So we say, Fides est fiducia (faith is trust). The man wanted to take what belonged to his brother and grab it for himself. “The Widow’s Mites [21:1-4]. 14:7-8]. Give up counting the dollar signs. I can have my cake and feel generous too. That requires profound faith—to give to […] Recent statistics show that The story of the widow’s mite describes a widow who gives two small copper coins to the temple treasury. That is not quite what the man was asking, however. How we give reflects God’s reputation, his name. Like the fool in the parable, they live for money and all the things that money can buy. The rich man in the parable was like that. The widow gave everything she had. The whole point turns on the distinction between what one gives and what one has left. The Bible gives us information. In the parable, what was the man’s worldview; his dilemma; his folly? We judge generosity by stacks of dollars. from excess; few are comfortable giving out of self-denial. Another term to describe this miserly man is self-indulgent. 1 and 2, Philip Ryken, REC, P & R Publishers. The Father gave the Son. First Reading: 2 Tm 4:1-8 Psalm: Ps 71:8-9, 14-15ab, 16-17, 22 Gospel: Mk 12:38-44 The Year of Faith which Pope Benedict XVI has declared asks us to renew the faith of the poor widow in today’s gospel reading. The covetous heart is never satisfied. When He tells us to take care, He is telling us to watch out. Abundance in this sense means surplus, a superfluity of stuff. When the people of God give, they declare just how gracious God has been to them. The poor are tempted to want all the things they do not have, while the rich are tempted to want even more of what they have. In verse 17 he identifies his dilemma; in verse 18 he comes up with his solution; in verse 19 he charts his course for the future. Jesus witnesses this offering and describes how great her gift is, because it represents a greater proportion of her wealth than the larger gifts of other religious leaders. Whether we are among the haves or the have-nots, we are all tempted by the consuming desire to have things that God has given to others rather than to us. 6-30-19 The Poor Widow: Faith That Gives. TS&TT: Trusting God In Times Of Political Turmoil. As he looked ahead to the golden years of his retirement, he anticipated spending them in the pursuit of idle pleasure. To her everlasting credit, here was a woman who offered God unconditional faith, undying gratitude, and unrestrained praise. I am rich toward God when His glory is my highest goal, when His worship is my deepest joy, and when His fellowship is my greatest satisfaction. THE POOR WIDOW: 5 FAITH THAT GIVES. The widow of Zarephath, in obedience to the prophet, gives up all that she has to live on in order to meet the needs of Yahweh’s servant Elijah, believing that Israel’s God will in turn meet her needs according to his promise ( 1 Kgs 17:12–16 ). Jesus was clear about His calling. The issue is not how much you have, or do not have, but your attitude about what you do not have, and your generosity with what you do have. Remember the context. As we look over this man’s portfolio, and overhear his plans for retirement, the words we can use to describe his attitude toward life may also describe our own spiritual condition. The Temple was under orders from God to care for orphans and widows. It shows us how we should respond to the great love of Christ. She threw herself at the mercy of the Temple’s provisions. 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. The heart and not the wallet prove whether our giving is faithful. Instead of seizing the opportunity to share, he decided to build himself some bigger barns. Consider what this poor widow shows us about giving and faith.. 4. Possessions are always trying to possess us, until finally we give in to the carvings of a covetous heart. The Widow’s Offering (). 1-888-525-1689, A weekly brief of our new teaching resources. It says that we do not live to ourselves, but to the Lord [Rom. True generosity flows from self-denial. 30: THE POOR WIDOW – FAITH THAT GIVES. The man was thankless. May our heart be like His. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Sean Wegener faith, generosity, giving, widow. The Poor Widow: Faith that gives. Sean Wegener, pastor. You would be a fool not to give everything you are, and everything you have.” [Ryken, pp. The poor widow is a model of someone rich in faith. Having or not having treasure is not the issue. [20]. Rich Toward God. How ironic! God gave His one and only Son. Don’t be a fool! We judge generosity by stacks of dollars. This man was going to die before he had the chance to enjoy even one single day of his retirement. [4] For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”  [ESV]. Both men wanted to get what they had coming to them. The Parable of the Rich Fool:  Luke 12:13-21. Here is how Jesus applied the parable of the rich fool: So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God [21]. In all his financial planning, in all his efforts to take control of his future, he never counted on his own untimely demise. Paying for such projects can be a challenge, and Oklahoma in the 1920s was no exception. 54:42. Don’t worry about what people will say. We could also call him presumptuous because he assumed that he would live indefinitely. They will never gain the pleasures that come from knowing God, or the treasures of eternal life. He had just harvested a bumper crop. The generosity of God showed in sending his Son, we reflect in our open hand. In fact his biggest problem now was storage [12:17]. Jesus, through the example of the poor widow, dares us to give. It is how they keep score, how they find their sense of satisfaction. They give as a matter of self-indulgence. Sean Wegener When the poor widow gave just two copper coins, Jesus didn’t just see the monetary value, He saw the value that they were to the poor widow. 1:21]. To know what things God truly wants us to do, we need to be clear about our calling, as Jesus was. By giving all she had, she trusted in the provisions of God. Take the vacation, eat at your favorite restaurant again, and buy the coffee that donates to some charitable cause. JUN. She had just about nothing: two coins. 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