From the offering of this poor widow, we learn about a woman who understood the principle of giving. God doesn’t call us to give for the sake of giving. Giving is to be done as an act of obedience – “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22)
l. Jesus saw (v. 41) “Jesus sat down…and watched (both the rich people and the poor widow)…” – He sees every part of our lives, including the intentions of our hearts. He cares about what we have given up for the sake of the Gospel and he cares about what we have not given up.
ll. This lady was extremely poor (v. 42) “But a poor widow…” – This woman was only poor but also a widow. Her source of all revenue, her husband, had died; yet she gave sacrificially. If there was anyone who had an excuse not to give, it was this woman.
lll. She gave everything (v. 44) “She put in everything …” – In spite of her poverty, this poor widow held nothing back. She gave all that she had – 2 copper coins. It would have made more sense if she had given one and kept the other for food.
This widow gave all she had to live on, in contrast to the way most of us handle our money. I believe God measures my giving, not by how much I give but by how much I have left.
(Source Unknown)
A STORY ABOUT SACRIFICIAL GIVING …
Hattie Wiatt, a little girl who lived in Philadelphia, came to a small Sunday School and asked to be taken in, but it was explained there was no room for her. In less than two years she fell ill, and died. No one guessed her strange secret until beneath her pillow was found a torn pocketbook with 57 cents in it, wrapped in a scrap of paper on which was written, “To help the little church bigger, so that more children can go to Sunday School.” For 2 years she had saved her money for the cause which was nearest her heart. The pastor told the incident to his congregation, and the people began making donations for the enlargement. The papers told it far and wide, and within 5 years those 57 cents and grown to be $250,000, and today in Philadelphia, can be seen a great church, the Baptist Temple, seating 3,300, a Temple College with accommodations for more than 1,400 students, a Temple Hospital, and a Temple Sunday School so large that all who wish may come and be blessed.
(Source Unknown)