Abc's Of Giving - Consecration Series

We never forgot that illustration from our 6th grade Sunday School class. It was the day my friend Donald got only brownie scrapings, and I learned that God should have 1st rights to everything I have. In the years since, I have struggled with giving and priorities, but whenever I recall that "crummy Sunday morning lesson", I know who must come first in my life.

That story illustrates how God must feel with some offerings that He receives. Instead of God getting our 1st thought – He gets our last. He gets what’s leftover… He gets the crumbs. NOW IF YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW DONALD FELT…You’ve a fair idea of how God must feel. It’s true – it is the thought that counts. That’s all because God knows: “Where our treasure is, there our heart is also.”

Something else here that Jesus does. He tells us what pleases God. Notice that Jesus is more impressed with the widow than with the wealthy. This tells me God is more impressed with the quality of our gift than with quantity.

This is poor woman. Her offering is probably a day’s wages. IT WAS A sacrifice FOR HER. It was ALL she had.

In Genesis and Exodus and Leviticus and Numbers - that which gave the offerings to God “an aroma pleasing to the LORD” was that it was a sacrifice. THE RICH – putting in their offering, were not sacrificing anything. That was what Jesus was pointing out here.

What is it about sacrifice that pleases God??? God knows that I will sacrifice for that which is important to me. If something IS NOT important to me – I won’t sacrifice.

But when we get to the point where God’s kingdom & His righteousness are valuable enough for you and I to sacrifice something for… God will give us the power to change our world.

CLOSE: A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it ’was too crowded.’ "I can’t go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the preacher as he walked by. The preacher looked on her shabby, unkempt appearance, and guessed the reason - taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class.

The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

About two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings and the parents called for that preacher, to handle her final arrangements. They told him that just as her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday school." For two years she had saved for this offering special offering. When the preacher read that note he was in tears… and he knew instantly what he wanted to do.

Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his church leaders to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building. And they did!