100 %

Luke 21:4 “For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.”

It is easy to be generous with what is not yours. For instance, I could say that if I won the lottery, I would give you five dollars. It is easy to be generous in theory. But it is not easy to be generous with what you do have. Giving to God is not about giving a certain portion; it is about giving a percentage-100% of self. You see, if God has me, He has everything.

We can see this truth in the story of the widow’s two mites in Luke 21:1-4. How impressive to you is this widow’s offering of two mites? Maybe it was the equivalent of two nickels-is that an impressive offering? The Lord saw the rich men giving a vast amount in the offering. Certainly the portion these men gave was impressive. But the Lord saw what she gave-the percentage that she gave. This widow “cast in more than they all . . . she of her penury hath cast in all. . . .” Jesus did not see her offering as two mites; He saw her offering as 100%.

The Lord knows your heart, too. He knows that you cannot give what you do not have. But God has obligated Himself to give to givers. As you give, the Lord will supply so that you have to give again. What a wonderful truth!

Do you think this woman should have been giving in the first place? The church in Acts 6 had a ministry for folks like her, and the New Testament is full of instruction about taking care of widows. But notice that the Lord Jesus saw her giving and did not stop her. Have you ever felt badly about taking a gift from someone? You felt sorry for the wrong person! God gives to givers. It is not what men see, but rather what the Lord knows. He knows if the giving is 100% giving.

We are not told the rest of the story, but how do you suppose the Lord provided for the widow? If He provided tax money from the mouth of a fish, don’t you suppose the Lord could have reimbursed this widow on the spot for her giving? While we do not know the details, we can know that this widow did not starve and did not go without. Why? Because she gave 100%.

This poor widow in Luke 21 is our example in giving. The amount people see is not always the percentage that God knows. God never asks more-and you can never do better-than giving 100% of self.