Heartfelt Giving: Lessons from Mark 12 on Generosity

I Promise # 01 DAILY ABIDING: TIME SET APART FOR GOD Pr Jeffery Kamo | Sabbath School & Personal Ministry Director I Promise # 02 IMPROVE RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH LOVE, FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION Pr Richard Koroi | Mission Secretary I Promise # 03: TO ESTABLISH ONE NEW HEALTH HABIT Pr Peter Bebe | Adventist Youth Ministries Director I Promise # 04: ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO GUIDE Minister Lee Kotoveke | Communication Director I Promise # 04: TO PREPARE FOR AND ENJOY SABBATH Dianne Pelap | Women & Child Ministries Director I Promise # 06: THE FAITHFUL HEART Pr Tangis Kurae | Adventist Stewardship Ministries I Promise # 07: THE WILLING HEART Pr Tangis Kurae | Adventist Stewardship Ministries

to DEDICATE a Percentage (__ __%) of my income as a regular Offering to the lord GOD FIRST | I PROMISE # 07

Mark 12:43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.

Giving from the Heart. Giving does not occur automatically, only People who love someone will always give to where love and trust are. Giving a certain percentage (%) to God must come from the heart.

Vs 41: Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.

Vs 42: But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

Vs 43: Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.

Vs 44: They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything all she had to live on.

1. Demonstration of Faith and Trust in God: The widow's act of giving everything she had was a profound demonstration of her faith and trust in God. Despite her poverty, she trusted that God would provide for her needs.

Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

2.Complete Surrender and Sacrifice: Her offering was a complete surrender to God, showcasing her willingness to give up her own needs for the sake of honoring God.

Romans 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God this is your true and proper worship."

3. Love and Devotion to God: The widow s gift was a pure expression of her love and devotion to God. Jesus highlights her gift to teach that true giving is measured by the spirit in which it is given, not by the amount. Her act exemplifies the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13, where love is patient, kind, and selfless.

1 Corinthians 13 "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."

On Selflessness and True Giving: "The widow who gave her mite little knew what she was doing. She was making history. Her story would be told wherever the gospel should be preached. She had given all that she had, and her spirit of self-denial and sacrifice was recognized and commended by the Son of God." (The Desire of Ages, p. 614)

Trust in Divine Providence: "The widow s mite has been an inspiration to many souls. Her spirit of sacrifice has acted and reacted upon thousands of hearts in every age and in every land. It has multiplied the offerings of beneficence, and has brought into the treasury of God means to sustain the work of saving souls." (Counsels on Stewardship, p. 175)

Conclusion The widow s act of giving all she had teaches profound lessons on faith, trust, sacrifice, and love. Her story is a testament to the power of selfless giving and complete trust in God s provision.