The Treasure Trove of Generous GivingSample

Principle #3: See the Cost of Sacrificial Giving

Sacrificial giving will always have a steep cost.

That’s why it’s called sacrificial giving; it requires a sacrifice. As we continue in the story, we see, “He called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury” (v. 43).

Some can read that and say, “How could Jesus say such a thing? These people were putting in some big bucks, and she put in two nickels. Yet He said, ‘She gave more than all of them combined?’” But then Jesus answers them. “For they all did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living” (v. 44, emphasis added). Her giving was at a level of sacrifice well beyond anything the other people gave. While they gave out of abundance, she gave out of poverty. They gave a fraction of their wealth and had much more still in the bank, while she gave everything she had to live on. No wonder she’s the one we’ve been talking about for the last two thousand years. When you give out of your abundance, there is no sacrifice in it.

What would be a modern-day example of this story?

It would be like a guy walking up to the offering bucket and saying, “Here are the keys to my Porsche.” Everybody would think, “Wow! Let’s give him a brass plaque on the end of a pew with his name on it.” But here’s what they don’t know: He owns a car lot. He’s got tons of luxury vehicles, not just one. So, it wasn’t a sacrifice. It was giving out of abundance. The widow, on the other hand, had no such abundance. The Bible says she gave out of her want. I like how the Bible is very specific. She probably wanted to keep that money to meet her very real and present needs. That’s what it means. She needed it. She had bills to pay. She literally gave all that she had and was hoping God would come through for her next meal. Now, that’s extravagant sacrificial giving.

She was probably thinking, “Whoa, I really need this money.” But out of obedience to God, she quietly walked down, and—kerplunk, kerplunk—she gave all that she had. Meanwhile, the rich who cast in much probably looked over at Jesus thinking, “Did You see what I gave?” And Jesus would have said, “Yes, I saw that, and it cost you nothing. Next.” As He stated on the record, “Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury. For they all did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”

How much did the widow actually give to God?

She gave 100 percent of all she had.