Luke 21:3-4

Luke 21:3-4 “I tell you the truth,” He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in everything she had to live on.”

        Tithing and giving are subjects that often cause a lot of dispute. Some people don’t want to do it and make all kinds of excuses why they don’t. Others try to say that you cannot be saved unless you tithe. In every issue there are extremes and this one can get heated because money is so close to our hearts. So instead of going into all the excuses or reasons why people believe one way or the other I will tell you my thoughts on tithing and giving and I believe it is biblical.

        First off I will talk about tithing. We have been commanded to tithe, which is giving ten percent of all we make. We see examples of this starting with Abraham and continuing on into the New Testament. Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

        I believe that all we have is God’s and we are just stewards of it. He asks for ten percent and I gladly give it. That being said, God will not Love you any less if you don’t tithe, and tithing has nothing to do with salvation. Tithing is about putting God first and honoring Him above your money. It is also has to do with obedience and entering into the financial blessings that God has for you.

        One of the amazing things about God, though, is that He will meet you where you are at. If you are not giving ten percent, it's alright. Start with where you are and work up from there. God Loves a cheerful giver. If you are giving grudgingly then you might as well not give, because there is no reward in it. God looks at your heart.

        That being said it may never make sense to give. If you do your budget and you don’t see a way that you can give don’t let that stop you. You must give in Faith and your tithe should be the first thing that you have in your budget. In my life I have done this and then everything is provided for, even when it doesn't make sense. There is blessing in obedience.

        Now let’s talk about giving. Again, this must come from the heart. God asks that you give above your tithe. Give to those in need. Bless those around you. Do it out of Love and compassion. Giving is very satisfying when you can look past your own wants and needs and look to meet the needs of others.

        This story about the poor widow who gave everything she had is about her heart towards giving. She didn't have much, but she wanted God to use it to bless others, and it did. Even today, thousands of years later we are still blessed and convicted by this woman’s story.

Mark 12:43-44

Mark 12:43-44 – Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on.”

We are all told to give. God told us we are to give a tithe of all we have, but don’t give grudgingly. Your gift is rewarded by how it is given; by your heart attitude.

When Jesus was watching these people put their money into the treasury He wasn't looking at how much they were giving. I’m sure there were many of those others who had given the required ten percent. There might have even been some who gave beyond that, but most were giving out of requirement and obligation, not Love. Jesus wants us to give out of our heart.

Here’s my view on giving. If we look in the bible we are told to give a tithe, that’s ten percent, of all we make. Then beyond that we are told to give to those who need help and to be generous. That is the command, but here’s the catch: you must give what you have purposed beforehand to give.

God doesn't want you to feel obligated to give or to give because someone talked you into it. He wants you to give because you want to. I've had people ask me what I thought they should give and I have told them what the bible says. Then I tell them that it really comes down to their choice. They need to be obedient, but they also need to make a decision for themselves what they will give. If they give grudgingly there is no blessing in it anyway. They must give because they want too.

In this story we see a woman give all that she has, and it wasn't a struggle. No one told her she had to give everything, but her Love for God was greater than her Love for her money. She knew that God would take care of her anyway.

That is what Jesus asks of you as well. Put God above your money; above your possessions; above everything else in your life. God doesn't necessarily ask you to give everything, but if He did, would you do it? Would you be able to trust that God will take care of you if you do?

Jesus told us to give and to be generous in all that we have, but if you are not there yet that is OK. Start small. Give what you can, and God will meet you there. As you learn to Love and trust God more, He will tell you what to give and your generosity will increase.