But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others…” Mark 12:42-43

In the Bible book of Acts 5, there’s a story about a couple named Ananias and Sapphira. They sold a piece of their land so that they could give the funds to the church. But they decided to keep some of the money for themselves and lied to the church about it. Almost as soon as the lies left their mouths, they fell down, dead!

Before he died, Ananias had been reminded that the land had belonged to him and his wife; it was theirs to do with as they chose. Their sin was their deception, not just toward their community, but against God. It would have been better for them to say, “we can’t give that much money” or even, “we don’t want to give the money.”

Most of us can relate at times to those very honest statements about giving money. Yet there’s a great temptation to avoid honesty that might make us feel ashamed in front of others or God. Be assured, it’s better not to give than it is to bring an offering pretending that it’s a gift from your heart.

If you’ve ever read the story of the first offering given in the Bible in Genesis 4 remember that Cain’s rich,lavish offering was also rejected because of his heart. God doesn’t depend on your money, but He does want your honest heart, even when honesty reveals less than we wish we could give. Honesty will pave the way toward a soft heart and true generosity.

 

Resource reading: Acts 5:1-11