Day 260
Luke 21:1-4 NIV
''.As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth: but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
Jesus measured the giving of those who put money in the treasury by how much they lad left. That is how God judges our giving. That does not mean we all must go and empty our resources and try to become poor. However, as God directs us in giving, we must examine how much we still have of what He has asked us for when we have released our gifts.
God asked us to sanctify IO percent of our income for His work. Before the Jaw was instituted, Abraham and Jacob gave tithes. This is the way man acknowledged the source of his supply. Jesus encouraged tithing during His earthly ministry. He told the religious leaders they should continue to tithe, but to add justice, mercy and faithfulness to it. The author of Hebrews said Jesus, our High Priest, receives tithes today. If we give more than someone who is poorer than we are and we give only 5 percent of our income, then they have out given us if they give IO percent or more.
Also, when God directs us in giving beyond our tithes to the ministry or to help someone, are we willing to give only to the extent that it does not inconvenience us? Would we give something we wanted for ourselves? Could we do without something and be happy to see someone else blessed with it? The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. We are simply stewards of what we possess. We must humbly Jay all we have at the feet of our Lord and subject it to His direction. Apart from the fact that we cannot outgive God, we must simply obey out of respect for who He is. We ought to give, recognizing that He gave us all we possess.
I humble myself before God. All I have is ultimately His. I submit all I possess to His direction. Although I know of His goodness and His Word, which guarantees a blessing for my giving, I will give first of all, because he is God.