Are you a cheerful or a reluctant giver?

Not long ago, I was listening to a popular radio show that offers all kinds of advice, with a particular emphasis on personal finances.  The host was speaking to a caller who mentioned the fact that she had been married to her husband for 52 years, but at this point, he had been acting strangely toward her, most notably regarding her access to their money.

 Apparently, her husband was causing her to live in financial scarcity because he wouldn’t allow her to access their checking account.  She lived in one part of the house and he lived in another part, and at this point, she had started to rely on her daughter to provide food for her because she was being prevented from making purchases like that herself.

 There was more to the story, but suffice it to say, it was a sad thing to hear.  I was sad to hear that their lives and relationship were in such an unhealthy spot, but I was also sad to hear that she was struggling to meet her basic needs on her own.

 I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced a season of life when your finances were so tight that you didn’t know where your next meal was going to come from, but if you have, I’m sure you can tell stories of miraculous ways God intervened and provided for your needs.  God notices us even when we might be overlooked by others.

 The story we’re told in Mark 12:41-44 gives us a great example of God’s oversight of our lives, even when we might feel overlooked and unseen.  In that passage, Jesus pointed out a poor widow who, even in the midst of her poverty, chose to practice generosity for God’s glory.

“And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.”  (Mark 12:41-42)

 Much of what we’re told in this chapter took place in the temple area in Jerusalem several days before Jesus was crucified.  Knowing that His crucifixion was about to take place, Jesus dedicated much of His time to teaching His disciples additional lessons while He still had time with them.  Sitting down near the treasury box provided a great opportunity for a new lesson.

 As Jesus sat there, He was able to observe people putting money into one of the offering boxes at the temple.  I don’t know what kind of fanfare some people decided to display as they gave their gifts, but I feel reasonably confident that there were people who specifically wanted to be seen and noticed.  We’re told that many rich people put large sums of money into the treasury.  I’m guessing they made it obvious that they were doing so, but is that how the Lord wants us to give?

 Giving is a privilege.  When we give to a person, a cause, or a ministry, we’re saying, “Thank you Lord for blessing me.  As one who is grateful for the blessings you’ve given me, I’m willing to share these blessings with others for your glory.”  But of course, we all know that many people aren’t giving for God’s glory.  They’re giving for their own.

 A retired pastor’s wife once told me a story of how giving was handled in one of the churches her husband used to lead.  The church had a practice of publishing a yearly report that listed everyone’s giving for the year.  The report was distributed to every single member, and people would compete to make sure their giving was high enough to get noticed when that report was handed out.

 I also remember when I used to direct a Christian conference center and summer camp.  In addition to the fees we collected when people utilized the property, the ministry was also funded through generous donations of supporting churches and individuals.  I will never forget the strings that some people attempted to tie to their donations.  One man handed me a check for $1,000 and then said, “I would like a nameplate with my name and my wife’s name hung in the main meeting room to acknowledge our gift.”  I told him we wouldn’t be doing that.  Amazingly, he decided to still give the gift.

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”  (Matthew 6:3-4)

 Giving that’s done for the praise of other people will likely be acknowledged with their praise.  But giving that’s done in secret for God’s glory, not our own, will be divinely rewarded in ways that reverberate into eternity.

 In Mark 12, as Jesus watched various wealthy people give their gifts, He also observed someone else make a contribution.  Scripture tells us He saw a poor widow give a gift.  Her gift didn’t stand out to anyone but Jesus because all she contributed was two small copper coins that when added together equaled a penny.  In Christ’s estimation, why was her gift so much more significant than the large gifts the wealthy people had contributed?

And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”  (Mark 12:43-44)

 Do you feel anything when you give?  I’m confident this woman felt something when she made her contribution.  The wealthy who were making contributions out of their abundance probably didn’t feel much other than a personal sense of pride because the gifts they contributed came from their abundance.  And even though they gave a considerable amount, it wasn’t much compared to their overall net worth.

 I heard an interview the other day with a woman who recently contributed over $10 million dollars to a political campaign, and this isn’t the first time she’s done so.  In fact, it was said that over the past group of years she’s contributed over $100 million.  That’s a lot of money, but as a percentage of her net worth, it was only a fraction.

 The poor widow that Jesus was pointing out did not enjoy an abundance of earthly wealth, yet Jesus declared that she had put more into the treasury than the others who gave.  They gave out of their abundance, but she gave out of her poverty.  The coins she placed in the treasury box were all the money she had in this world.  It was everything she had left to live on, yet she purposed in her heart to give it unto the Lord.  Is that a good idea?  Would the Lord ever ask us to do anything like that, and if He did, what would we say?

 The Lord delights to see His people practice generosity.

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.  (2 Cor. 9:6-8)

There are many people in this world who may never experience the joy of giving cheerfully because every time they part with their finances, their hearts are consumed with fear.  They’re fearful of going without or not having enough.  Their faith may not be strong enough to trust God to meet their needs, and they might be stuck in a cycle of idolizing their money because they’re relying on it for protection and to meet their emotional need for security instead of genuinely trusting Jesus to supply those needs for them.

 The poor widow that Jesus highlighted was certainly not well off by this world’s standards, but she was rich in a way that lasts longer than earthly wealth.  This woman had learned the secret to contentment, joy, and real happiness.  Her actions demonstrated that she was genuinely content with whatever the Lord would supply.  She was certain that He would meet her needs, and she demonstrated the depth of her faith when she dropped those coins into the treasury.

 By the way, this isn’t the only example we’re given in Scripture of a widow demonstrating great faith in the Lord to meet her needs.  In 1 Kings 17, we read of a widow who was willing to provide food for the prophet Elijah during a season of drought and famine in the land of Israel.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.  (1 Kings 17:8-16)

 Giving cheerfully is a spiritual privilege that took me a little while to appreciate.  In my youth, when I was a new Christian, our family struggled financially so giving was something I typically felt reluctant to do.  More often than not, I would try to find excuses why I shouldn’t give than reasons why I should.

 I wrestled with that into my early adulthood as well.  As the Lord blessed my wife and me with children, I found myself more willing to donate my time or my labor than my finances.  Eventually, I started to feel convicted that I had been holding back from the Lord and my tightfistedness was really a demonstration of where my faith needed to be stretched.  It was at that point that I purposed in my heart to begin tithing any income the Lord blessed me with.  Here’s what has happened since…

 Amazingly, I discovered that my needs and the needs of my family were always met.  I can list many surprising examples of ways the Lord provided financially during leaner seasons.  Sometimes He would provide extra work for me to do.  Once I received a gift from a title company that did a financial audit and discovered that years earlier, I had overpaid for their services when purchasing a home.  I can truly testify that the Lord has more than met our financial needs, even though there were seasons when we needed to be patient and give Him time to work things out according to His divine calendar.

 When Jesus called His disciples, He often reminded them that they didn’t need to worry about what they brought on their journey when He sent them out to preach and heal (Luke 9:3).  The truth is, that all of our needs are ultimately met in Jesus.  Jesus fulfills our deepest spiritual, relational, and material longings.  If you have Jesus, you already have what you need most in this world.

 I don’t know if the Lord will bless you with wealth or if you’ll spend most of your life feeling like the poor widow who barely had two coins to rub together.  Whatever your situation may be, don’t idolize the riches of this world.  As you’ve been blessed through Jesus, be a blessing to those He brings into your life.  Don’t hoard your blessings.  Share them cheerfully.  And when you make the choice to be generous, keep that between you and God.  Give for Christ’s glory, not your own.

© John Stange, 2024