41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much.

42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two Mites, which make a quadrans.

43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury;

44 For they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

Mark 12:41-44

Many times when we preach from this portion of Scripture, we think of the rich people who don’t give much. Has it ever occurred to you, that there must have been poor people who came to the treasury as well; before and after that poor widow? By general statistics, on the face of the earth, the poor outnumber the rich. If there was one poor widow that came and also many rich ones that came too, then I am certain that many poor people had come as well! Even they did not catch Jesus’ attention. Jesus didn’t look at them and say, “I know you don’t have much, just give anything you can.” The poor, the rich; none of them caught His attention. The person that caught His attention was the person who gave in high pro- portion. The rich men gave much but Jesus’ statement infers that the proportion of what they gave compared with what they had was little. If they gave much into the treasury, it means that they had so much more at home.

Whether you think you are rich, poor or middle class, please get this into your mind: the state of your pocket has got nothing to do with your ability to give because a poverty mentality is not a function of the pocket; it’s a function of the mind. Let me repeat this: it is a function of the mind. That is why the Bible says that as a man thinks in his heart so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

You may be poor today, but you don’t have a poverty mentality: you can be rich tomorrow. You may be rich today, but a poverty mentality stinks all around you: you can lose it all tomorrow. What matters is your ability to trust and have faith in God.

Confession:
The state of my pocket has nothing to do with my ability to give. My ability to give is dependent upon the state of my mind. I will get my mind renewed and keep it renewed with God’s Word concerning giving.