Luke 21:3–4: “So He said, ‘Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty has put in all the livelihood that she had.'”

March 4th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Jesus watched as a poor widow, who had almost nothing, put in what small amount of money she had; and He said that she gave more than those who had put in far larger sums. Jesus was contrasting the counterfeit righteousness of the religious leaders with the true devotion of the widow. Doctor Luke tells us that this woman was very poor, ptochos, a Greek word that described abject poverty, someone in extreme need rather than just a poor peasant. It seems she was in very real danger of losing everything, but in spite of that she put in her “two mites,” the smallest coins in the Roman Empire. From Jesus’ observation, we learn something about our offerings. God doesn’t look at the amount we give, but the value. And that value is determined by 2 things: 1) the spirit in which it is given and 2) it’s personal cost to us (the sacrifice involved).

In 1 Chronicles 21:21, King David sinned against God, and to make things right, he needed to offer a sacrifice. So he bought a threshing floor from Araunah the Jebusite for 600 shekels of gold. When David told the owner he wanted to buy the property, Araunah offered to gift it to him along with everything else he would need for the sacrifice. At first glance that may seem like an attractive offer, but David responded by saying, “No, but I will surely buy if from you for a price, for I will not . . . offer burnt offerings with that which cost me nothing” (1 Chron. 21:24). David wanted to pay the full value of the land because it was to be given to God, and in David’s mind, only that which was valuable could be given to the One who had given him everything.

Per face value of the coins, the widow did not “put in more than all,” but per personal sacrifice, hers was the greatest gift, given with the best attitude. In the New Testament Paul tells us: “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). Our attitude is as important to our Master as our motive. Cheerfully give to Him today everything you are, everything you are not, and everything you are going to be.

“LORD, we give You our lives this day, in Jesus’ name.”