It seems as if one of the first words a child says is “mine.” Most of the time, it’s not taught, but they seem to internalize it very quickly. Why? All of us are plagued with sin, and it is apparent from our earliest days on earth. We are selfish creatures. We want to keep and build up our things, our own kingdom. It’s not taught, but it’s embedded in our human, sinful nature.
Knowing the truth about our being, we read of this woman who seemed to have no issue giving away not just one small thing of hers, but all that she possessed. Her offering would have more than likely left her destitute, but she still gave it away.
This story may seem shocking to us. We may immediately think of reasons why we can’t do this.
“I have a car payment.”
“I’m working on paying off debt.”
“We’re trying to save up for a big purchase.”
“I’m already struggling with money. I can’t give anything else up. God wouldn’t want that from me. I have to be wise.”
How can we give away all that we have? How can we hold nothing back from God? It starts by understanding the depth and extent Christ went to secure our freedom from sin in order to have life in Him. Christ gave up all that He had. Jesus gave up His place at the right hand of the Father to come to earth to become one of us. He took on human flesh and experienced all of the brokenness of this world. He lived the life we couldn’t live so that He could pay the price we deserve to pay.
He gave the greatest of exchanges – His life for ours.
This sacrifice is not meant to guilt us but to draw us near to Him. Everything we have is a gift of God. Nothing we own is actually ours. We can enjoy the things God has given us because of Jesus’ sacrifice. The call for believers now is to live in humble obedience knowing that we cannot move forward or accomplish anything apart from Jesus.
Notice what is happening in this verse. Jesus is not commenting on if a person is giving or not. The assumption is that we all would be giving. What Jesus comments on is the condition of the giver’s heart. God cares most about our hearts.
This call to hold nothing back and to live in dependence on God hits very close to home for me. When I was going through seminary, I had to work four jobs in order to make the bare minimum to eat and pay for school. According to the world, I had every right to hold tightly to the money I had. But God used this passage to convict my heart. Here I was in school to learn more about Scripture, but I was not wanting to follow its very commands. So, I told God that I would give out of what I had. I would give above and beyond the minimum, and trust that He would provide.
I tell you this story not to say, “Look at me.” Instead, I tell you to show you that everything we have is God’s. He is the one who is ultimately in control of my days. I can trust Him to provide all that I need. I have found that He is true to His Word. Did I magically start having an abundance of money because I gave more? No, but God gave me exactly what I needed, sometimes to the exact dollar amount. What I learned is that I didn’t actually need many of the things I was holding tightly.
As long as I have a relationship with Jesus, His Word, and His people, I am living in abundance.
What is it for you? Maybe you’re not holding tightly to money, but maybe you’re holding tightly to your kids or status among people or your time. How can you and I begin to open our hands to the one who holds it all in His hands? This Lent season, let’s evaluate our hearts to see what we’re holding back from our Savior and willingly give it to Him, not out of obligation but out of obedience and surrender.
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