What Are The Lessons Of The Widow Offering In THE Bible

What Are The Lessons Of The Widow Offering In THE Bible

KEY SCRIPTURES: Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

2 Corinthians 9:6 “But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”

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INTRODUCTION

Giving is mandatory as a believer because it promotes a good measure of our spiritual maturity in the kingdom of God. The work of God can only move to a higher realm when believers give sacrificially to the work. Giving is a test of our obedience to God because it is scriptural and biblical too. Believers can’t claim God’s blessings without first sowing into the kingdom. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, giving to God and to the things of God is very important. The story of the widow’s offering was recorded in the book of Mark and Luke which centralized on giving to God something that will cost you. Jesus was in the temple and was sitting near the collection box. It was time to give offerings in the temple and many people came to give their offerings, the rich ones among them put in large amounts but there was a widow that had only a few mites and dropped it into the offering box. Jesus told His disciples that the widow gave the best offering out of everyone because the majority dropped out of their excess, but the widow gave all she had to God. 

Just like the widow, King David in the bible also said that he can’t give to God what cost him nothing and this should be the heart saying of every believer in Christ. The widow trusted in the God of provision and had a good attitude towards giving to God. As Christians, there are different gifts we can give to God but we must make sure we are giving them with a good attitude and not doing it to be men pleasers or grudgingly. This article will be looking at the lessons from the story of the widow’s offering in the bible.

1. GOD’S SEES GENUINE SACRIFICE: Psalms 126:5-6; 2 Corinthians 9:6

Jesus saw the offering of the widow coupled with the attitude of the heart of the widow when she was giving her mites. The religious leaders did everything to be seen by people when they were giving their offerings, and this outward act of giving prevented them from having inward transformation. So also, as believers, we should learn to check our heart before giving to God. God is not interested in the amount you give if your heart is not pure towards the giving. God is not a beggar, and we shouldn’t give grudgingly. Freely He has given us and it is mandatory we give back to Him willingly. When Jesus told the disciples that the widow gave more, they seemed confused because they were looking at the outer appearance and the giving of the rich men, but they didn’t know that what they saw as insignificant was a priceless offering towards God. AS Christians, we are not in the place or position to judge the offering of people. God sees genuine sacrifice and offering so we need to open our spiritual eyes to see the way God sees. Our outward act of giving must be godly and must bring inward transformation in our daily Christian life. 

1. SACRIFICIAL GIVING: 2 Samuel 24:24

David understands the meaning of sacrificial giving which was why he knew that giving to God what will cause him nothing is fatal giving, and it won’t fulfill the purpose of giving. The widow understands this too and that was why she gave her all to God as offering. The volume of one’s harvest is attached to the size of the seed one sow and as believers, we should learn to give sacrificially to God. We shouldn’t give to God things that will cause you nothing. Don’t sow sparingly and expect to reap bountifully, life principles don’t always work like that. God honors sacrificial giving and He always rewards such sacrifice in the long run. As a Christian, do not be discouraged when you don’t have much to give to God. Your less may mean more to God and Hi kingdom than you can ever imagine. 

1. TRUST IN GOD’S PROMISES: Philippians 4:19

The widow gave her all because she had trust in the promise of God that all her needs will be supplied by Him. She was obedient to giving and her faith in God was very strong. She demonstrated her love for God just like Jesus Christ gave His life for all to be redeemed. She claimed God’s promises of provisions immediately she gave her to God because she believed that God would continue to provide for her daily needs. As Christians, we should never be worried or weary about what we don’t have but we should trust in God’s promises. God already promised to supply our daily needs so we should learn to give Him whatever He requires from us because He will never leave us stranded. God desires that you have radical faith in Him through your giving.

1. WE ARE ALL EQUAL IN GOD’S EYES: Romans 2:11; James 2:1

God is not a respecter of persons and doesn’t show favoritism. God doesn’t use the world standard to measure service or worship given to Him. People at the temple might have been looking at the widow as someone who is not significant or worthy to be measured but Jesus looked at everyone equally and treated everyone fairly before declaring the widow gave the best offering at the temple. Even as believers, we should know that God is fair to everyone regardless of your past and has a glorious future ahead for everyone who trusts in Him completely. 

CONCLUSION

Going to church and engaging in church activities doesn’t matter if we don’t obey the commandment of God. We should learn from the widow’s offering and turn our heart to be right with God in all we do. Whatever God has given us, we shouldn’t be forced or compelled to give back to Him for the expansion of His kingdom. As believers, we need to be willing to give it all if we have decided to follow Jesus because he gave it all for us.  When we fully realize the sacrifice he paid for our sins, our offerings come from a heart of willingness, gratitude, and generosity.