Mark 12:38-44
Your Story
Has there been a time when you didn’t have much, but you still gave to the church or to someone else? Talk about that sacrifice: how it felt, how you had to step out on faith, etc.
My Story
If you’ve ever been around someone who doesn’t have much, you’ll notice something. Most of the time, they are a lot more generous than people who have much more. I once had a homeless man give me a Christmas card (he sold them to make what little money he had) in appreciation for refilling his tea at a soup kitchen. He was grateful, and he was generous with what he had. There’s story after story of homeless men and women sharing what little they have with others who need it. In fact, in Charlotte, NC, a homeless man gave eighteen cents to a church as his tithe because that’s all he had. And yet he still wanted to give to God. It was the same in Jesus’ day.
Read Mark 12:38-44. From The Message: “He continued teaching. ‘Watch out for the religion scholars. They love to walk around in academic gowns, preening in the radiance of public flattery, basking in prominent positions, sitting at the head table at every church function. And all the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The longer their prayers, the worse they get. But they’ll pay for it in the end.’ Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, ‘The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.’”
The widow in Jesus’ time gave all she had. She gave generously and, according to Jesus, she gave much more than those who gave what they’d never miss. The homeless man who gave eighteen cents gave more than CEOS who can give thousands of dollars because his gift forced him to step out on faith. He had to trust that God would take care of him. At the end of the day, giving is about trusting God to take care of you. God doesn’t need our money; without it, God would still arrange ways to make things happen. But we need God. And in order to grow in our faith, we have to trust God, that God is always with us and that He knows what we need. God wants us to give so that we will trust that He can provide. For most of us, that doesn’t mean giving all that we have. But what it does mean is listening to God when He asks us to give, and obeying Him.
Action and Discussion
• Talk about the different ways that you and your family give: time, money, etc.
• Pray about how God wants you and your family to give this week. Then, follow through with what God says.
Prayer
Ask God for help in trusting Him more. Pray for ways to give this week.
Jessica Asbell is currently serving as the Minister to Children at First Baptist Church of Roswell, GA. She has worked with children in various capacities at several churches, including Winter Park Baptist in Wilmington, NC, First Baptist of Decatur, GA, and Highland Hills Baptist in Macon, GA. She has a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology and a BBA from Mercer University. In her spare time she loves to read, watch movies, and of course spend time with her sweet kitty, Lucy.
