of our giving.

Jesus said that this widow had put 100% of what she had left into this offering and that made her offering more than what the rich guys giving, from God’s perspective.

I believe that God wants us to be willing to give our all to Him. Realize that God doesn’t need our money. But He does want our hearts.

It is always a person’s “love for money” compared to their “love for God” that is the issue. Can you surrender all to Him, knowing that no matter how much He actually takes from us won’t harm us? God takes care of His children!

Father, I surrender all there is of me because I have all there is of you! In Jesus’s Name I pray, amen.