Are you a giver or a taker?

April 1, 2009

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 21:1-4

In times like this, it’s easy to want to hunker down and hold on to everything we have.

It’s especially hard for those who are out of work or those who’ve been forced to take a reduction in pay. I really do understand that it’s harder to give when there’s not as much there to give as there once was!

Yet at the same time, think about the poor widow in today’s passage who gave everything she had to give to God’s work. While her gift wasn’t worth much monetarily, it was worth much… it was sacred… because she sacrificed to give it.

In the same way, your gifts to the Lord’s work and my gifts to the Lord’s work are made sacred when they come from a sacrificial heart.

Yet how many of us really give this way? How many really make a sacrifice in some area of life, how many are willing to give up a comfort, so that we can contribute to God’s work? Far too few, I’m afraid.

That’s why today, my question is simple. When it comes to the church and God’s Kingdom work in the world today, are you a giver… or a taker?

And if you’d admit that maybe you tip the scale to the side of being more of a taker, what’s one way you could start giving more to God’s work today? 

Maybe it’s as simple as getting your family on a budget so that you can be better stewards of the income God’s given you. Maybe it means cutting out cable television for a while. Maybe it means delaying that purchase, or going out to eat less so that you can give more to your church and God’s work around the world today.

I don’t know what your particular situation is, but I do know that as Christians living in America, we’ve grown accustomed to certain comforts and privileges.

I just wonder how many more lives could be reached if every Christian sacrificed one thing so that they could give more to God’s work?

WHEN IT COMES TO THE CHURCH AND GOD’S KINGDOM WORK IN THE WORLD TODAY, ARE YOU A GIVER… OR A TAKER?


For more from PowerPoint Ministries and Dr. Jack Graham, please visit www.jackgraham.org
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