Myth #2 - I'm Too Poor to Give

Many years ago, I heard a woman in her late 40s share a story about the time she truly surrendered everything to God. She had grown up in church, made a childhood confession of faith, and was baptized as a teen, so she considered herself a dedicated follower of Jesus. She even went to church every Sunday during her college years, unlike most of her fellow students.

However, she had to put herself entirely through university, so she worked nights and weekends, putting in nearly 40 hours per week as a waitress on top of her studies. Doing this allowed her to pay rent, fill her car with gas, and cover her college tuition... but just barely. She had next to nothing in her savings account. In fact, she said she couldn't even afford to go out to a movie with friends. (And this was back when movies were cheap!)

And so, because she didn't have much money, she didn't give anything to her church. She justified it by saying that once she graduated from college and got a "real" job, then she would start giving.

However, one Sunday, the pastor's sermon "ruined" her plans. The passage for the day was the story of the Widow's Mite, found in Mark 12:41–44. As she listened to the pastor share about Jesus praising the widow for giving the equivalent of two pennies (which was all the widow had), this woman suddenly realized tithing wasn't about giving out of your abundance but about giving from whatever you have.

As we see in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, the Jesus-followers in Macedonia were praised for their sacrificial giving. They didn't have much. In fact, they should have been the recipients of donations because of their poverty! However, they wanted to give to help others, even though it cost them dearly.

Likewise, from an earthly perspective, Jesus possessed very little. And yet, He gave everything for you. So giving isn't about how much you make, but about honoring the One who gave it all for you.