Power Point - July 26, 2005

July 26, 2005

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites… So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given into the treasury; for they all put in our of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

--Mark 12:41

A mite is worth one-eighth of a cent. The poor widow only placed two mites in the plate. Her action said a lot about her. Over the next several days, I want to talk to you about giving your all to the Lord. What does your money say about yourself, your hope, and your love for the Lord?

Money talks. If I had the privilege of examining your cancelled checks and receipts, I could learn a great deal about your life, personality, priorities, interests, and ambitions. Indeed, money says a lot. Someone once said: “If money talks as some folks tell, to most of us it just says farewell!”

You may be thinking, “Well, if money talks, then I don’t have much to say because I don’t have much of it!” The fact is that Jesus often dealt with the subject of money, probably more than any other subject. As a matter of fact, one of His parables in the Bible deals with the stewardship of possessions.

In this verse, Jesus sat by the treasury and watched people throw in their money. The emphasis was not on how much they gave, but how they gave. And that is always the interest of our Lord when it comes to money. The Scripture says, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

This story of the poor widow isn’t a parable—it actually happened! She gave everything she had to the Lord, and she did it with a cheerful heart. Jesus was so amazed by her actions and attitude that He gathered His disciples around and said, “See...this is exactly what I’m talking about! This is the kind of sacrifice it takes to truly follow Me.”

What does your money say about your faith? This widow’s money said a great deal about her own faith. On that day in the Bible, so many gave of their wealthy abundance, but she gave all she had left. It’s a good thing if God has blessed you enough to give an abundance of what you own to Him, but Jesus also greatly honors those who sacrifice everything to give to Him.  

TO JESUS, THE “WIDOW’S MITE” IS WORTH ALL THE WEALTH IN THE WORLD.