Dare to Be Like The Poor Widow at Temple

Dare to Be Like The Poor Widow at Temple

Daily Scripture Threshing for Today, Thursday, October 22, 2026

Today's Text: Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Key Verse: Mark 12:44 (KJV) - "For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."

In a temple courtyard crowded with the wealthy, Jesus sat over against the treasury and watched how the people cast money in. Many that were rich cast in much, and the sound of their abundance was loud. Then came an unnamed poor widow, a woman noticed by no one except Jesus. She had in her hand only two mites, two small copper coins which make a farthing, everything she had to live on. She gave them, and in the economy of heaven, her small offering outweighed all the large offerings of that day. Her giving was not measured by amount but by surrender. God is still watching not how much we give, but how much we keep back. Dare to be the poor widow: to give not from your abundance but from your heart, to trust God not with your surplus but with your sustenance.

The poor widow teaches us that God does not count what we give; He weighs what it costs us. The rich gave out of their abundance; what they gave left their lives largely untouched. She gave out of her want, her lack, her need. The Greek word there means she gave her whole life, her entire livelihood. She did not give a percentage; she gave herself. Her two mites were small in the eyes of men, but great in the eyes of God because they represented total dependence. Some people give and still retain control; others give and in that act, they place their future entirely in God's hands. Dare to be the poor widow: dare to believe that one act of wholehearted trust is worth more than a thousand acts of calculated generosity, and that God sees the hand that trembles as it gives all.

Her offering was also an act of worship in secret, done without an audience. She did not announce her gift, she did not wait to be noticed, and she did not give to be praised by men. In fact, she likely thought no one saw her. But Jesus saw her. He called His disciples to Himself to point her out, making an unnamed widow the sermon of the day. Heaven's recognition is different from earthly applause. Men celebrate the loud and the large; Jesus celebrates the hidden and the wholehearted. Your sacrificial giving may never be acknowledged in the bulletin or on the platform, but it is recorded in heaven. Dare to be the poor widow: to give when no one is clapping, to serve when no one is watching, and to trust that the One who sees in secret will reward openly.

Sacrificial giving does not mean foolish giving; it means faithful giving. The widow did not give because a man manipulated her; she gave because she loved God and trusted His house. She shows us that true generosity is not about having much, but about holding little tightly. Her giving set the ultimate standard, not because everyone must give all, but because everyone must give with all. God does not ask all of us to give everything, but He does ask all of us to give with a heart that would give everything. She gave her living, and Jesus gave His life. The widow's mites point us to Calvary's total offering. Dare to give yourself first to the Lord, as the Macedonian believers did, and then your substance will follow your surrender.

Action Steps: Ask the Holy Spirit today to show you what "all your living" means for you in this season. It may be your time, your talent, your treasure, or your comfort. Do one specific act of sacrificial giving this week that costs you something - not just from your abundance, but from your want. Give without announcing it, without seeking recognition, and without calculating your security. As you give, declare your trust that your Father who saw the widow's mites sees you, and that He who owns all will take care of all that concerns you. Let your giving be worship.

Quote for the Day: "God does not measure your offering by how much you gave, but by how much you kept back; sacrificial giving is giving until it costs you to trust Him." - (Simon Olatunji #quotablequotes)

Let Us Pray: Heavenly Father, deliver me from the giving that costs me nothing and from the faith that risks nothing. Like the poor widow, I give myself first to You - my life, my heart, my all. Teach me to hold loosely what I cannot keep and to give generously what I cannot lose. Give me a heart that trusts You not only with my abundance but with my daily bread. Let my life be an offering that You can point to, not because it is large, but because it is wholly Yours. Break the spirit of calculation and fear, and make me a faithful and cheerful giver in the temple of my daily life - in Jesus' most glorious name. Amen.

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Thank you for threshing the Word with me today. For further study on this topic, please read: Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4; 1 Kings 17:8-16; 2 Corinthians 8:1-9; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Philippians 4:10-19.

With all my love and prayers,

Simon Wale Olatunji, Ph.D.

Your Darling Bishop (DaBishop)

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