Instruction
Scripture: Mark 12:38-44
Mark 12 finds Jesus in conflicts with the Pharisees,
Sadducees, and scribes. In this reading Jesus denounced the scribes for their
desire for recognition and honor while they actually harmed others with their
actions. He went on to praise a poor widow who gave her last bit of money and
contrasted her with the rich people who gave out of their abundance. The impact
this reading has on us is to challenge our motivation for self-glorification
and to urge us to live humble generous lives of faith.
Teaching
Sacrificial giving can be an uncomfortable topic of
discussion. In this passage we see a powerful example of it as the woman drops
her two small copper coins into the offering box. It would be tempting to look
at the wealthy people who gave so much and to think of how little value she
gave. A penny, what good is that? But Jesus honored her gift above the others. Why?
Because of the faith attached to the gift.
God does not usually call us to give 100% of our income to
Him. He provides that income to us for the care of our earthly lives. However,
part of our worship is giving back to the Lord from what He has provided for
us. It is a statement of faith that we trust God to provide when we return to
Him from what He has given us. It also says, “God is my God, not money or
wealth. He will provide for me.”
Life
It is difficult to imagine giving away the last bit of money
that you have to live on. Perhaps there have been times when money was tight
and you looked at that last “twenty” or “five” in your wallet and sensed that
giving it away was the right thing to do even as you remembered pay day was a
few days away. How did that feel? Did it make you anxious? Did it anger you?
Did you give it away?
Sacrificial giving is not easy, but it is beautiful. It is
beautiful because it is a response to the free gifts God has given to you. You
see, God Himself is a giver. He gave Jesus to redeem us and make us His people.
When we give, we are simply imitating our Father. When we give sacrificially we
imitate our Brother.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You taught us to shun self-glorification and to
embrace humble generous faithful living. You showed the hypocrisy of the
scribes who looked religious, but behaved in ways that dishonored Your Father.
You taught us to look at our giving from the motivation of faith and to see
beyond the measurement of money to the measurement of trust.
Thank You for giving us all that we have. Thank You for
privileging us with the opportunity to return to You from what You have given
to us. Thank You for teaching us that it is not the size or the grandeur of the
gift that impresses You but the faith and love that motivates the giving that
You rejoice in.
Forgive us for being impressed with things that look large
and impressive while we disregard the humble and the small. Forgive us for
giving comfortably from our abundance and for resisting the joy and power of
giving sacrificially. Forgive us for not trusting You to truly provide for us
in all things.
Grant us faith, Lord, that moves us to live humbly and to
give generously. Help us to hold more tightly to Your gifts of life, salvation,
and forgiveness, and more loosely to the earthly gifts of wealth and comfort.
Teach us to be giving people, even as You are a giving God. Amen.
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