Giving Reflects the Spiritual

In His Presence: 1 Kings 17

Giving is a value issue, not simply a money issue. God wants your love for Him to be reflected in the way you give. When faced with the choice of using her two lepta for survival or giving them to God, the widow chose to trust God to provide and gave all her money to Him. She did it without the promise of any reward, simply because she knew she needed God above all else and wanted to give to Him. She made a spiritual decision which she reflected in her physical actions. She completely entrusted herself to God to meet her need. She was banking on God.

Our love for God is measured and tested by the hold we have on our wallets. If we simply give out of our surplus, Jesus said we are not grateful. Giving God the leftovers expresses the lack of value we place on Him. The poor widow not only gave all she had, she gave more than those rich men, not in portion, but in proportion. She gave 100 percent, while all they gave were leftovers.

Everything we have starts with God. He gives us the money we receive because of the jobs He provides for us. Everything is rooted in God's provision.

If your offering is insignificant to you, it is also insignificant to God. If we put God first in our lives, we will give Him the firstfruits, not the leftovers. Do we trust that if we put Him first, He will take care of us?

One Minute Please

If Jesus Himself passed you the offering plate with His nail-scarred hand, would it affect your giving?

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