Our text today depicts an event in the live of Jesus when He was just sitting back and observing people. He is not keeping tabs on what the people are putting to the treasury, but He is seeing the attitude of the spiritual heart of those who are bring their gifts to God. What is in our heart is what is acted in our lives. Giving of one’s self is only limited by the spiritual condition of a person. People often get caught up by what is on the outside but, God see the heart. The spiritual condition of a person is more important than the size of their pocket book or gift. Jesus said of this “poor widow” “that she gave her all”. Giving of self is more important than just monetary giving. When discussing giving the real question is what is the aim, goal or motivation for giving. I am reminded of a incident in the live of Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers. In the book Scully, there is a dialogue between Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computers and John Scully, who at the time was president of Pepsi. Jobs was attempting to recruit Scully for the top job at Apple and he asked Scully, “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?” (Contributed by Bob Briggs)
Each must consider what is our purpose or motivation for what we do in life. There are those who just make it by in life not because of the size of the bank account or their status in life but their spiritual condition. The world is full of people with worldly resources and yet they have no hope for the future. Today I want to look at three things in this event in the life of Jesus. First, “The Lesson” what can we learn from this account in the life of Jesus, second what is “The Attitude” of the people depicted and thirdly, what is the “The Motivation” for their giving?
1. The Lesson
Mark 12:44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." NKJV
It amazes me as to how people get caught up in the giving rather than seeing that our relationship with Jesus is more important than the quantity of anything we have to offer God. God is the creator of all that exist in fact in John 1:3 it states that “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” Look around, everything you see, everything you have, everything we are belong to God. He has allowed us to use it not for ourselves but “for Him.”
In Matthew 24:45-51 Jesus tells a parable of someone who was given charge over his master’s household. In this parable the master does commend his servant for the amount of increase of the master’s household however He commends for being faithful for being a faithful servant.” When working in the secular world (my worldly job) I noticed how many of my co-workers would neglect their duties of the job accept when they saw the supervisor (aka: Master) approaching and then they would appear to be the faithful employee.
Matt 24:45-51
48"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. NKJV
Isa 32:6-8 For the foolish person will speak foolishness,
And his heart will work iniquity:
To practice ungodliness,
To utter error against the Lord,
To keep the hungry unsatisfied,
And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
7 Also the schemes of the schemer are evil;
He devises wicked plans
To destroy the poor with lying words,
Even when the needy speaks justice.
8 But a generous man devises generous things,
And by generosity he shall stand. NKJV
What can be learned from the observation of Jesus and the widow. Jesus was not concern about the quantity of what was given but Jesus saw the heart of this poor woman. While she may have been poor in worldly goods her love for God was greater than all the gifts. “She gave her all, (Luke 12:44)
Let Me Illustrate: David Brainerd was an American colonial missionary to the Indians who died at the age of twenty-nine. His diary reveals a young man intensely committed to God. Brainerd once said to Jonathan Edwards: “I do not go to heaven to be advanced but to give honor to God. It is no matter where I shall be stationed in heaven, whether I have a high seat or a low seat there...My heaven is to please God and glorify Him, and give all to Him, and to be wholly devoted to His glory.” (Contributed by Donnie Martin)
2. The Attitude
Luke 12:44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." NKJV
Jesus focus was not the gift but the giver. Many want to know what they must give to God, but with God there is “no must”, for the believer whose heart is fully committed to God there is no minimum or maximum like the widow there is only giving all.
Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man." NKJV
Attitude is everything and when the heart is right then there is not a question of the quantity, or giving, or trusting. It is our faith to know that we love God because He love us first (1Jn 14:19). It is that same faith to know when we love there is no limit to our lives. An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others. -- A. W. Tozer
Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man." NKJV
2 Cor 9:6-8 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. NKJV
Let Me Illustrate: LOVE GIVES TO THE LIMIT
The late great Scots Church of Scotland theologian, educator, author, and radio and television presenter, William Barclay (1907 - 1978), once said, "Love never calculates; love never thinks how little it can decently give; love’s one desire is to give to the uttermost limits; and, when it has given all it has to give, it still thinks the gift is too little. We have not even begun to be Christian true believer if we think of giving to Christ, and to His church in terms of as little as we respectably can." (Source: Wikipedia (William Barclay), accessed 03 November 2009. From a sermon by George Dillahunty, “A Heart to Give! 11/3/2009)
3. The Motive
We must not consider the giving issue but we must look at the motive of giving. Giving is expressed buy love. People often get all caught up in the how much to give or should I give at all. For this widow according to Jesus she gave all so her love for God must have been great and her faith was even greater that her need for material things. In the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matt 6:25) Jesus said that we should not be concern for the things of life but trust in Him.
Matt 6:25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than them? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? NKJV
Real trust (faith) in God means to let him take care of the future. I am reminded of an event in the life of my friend and pastor Jimmy Tarrant. As pastor of Bright Star Baptist Church on a Sunday afternoon Jimmy and his family had been called to the hospital where one of his congregants had been taken. With little money in his pocket they left for Tyler, Texas. After the visit Jimmy and his family being hungry did not have much money but stop in a restaurant to at least feed their boys. After being seated and looking at the menu they only had enough money to feed their children. At that moment a person walked up identified himself and shared how that under the servant leadership of Jimmy this man had come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. The man bought the Tarrant family meal as a demonstration of his appreciation of the ministry God had called Jimmy Tarrant to.
This widow demonstrated her love for God by giving her all to God and trusting that He would provide for her. The motive for her was love. Gods gift of love (Jesus) is demonstrated in God giving His Son as a payment for the debt we owed and could not pay.
We must remember that quantity is not the focus but, the quality of love takes us to do all we can as an expression of our love for God. This woman express her love for God by “Giving her all”.
Let Me Illustrate: A chicken and a pig were walking past a church building one day when they noticed the Sunday morning sermon posted on the outside bulletin board, "Helping the Poor." They walked away when the chicken suddenly came across with a suggestion. "Brother pig, why don’t we give all the poor people a nice breakfast of ham and eggs?" The pig thought a moment and replied, "That’s all right for you to say because for you it is only a contribution, but for me, it’s total commitment!" (Contributed by Wincci Yin Chee)
