Two Mites

"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." (Mark 12:41-44)

If you want to talk about sacrificial giving, talk about this widow woman! She barely had two cents to rub together, yet she gave all she had to God. In the beginning of this sacrificial story, Jesus is watching the people come and go as they give offerings to God. Just as He watched those people then, He is watching us now. He looks on our hearts, sees our motivations, and knows when we are holding back and when we are giving our all.

As the people came, the Bible describes their giving as an action - they cast their money in. There were no returns and no take backs. When we give of ourselves to His work, we are to do the same. We are to cast of our abundance and to cast of our little. Cast of your talents, cast of your lack of talent.

The giving of ourselves in our lack of talent is something that is hard to do. We like to do things we are good at, so when we do things that we don't excel in we most often do it halfheartedly. We need to remember that whatever we do needs to be done to the glory of God, so even when it's something we may think we lack in, God is looking on the heart to see if we are truly serving or just going through the motions. Even when we sacrificially give of our lack, God can make up for our shortcomings and add His fullness when we act in faith.

Jesus gave His all so that we could live in harmony with Him forever, so when I give less than my best to Him, I make a mockery of all that He did for me. I make His passionate sacrifice of little worth when I hold back what He wants me to give. Giving less than my best shows the selfishness of my heart, and it also sometimes shows a lack of faith and trust in Him. This woman gave without thought of tomorrow. She didn't know where her next meal would come from, yet she gave anyway.

I notice also that Jesus doesn't condemn the rich people who gave of their money, but He doesn't exalt them either. I'm glad they aren't condemned because I too often fall into the category of those who give, but not their all. God can still use what we give even if it's not a sacrifice of our hearts and lives. But when we give with a heart that is not where it should be, we won't leave fulfilled as we would have been had we given out of a sacrificial heart.

This doesn't mean we have to drain our bank account and write a big check to the church every time we get paid, but we should be looking for ways to give of ourselves and our funds to God. He is looking at your heart to see where your loyalties lie and who you are living to serve - yourself or your God. Are you living to have peace of mind about your present and future, or do you have complete trust and faith in God that He will take care of you?

If you notice in the passage, Jesus only mentions seeing rich people, and one poor widow. Where were the other people? The middle class? The other poor people? Are you like one of the middle class or poor people who weren't there that day? Am I? How are you giving of yourself in service for Christ?

The rich people gave their offerings for a show while the poor widow unashamedly gave her small offering. She didn't care if others saw her toss in her two measly mites. Sometimes we worry too much about what others think and don't do what we should do. We mistakenly believe that the small things we have to offer aren't enough to make a difference. But we fail to realize that the thing that concerns God the most is not our riches (or lack of riches), but our hearts. Giving of our little, even if it doesn't look like it will make a difference, will change our hearts, and that is what really matters. That's what is priceless and above measure.

Let's live our lives by daily giving of our little and being faithful in the small things. This principle can be applied to our thought lives as well. Are we honoring God even in the places where others can't see?

Give of your little, give of your lack of talent, be faithful even in the unseen things of your life, and God will be honored.

He will be pleased.

~Tiffany~

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