Skip to main content

Giving that Honors God

One of my favorite stories in the Bible on giving is in Mark 12:41-44. It is just two short paragraphs. It is the story of a poor widow who threw in a "few small copper coins, worth only a few cents" to the Temple offerings.

I love the story because it emphasized that giving is not just an external issue but an internal one. What did the woman have that pleased God?


1. Faith

The woman gave out of faith. "...she in her poverty, put in everything." (verse 44). Her circumstances did not stop her from believing the God of the provision -- Jehovah Jireh, "The Lord is My Provider."

The woman gave out of her faith in the Lord and not in her abilities. How do we know this?

Read verse 43 and 44 again.

"Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.

The trust of the woman was not in her ability. Her trust was on the Lord.

That was how she was able to give extravagantly.

2. Willingness

"For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have." 2 Corinthians 8:12

Of course it does not mean that because this woman gave everything that we take it literally.

The amount is not what Jesus was looking at. The gift is to be combined with willingness. It might not have been described in Mark 12:41-44 what the woman's level of willingness was, but I think it was there because the Lord Jesus was honored and He gave her honor.

3. Joy

"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

God loves a cheerful giver. This part is a bit self-explanatory. The God of worship desires for giving to be a form of worship as well. How do we worship? In love and thankfulness to God. If we give as an act of worship, there will be joy in our giving.

4. Obedience

"Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ..." 2 Corinthians 9:13

Giving is spiritual as much as it is natural. God prompts givers as much as He prompts encouragers, worshipers, prophets, leaders and evangelists. Giving is a form of service with rewards the same measure as any service made in faithfulness to the Lord. God sees the contribution and He is praised with the obedience to give. 

The Lord calls for obedience in every area of our lives. It does not matter to Him what the amount is as much as we do it out of our obedience to what He has already revealed.

5. Love

"Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;" Proverbs 3:9

"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God." 2 Corinthians 9:12

Love for God and love for people. Money - the same with talents, time, any other spiritual gift - is a tool that we use to express our love for God and our love for people. 

The flow of your finances shows you the ones that you love.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

Your spending somehow tells you what is most important to you.

"Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:20

When we build our treasure on houses, other things, technology in this world and yet come out not giving in the Lord, it shows that we are building treasure in this world but not in the riches of heaven.

When you give, the Bible says that it will be to your credit that you do so. You are sowing riches in heaven.*

"Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account." Philippians 4:17

__________

The promise of prosperity is available to you. In the context of the Bible, when God promises prosperity, it is in the context of obedience and generosity.

Promises such as these "You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion" (2 Corinthians 9:11), "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8), "my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19), "The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity...The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none." (Deuteronomy 8:11-12) are in the context of giving and obedience (2 Corinthians 9:7, Philippians 4:18, Deuteronomy 28:1).

God desires to bless us more than we deserve. But as Christians, we work in God's economy not the economy of the world.

Thank you all. And I'm encouraged by every good work that you sow. God bless you and may the Lord add to you riches on earth as it is in heaven as you obey.

God bless you!

Reference:

*Crown Financial Ministries, http://www.crown.org/

Image taken from "The Widow's Offering," Jesus' Footprints, March 2, 2011, http://jesusfootprints.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/the-widows-offering/, accessed February 15, 2013


Comments