What God Really Wants

Introduction

I once read about a girl who wanted to give to foreign missions so much that she got a paper piggy bank box to use for missions giving. The problem was she had no money. As she was puzzling over this problem, Margie began to imagine what she would give if she could. She began to think of all the kind things the Lord did for her and decided she would put a coin in her missionary box for each as a way to say thank you. That morning the hens had laid three eggs so she and her parents could each have a whole egg. Wasn’t that a blessing? With sudden inspiration, Margie borrowed a nickel from her mother and did a rubbing of it on a little scrap of paper which she put in her box. Now that she was looking for blessings, she was surprised and pleased how many there really were. For each blessing she noticed, she put a gift in her box – a dime for this, a quarter for that. As she put each paper coin in her box, she thanked the Lord for His kindness and prayed that someday He would help her to replace them with real coins to give to missions. After her collection had grown awhile, a guest staying in Margie’s room accidentally fell asleep before closing the windows. As the visitor picked up the things the wind had blown off her table, he noticed Margie’s box with the paper tokens scattered around it. When he saw what they were for, he counted them and replaced each with a real coin. Imagine Margie’s surprise when she cleaned her room after the visitor had gone and found her dream of giving to missions had come true! The story, told by Isabella Alden, probably never happened, but it is a sweet illustration of the kind of giving God loves – glad and generous. Perhaps you feel that you have nothing worthy of giving to the Lord. But in Mark 12:41-44, Jesus teaches us that the thing God really wants is something we can each give Him. Study the passage to learn about giving to the Lord and how He thinks about it.

Observation

Pray

Ask the Lord to help you understand His Word as you study it today so that you can know Him better and live in a way that pleases Him.

Read Focus Verses

Read Mark 12:41-44 and try to imagine being there when it happened.

Cast of Characters

List the people in these verses starting with Jesus.

Setting

Where do the things in these verses happen?

Keywords - Money

There are a lot of words that refer to money in these verses. Mark them so they'll stand out to you.

Money

Mark all the words about money in Mark 12:41-44.

Keyword - Jesus

The whole book of Mark is about Jesus. Marking His Name helps us see Him in the story.

Jesus

Mark Jesus' Name and the words that mention Him (He, His, Him) in Mark 12:41-44.

People Watching

What was Jesus doing in verse 41?

What Did He See?

What did He see in verse 41?

One Stood Out

Of all the people giving, one of them stood out. What do verses 42-44 tell us about this lady?

How Much?

How much did the lady give?

Which Gift?

Which gift was more significant to Jesus - the ones in verse 41 or the one in verse 42?

Why?

Why does Jesus say the gift in verse 42 was more than the bigger gifts in verse 41?

Context

If you look at what Jesus has just said in Mark 12:38-40, you'll see an interesting contrast.

Contrast

How does the widow giving everything to God contrast with the Scribes who pretended to be pious but robbed widows?

Beyond Giving

In light of this contrast between the religious elite and this godly widow, what can we learn about what God thinks about devotion and worship?

Interpretation

The Treasure of the Temple

In this picture you can see where Jesus and His disciples were in the temple. They were in the main courtyard of the temple - often called the court of the women - where Jesus spent so much time.

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About the Coins

This interesting video tells about the little coins the widow gave.

The Story

This short clip can help you visualize the story.

Her Offering

Reflect on what you've seen about the story - how public it was and how very small the gift was. What do these things reveal about the widow's faith and her love for God?

The Size

If one of the rich people had put in the same amount of money as the widow did, do you think Jesus would have been pleased? Why or why not?

What Was It?

If it wasn't just the size of the gift that Jesus liked, what else about the widow's gift did He like? (Hint: verse 44 can help.)

The Giving God Loves

If it's the heart not the size of the gift that pleased the Lord, we can learn how to give like her. 2 Corinthians 9:7 tells how.

A Cheerful Giver

How does 2 Corinthians 9:7 describe the kind of giving God loves?

Rich and Poor

1 Timothy 6 gives a lot of instruction about how Christians should think about money. Notice the way verses 17-19 show that this kind of giving is for the rich as well as the poor.

Quick to Give

How does 1 Timothy 6:18 describe the kind of giving that honors the Lord?

Is Money Enough?

Based on 1 Timothy 6:18, is it enough for those who have money to only give money all the time and nothing else?

Time, Care, Compassion, Help

What else does 1 Timothy 6:18 instruct those with money to be willing to give as well as their money?

The Poor Too

In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 we see that this giving of self - time, care, compassion - as well as money isn't just for the wealthy.

Giving of Yourself

What do these verses say about the way these believers from Macedonia gave?

Example

A few verses later in 2 Corinthians 8:9 we see the greatest example of all.

For Our Sakes

Who is the greatest Giver of all?

Jesus' Gift

What and how did Jesus give?

Making Sense

In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus puts a new perspective on things.

So Much from So Little

If you continue on and read Matthew 6:24-34, you'll see why the widow was able to give so much though she had so little.

Rich in Faith

What do these verses and the widow's example teach us about faith?

Multiplied by Giving

Consider what Proverbs 11:24-25 says.

How Would You Answer?

If someone told you that giving didn't make sense to them, how could you use these verses in Matthew 6 and Proverbs 11 (and any others you know) to explain why you as a Christian give to the Lord by giving to His people and work?

Reasons

Go back to Matthew 6 for a minute, and consider what verses 1-4 say about giving for the wrong reason.

The Wrong Reason

What is a wrong reason to give? Why?

The Right Reason

What is the right reason to give according to Matthew 6:1-4?

A Good Example

One of the best examples of cheerful giving is in Exodus 35:21-22, 29 when the people of Israel brought gifts and offerings for making the Tabernacle - the place where they would worship God.

Continued…

The story continues in Exodus 36:4-7. When was the last time you heard people being told to stop giving?!

Cheerful Giving

What can you learn about cheerful giving from this example?

Where'd They Get It?

Think about if for a minute: When Israel left Egypt (less than a year before the events you just read about), God had the people of Egypt give valuable gifts of gold and jewels and other things to the Israelites.

The Joyful Gift of Giving

Why didn't God just have the Egyptians directly give the things for the Tabernacle?

Given to Give

How does knowing that God sometimes gives things to His people so that they can have the joy of giving them to Him change your perspective on giving?

Summary: A Difference?

So, based on what you've seen in the Bible, should there be a difference when people with different amounts of money give (except in the size of the gifts they can give)? Why or why not?

Summary: Why Do Christians Give?

Based on your study today, how would you explain why Christians should be giving people?

Summary: How Should You Give?

In light of these passages from the Bible, how would you describe how a person should give?

Once More

Read Mark 12:41-44 again in light of what you've seen about giving in the Bible.

About Jesus

What can you learn about Jesus in these verses?

The Widow

Why is the widow such a good example of giving?

Application

Giving

Are you generous and giving toward God and others?

Struggle

If you struggle to give, what are some of the reasons you have for not giving - fear, pride, the worldly opinion of others? How do the verses you studied today answer that concern and teach you how to give anyway?

Heart

If you like to give, do you do it for the right reasons? Think about what your Bible study today revealed about the kind of giving God loves - cheerful, generous, willing, based in trust of the Lord, done to please God. Is there one of those things you need to work on as you give so your giving will please the Lord?

More than Money

Several of the verses talked about giving more than money. Will you give yourself to the Lord again right now and promise to use your time and treasures for Him as He directs (and then ask for His direction)?

Wrapup

Closing

We hope this study plan has helped you understand what God really wants and has challenged you to give freely with a joyful, willing heart.

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