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DAY FIVE: “NOT EQUAL GIVING, EQUAL SACRIFICE"

There is a long line, and Jesus is seated watching the whole procession. Those who are first are congratulating themselves, proud of what they are about to do, pulling out their sacks, jingling their gold and silver coins, noisily drop them in the container winking at the next person in line as they drop one precious coin after the other into the treasury. Then comes a woman, widowed, obviously poor, I am sure she must have looked around, knowing that she couldn’t compete with those who were wealthy. She lifts her eyes heavenward and whispers a prayer as she drops in the smallest of coins, so weightless they don’t even make a sound when they hit the bottom of the container. It is all she has. 

When it comes to giving, we can often get caught up in the amount of our gift. Thinking the amount of our gift is what opens heaven and others towards us. One of the incredible things about this moment is who Jesus chooses to highlight. Jesus doesn’t look at the hand as it is dropping coins in the container He looks past the hand and to the heart of every single giver. Jesus doesn’t look to the amount of my gift, as much as He looks to the value of my gift. Every time we give we are communicating value. Not to others in an economic sense, but to ourselves. Value is determined by the weight we as individuals place on the gifts we offer. Every time we take finance aside, we are associating a value to that resource. Jesus looked at those who gave much in terms of economic measures, but little in terms of value. Jesus looked straight passed them and said it is less because it has so little value to those who offered it. But to this woman, this poor, tattered, widowed woman, Jesus stops everything and commends her; not because of the economic amount of her gift, but because of the great value it had to her when she gave it. 

The reality is as long as we are in this world we have to fight to look with the eyes of faith. God doesn’t consider what we give He considers the heart behind our giving. As you prepare your heart toward giving in whatever area of life, do not despise what you have to offer. Offer it fully with a completely surrendered heart and watch God honor your gift and use your heart as a beacon for many. 

So often our offering aligns with our fear that we are not enough, that what we have to offer is insignificant, or doesn’t have the power to make a difference, ask yourself today, what does God say about what I have to offer? How does my confession over my offering need to change?

Resist the urge to compare yourself to others as you give of yourself, look as the widow did, eyes heavenward and heart trusting.