YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE
While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”
Luke 21:1‭-‬4 NLT.

Jesus, the good teacher, always educates us with powerful illustrations. Every story He tells is filled with nuggets of wisdom.
Packed with profound life principles. With so much to learn from. We are privileged to be exposed to His teachings. Therefore, we must pay rapt attention to it.

Now, coming to the above scriptural story, Jesus singled out a widow to teach us great lessons about giving. This Woman stood out from the crowd. Her attitude towards giving distinguished her from others. At the Temple that day, her two coins were recognized above all the offerings the rest of the people gave.

By the grace of God, we will unpack some of the great principles projected in this impactful story:

1. We can easily deduce, from this story, that everyone has something to give. Even a widow who, based on her condition, would have had excuses, still managed to give.

2. To give is a mindset. It does not necessarily depend on how much you have.
If you can’t give when you think you have little, you may not be able to give even if you have much.
So, we can all give at our various levels.

3. God does not measure our offering according to its magnitude. He rather looks at the ratio of what we give in comparison to the level of His blessing in our life.

4. It is not like God depends on what we give. He is truly all-sufficient. But He expects us to take a percentage of what He gave us and give to Him in appreciation.

5. We have the responsibility to contribute to our local assembly. Nobody is exempted from playing a role in the house of God.

6. God will always provide for those who are willing to give. Once you make up your mind to offer unto the Lord, you will not lack what to give:
But Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So, the two of them went together.
Genesis 22:7‭-‬8 NKJV.

7. Giving is an act of obedience and worship to the Lord. We honor Him with our offering:
Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the first fruits of all your increase;
Proverbs 3:9 NKJV.

8. There is a blessing attached to giving. So, if we don’t give, God will not recognize us and unlock that blessing:
Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel. And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering!
Acts of the Apostles 10:4 NLT.

9. When we give, it shows we are not trusting ourselves and what we have for our sustenance. The widow gave all she had, trusting that God will keep sustaining her.

10. Those who give will be replenished. The Lord always makes the liberal soul fat:
The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
Proverbs 11:25 KJVAAE.

As children of God, we should know that our Father is a giver. And we have inherited that attribute from Him. So, He expects us to emulate Him.
If we completely trust Him and understand that we can never go broke for giving, then it becomes easier for us to give.
The widow of Zarephath is a good example. Because she trusted and obeyed the word of God spoken by Prophet Elijah, she never ran out of food. The Lord sustained her and her son throughout the drought (1 Kings 17: 8-16).

We are not supposed to be Stingy.
Stinginess exposes our reliance on what we have and on our ability to provide for ourselves.
This is a symptom of a lack of faith. And a portrayal that we don’t trust the sufficiency of God in our life.

Even nature teaches us that giving is a necessity. Can you imagine always eating and never visiting the restroom? Or taking in oxygen without giving out carbon dioxide?
It will certainly lead to something catastrophic. So, let us learn from nature, and allow ourselves to live by its principle of giving.

We shouldn’t be like the Dead Sea, which only allows water to flow in but not out. This makes it difficult for sea life to thrive in it. And causes a horrible smell. But we should rather be like the Sea of Galilee, which allows the River Jordan to flow in and out, thereby keeping it fresh and healthy all the time.

As we ponder over all of this, let’s approach the throne of Grace to obtain the strength to overcome any form of stinginess we may have in our life.

Dear Lord, I thank You for using a Widow to expound the importance of giving. Help me to put to practice all I have learned. I obtain the strength to put aside stinginess of any kind and embrace giving. As your child, I shall continually manifest your liberal nature. Faithfully contributing to my Local Assembly and assisting people around me according to the level of your blessing in my life.
Thank You, Lord, for hearing me in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pst. Mike