Mark preached on the subject of giving yesterday morning, taking his text from Luke 21:1-4:
“As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.””
It’s relatively easy to give out of abundance, but this woman gave out of her poverty. She gave all she had. A gift’s true value is measured by what it costs the person to give it, not by the item’s value.
Giving can be a spiritual gift (Rom 12:6-8).
We tend to judge people’s giving from the outside, looking at the monetary value of what they give, but God sees the heart and judges from the inside. Moreover, giving is about more than money: God wants us to give our love, our praise, our time, our whole lives as an offering to Him as a token of our worship.
The attitude in which we give is also of paramount importance to God. 2 Corinthians 9:5-8 teaches us that God wants us to give cheerfully and willingly, out of a thankful heart. He wants us to be ‘cheerful givers’ – hilarious givers! – because He himself has given so much in that spirit.
Christmas is often associated with gifts. Let’s not give grudgingly or reluctantly, but with gratitude and thankfulness. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Cor 9:15)