Luke 21:2-4
And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.  And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: 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.

If our tithe was all we had left, would we still give it?  If there was no extra or abundance, would we still be willing to give what we had to God?  Would we bring an offering at all if it was all that we had to use for ourselves?  Would we be willing to be poor and stay poor in order to give to God?  Surely it must have been with great love and gratitude that this poor widow was able to make such an extreme offering.  She had nothing.  She needed that little bit that she did have, but still she gave it for the Lord.

Giving all is better than giving much, at least in God’s eyes.  And sometimes when we have much, it’s hard to give at all.  Sometimes the more we have, the bigger a portion we want for ourselves.  Sometimes being able to give a lot may make us feel like we don’t have to give anything else.  But it’s more about obedience than how much we are giving.  It’s more about our heart condition than the nature of our offering.  It’s more about our relationship to God than our financial situation.

So how do we view giving to God?  How do we decide what we’ll give to Him and His work?  How do we determine what we’re willing to let go of and what we want to keep for ourselves?  Jesus talks a lot about providing for our needs, of blessing those who give, and the importance of seeking Him first.  So maybe a lot of it is about trust—how much we believe what God says and how much we trust Him to actually do what He says.  Maybe it’s a control thing, too, being willing to let God be in charge of those things that He’s given to us.  Maybe it’s about being willing to let God have His way and understanding that He owns it all anyway.

Jesus pointed out this poor widow to His disciples on purpose.  She is a living example of someone who is trusting God completely, someone willing to obey no matter the cost, someone whose love for God supersedes any selfish wants or desires.  Truthfully, she didn’t have much, but she knew she had the Lord, and that was enough for her.  Can we say the same?  Let’s not be overly concerned with amounts and figures.  Let’s not think that giving the most will win us God’s favor.  Let’s simply submit to Him and be obedient in giving whatever and however much He lays on our heart to give.