Locations & Times

How much money did the woman give? (two coins)

Was Jesus happy even though she didn’t give much? (yes)

Does Jesus want us to give some of our money, too? (yes)

Read: Mark 12:41-44

How can it be that the woman who gave the least actually gave the most? The truth this story reveals is that you don’t need a lot to give a lot. The point is much less about the amount that we give and much more about our hearts. Giving out of excess, like the rich people in the temple, is still giving, but it doesn’t necessarily take any faith to give our leftovers. It doesn’t take sacrifice and we don’t feel the cost. The woman in this story certainly felt the cost of giving all of her money away, but she still gave freely. That is the kind of generosity that points people to a generous God. As followers of Jesus, we are called to that kind of generosity.

What would happen if we actually believed that God will take care of us and that he sees and meets our every need? Believing God will keep his promise to do everything he said he would do is the definition of faith. And the more our faith grows, the more our generosity grows. Becoming more generous is to become more like Jesus, who didn’t even withhold his own life from us. Instead, he generously gave it up on the cross so we could have freedom, even the freedom to give. Generous hearts don’t withhold, but instead they give freely (Proverbs 11:24).

Our default as broken human beings will always be selfishness. So then, generosity requires intentionality. The good news is that the power of Jesus in us allows us to be generous; to choose to give more than we take, and to share the best of what we have. Generosity is something Jesus cultivates inside of us. Remembering that everything we have is from God anyway can help us loosen our grip on what we call “ours” and give us the perspective we need to share it. God cares for us because he is good. He is selfless. He is generous. And he loves us so much.

Trusting that God is generous toward us is all we need to be generous toward others. And no matter how much we can give, if we give freely, we have given much.

We can be generous even if we don’t have very much money. The point is living with others mind. We can give our time, our hospitality, or our skills. What are some ways you are living generously?

In what area of your life can you be more generous this week? Ask Jesus to show you opportunities to live and give generously.