generosity
Mark 12: 41-44

Sincere Faith… In stark contrast to the religious hypocrisy we saw last week in the Scribes, today we see an example of a radical love for God in a poor widow’s small gift of two copper coins.

The Widow’s Gift… Jesus was not impressed with those who gave large amounts of money out of their wealth; instead He was impressed with the sacrificial gift of the widow who gave all that she had to live on. The value of a gift is not in the amount given, but in the cost to the giver. And for this poor widow her gift was everything that she had. She serves as a beautiful example of obedience to the greatest command that we love God with an undivided heart.

Generosity in Your Life… When we give only a meager portion of what we have to God and others we do not follow the example of this widow’s sacrificial gift. Giving generously will always be “felt” in our daily lives and will not only impact our pocket books but will impact everything we have and are.

Becoming Generous… If we are to learn the generosity modeled for us in today’s passage, we must increase in two things. One, we must increase in our ability to trust God to provide for our needs as we give sacrificially. Second, we must grow in our love for God and others as the motivation behind our giving. Such love increases in our hearts as we believe more deeply that God has first loved us in Christ. Christ’s death is the most generous gift ever given and such love compels us to give our whole lives back to God!

*Questions for Reflection:

1. Do you have an undivided heart of love and generosity toward God? In what ways do you need to be more like this poor widow?

2. What is the most generous gift you ever gave? What made it so generous?

3. Why is God the most generous giver of all? Have you experienced His greatest gift of salvation?