How does your church collect their offering on Sunday mornings? In Ghana it is quite a celebration. The music starts followed by singing, then comes the dancing. The Ghanaians dance down the aisles with their offerings and place them in the basket and dance back. It is a joyful time in the service, not a solemn event. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” God must love the people in Ghana and the way they give. This is a third world country, with far less than we could imagine, yet they give freely. The offering stewards stand at the front, where the baskets are, continually pressing the money down because the baskets are so full they are about to overflow. It is very different from anything I’ve ever experienced in the United States.
In Luke 21:1-4 Jesus tells us about an offering taking place in the temple. The rich come and place their offering in the basket and then a poor woman comes along and gives two copper coins. Verse 4 tells us the rich gave out of their surplus, but the woman gave all she had. We have so much to learn from the poor widow.
This woman held nothing back from the Lord. She didn’t give 10 percent, she gave it all. In those days, a widow didn’t have many options. Her source of her earthly provision was gone. She was completely dependent upon the generosity of those in her extended family, yet even so, she held nothing back from the Lord. Do we give out of our surplus or do we truly sacrifice to give to God?
Not only did the woman’s gift demonstrate a heart of devotion, it demonstrated a complete trust and faith in God to provide for her every need. Jesus doesn’t mention anything about her deliberating over whether to put one coin in or both. She simply gives and believes. She understands Who her provider is and she believes in Him. Can the same be said about you? They say that wherever your treasure is your heart resides. Where is your heart?