Committed Giving
Wyatt Webb
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.' " Luke 21:1-4
I read this as part of my devotional this morning and it convicted me.
It's a matter of commitment. I feel challenged to declare how
committed I am to God's plan.
On the one end is that charity that doesn't commit you to anything.
You buy a five dollar raffle ticket. You buy ten dollar candy bars to
fund the high school band. You chip in twenty bucks when the basket is
passed on Sunday. Sure, that's charitable, but you aren't really
committed there. If the enterprise you contributed to failed, it
wouldn't affect you at all. You could shrug your shoulders and move on.
In the middle are those gifts that seem big to others, but are
something you can absorb. Maybe it's two hundred dollars to help
someone go on a mission trip. Maybe it's a hundred dollars to buy
equipment for the children's ministry. These can be a big deal to the
recipient, but it won't break your bank.
At the other end of the scale are those sacrificial gifts that cause
you to live differently. These are the gifts that you can't wait to
give and you plan your budget around. Giving like this also causes you
to buy less and live cheaper. These are gifts like the widow's. Giving
like this is being full on committed to the endeavor God has proposed.
You are all in.
Giving out of your wealth is an opportunity to bless others. Giving
out of your poverty is way to worship God.
When you give until it hurts, you do a good thing. How committed are
you to God's venture?
Wyatt