Several weeks ago I was thinking about the story of the widow at the temple; the one whom Jesus said gave more than all of the others even though she only gave two mites. You can find the story in Luke 21:1-4. I don't remember exactly why I thought of this story, I believe I was thinking about giving and planting seeds or some similar topic. But something about it struck me.
Most of the time I've heard this story most people point out, correctly I believe, that Jesus praised her because she gave a proportionally greater gift than all of the other people who gave that day. She literally gave everything that she had. It's hard to top that in terms of proportion. But I was thinking about all of the other surplus givers. Is it wrong to give out of a surplus? Are we supposed to give everything that we have all the time? I don't think so, otherwise we wouldn't have enough to take care of ourselves.
I think the Lord gave us some guidelines to giving. For instance John the baptizer, in response to a question about showing the good fruit of repentance, responded, "Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none" (Luke 3:11). He was telling us to give out of our surplus. Also, Paul told the Corinthians that they should set aside something to give as they were able and as their income allowed (see 1 Corinthians 16:1-3). Then he tells them again that God will bless those who give so that they have enough for them and for others (see 2 Corinthians 9:6-15). Again, we are encouraged to give out of our surplus.
So if the fact that they were giving out of their surplus was not the issue, then what was? Why was their gift not as good as the widow's? What was the difference between them? Well it must have been a heart issue. What would cause some people, who had so much, give so little compared to what they had in total? And, what would cause a widow, who had so little, give so much to help others? I believe, at least in part, that it was a matter of contentment.
You see, if you are not content it doesn't matter how much surplus you have, you are not giving beyond any sense of duty or obligation. Because, when you are not content with what you have, what you are giving can feel like someone is stealing from you. On the other hand, if you are content then you will be more than willing to let go of any extra that you have. You will be willing to share what you have with other people because you trust God to meet your needs, you realize that he is your source, and most important you are thankful and grateful for everything that He has given you.
Let's get back to the widow at the temple. She gave everything she had to help meet the needs of other people. I'm guessing she had some needs. She may have even been desperate. But I'm thinking she had to at least be content with what she had or she would not have given. Imagine the trust that she had in God to meet her needs for her to want to share with others.
So with the Christmas season upon us, let us not think about amounts or proportions when we give. Let us think about what we have been given and choose to be content and thankful. Let us be like the widow who chose to give everything. Let us think about our great God and Savior, who was so content with what He had, that He was willing to come down to earth, live among us, and share it all with us (see Philippians 2:1-11) by allowing us to also become children of God. That is certainly something to be thankful for.
Phillip