A Widow and Her Offering

As Jesus watched people bring forward their offerings in the temple, He pointed out a shocking contrast. While many people made a show of their extravagant gifts and offerings, it was a quiet and unassuming poor widow who made the biggest offering of all. Join us for part four of The Little Things where we discover the truth about the little money we have. 

And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Luke 20:45-21:4

Principle (KNOW):

• Your “little bit” of money is a trust.

• Your “little bit” of money is a test.

• Your “little bit” of money is a testimony.

Practice (DO):

• Practice prioritized, percentage-based, progressive giving.
• Be generous FIRST – prioritize your giving.
• Base your giving on a percentage of your income.
• Progressively increase the percentage of the money you give away.

• Check out one of the resources listed below to go deeper on the subject of stewardship.

• Participate in the #LittleThings Challenge! Help us share the love of Jesus by performing 4,952 (number of COVID cases in NE Florida as of 6/22/2020) “little” acts of love by July 12.

Daily Reading:

Identify the “little” thing in each daily reading that resulted in a BIG change. Was it good or bad? Ask God to help you apply the passage and its principle to your life.

Day 1: Luke 20
Day 2: Luke 21
Day 3: Matthew 25
Day 4: 2 Corinthians 8
Day 5: 1 Timothy 6
Day 6: James 2
Day 7: James 4 and 5

Suggested Resources:

Books:

The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns
Passing the Plate, Christian Smith & Michael Emerson
The Great Evangelical Recession, John Dickerson

Sermon Series:

Generous City (2011)
In God We Trust (2013)

Check out these resources from RightNow Media:

Navigating Your Finances God's Way, by Howard Dayton
Life, Money, and Legacy, by Dave Ramsey