“While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins” (Luke 21:1-2 NLT).
As Jesus watched the people putting their gifts into the Temple offering, He offered several insights. One insight is that God sees our giving. He watches over our giving, looking to see who is generous and who is not. Another insight is that God sees the proportion of our giving. He knows whether we give sacrificially or not. He cares less about the amount of our giving and more about the motivation and proportion of our giving.
That Jesus sat near the place where he could watch those giving their offerings, and that he used it to teach his disciples about giving, should not surprise us. He wants us to understand that God cares more for the heart of the giver than the amount of the gift. Love and giving are connected. As Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave.” (John 3:16).
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for loving us so much that You gave us Jesus. Give us also Your Spirit of generosity that we might express our love for You by giving to others. We want to be generous like You. We put our trust in You as our Provider to always give us enough for ourselves and enough to be generous to share with others. In Jesus’ name, amen.