The Heart Behind Giving

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.” (Mark 12:43-44)

The most generous givers do not necessarily or always give the largest gifts. Simply put, generosity is not always measured by what you give. There is a difference between giving the greatest amount and being the most generous giver. A million dollars may be a dream gift, but a tenth of a penny may make you a dream giver.

What the poor widow teaches in this story is that you don’t have to be rich to be generous. You don’t have to have a lot to give, and you don’t have to have a lot to give a lot. One of these days, we are going to find that some of the most generous people who ever lived were some of the poorest people we ever knew. Jesus is not impressed with the greatness of what we give, but with the generosity of what we give.

Keep in mind, the generous widow was not going to get a tax deduction. She didn’t give out of show. Not only did she not know that anyone was looking, but she probably would have been embarrassed if somebody was. She for sure didn’t give flippantly. For the moment, she carefully thought this through and though she didn’t say it out-loud she was making a clear statement to God.

Actions speak louder than words and did her actions ever speak loudly and clearly, because when this woman gave everything she had, she was saying three things: God, I look to you to provide my needs; God, I love you more than I love money; and God, I live for you and you alone.

Two thousand years later, we still remember her and talk about her because of her generosity. You are not going to be remembered by how much you made, how much you spent, or even how much you saved. You are going to be remembered for how much you gave.

Dear Lord, thank you for the example of generosity set by the widow in Mark 12. Even though I may not have a large amount to give, help me to still be faithful in my giving and trust you to use my generosity for your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.