THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE OF THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)
DATE: TUESDAY, 6TH DECEMBER, 2022
TOPIC: WHOLEHEARTED GIVING
TEXT: MARK 12:35-44
35. Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How [is it] that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?
36. "For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."
37. "Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He [then] his Son?" And the common people heard Him gladly.
38. Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, [love] greetings in the marketplaces,
39. "the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts,
40. "who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."
41. Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many [who were] rich put in much.
42. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.
43. So He called His disciples to [Himself] and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury;
44. "for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."
MESSAGE:
Giving is one of the ways by which true loyalty is tested and proven. In the text (vs. 41-44), Jesus refused to commend the rich, though they gave larger amounts. But He commended the poor widow, though she gave the smallest amount. His reason is simple: The rich gave out of a place of comfort, and perhaps with an air of pride and with a motive to impress people. Their giving was not out of loyalty to God. But this poor widow gave with utmost humility, the little she had; she had no intentions of impressing anyone. She came not to men but to God who sees and weighs the motives of every heart – and she received a commendation from the Lord! God is not as interested in the figure of your giving as He is in the condition of your heart when giving. This widow would have made plenty excuses for not giving, but she refused to allow her circumstances to deter her from her financial loyalty to God. What are your own excuses today for refusing to contribute wholeheartedly to the work of the Lord? When you truly love a person, whether God or people, it always reflects in the way you are willing to inconvenience yourself in order to give to that person. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son….” (John 3:16).
PRAYER:
Lord, please give me a heart that truly gives.
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