One story in the Bible that many of you are familiar with is the account of the widow giving her two mites in the Temple. Jesus and His disciples saw what was happening and this woman who gave two mites caught Jesus’ attention.
Mark 12:41-44 “And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”
As He watched the rich cast in their contributions, Christ was not particularly impressed, but it also needs to be seen that there is no mention of Him being displeased, either. Perhaps they were being faithful in their duty of giving the tithe. We really don’t know.
One widow, however, who made only a tiny contribution, made Him take note. It touched His heart and He wanted to bring it to the attention of His disciples. Christ, Who truly knows all men’s hearts, commended her for giving her all. We do not know if she heard it or not.
One of the primary lessons here is that God does not see our giving as men see it. Most likely, the people who saw her do this probably did not think anything of it. They took notice of the rich gifts, though – just like the rich wanted them to.
This humble woman, however, was faithful in her giving, and she truly gave it to God. Though she could have done otherwise with her last two mites on earth, she chose to give it to the Lord.
While man takes notice of the larger gifts, God takes note of the hearts of men and women as they give. He sees all, and we know that He is faithful to reward us in all that is done for Him – if it is in accordance with the Word of God.
We can also see that God takes note of the size of the gift – the sacrifice. Are we giving because we love Him and want to see His work go forward? Or, are we just giving because we ought to – but really are not making a sacrifice for it? The rich gave gifts, but they probably did not really feel it, as far as a real sacrifice goes.
Are your gifts to God costing you anything? David was determined not to give anything to God that did not personally cost him something: “And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver” (II Samuel 24:24).
One more factor about giving enters into this scene. The Bible tells us that “God loveth a cheerful giver” (II Corinthians 9:7). Now this passage does not indicate whether any giver in this scene was cheerful or not. However, I can’t help but feel that this widow was cheerful because she did it as unto God, and trusted Him to meet her needs. I believe that she went away with the greater blessings in her heart, as far as God is concerned, than the rich people.
Now look at your own reason for giving to God’s work. Is the motive right? Is it the right amount – the tithe (one-tenth) – or more?
Let’s remember Paul’s words about what we do for the Lord: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:58).
God Bless,
Evangelist Mike Valles
Learn more about the Bible.
I feel like it’s a gift to me to give God back what He gives me. Thank you for this.
Yes, you’re right. God does bless us so that we can give more to Him. When we look at it like that, it is much easier to give, too!