As a church, we were recently reminded that our actions reveal the condition of our hearts. In Mark 12:38-44, we find two opposite examples that teach an important lesson about actions and desires. The first example is that of the scribes who loved to be seen, honored and served. The scribes appeared religious on the outside, but their hearts were far from God. The second example is that of a poor widow who is not even named in the narrative. She would not have attracted much attention from onlookers, but she caught the attention of Jesus. She couldn’t offer much to God, but she gave everything she had. Jesus condemns the scribes and commends the widow. God cares about our actions, but He cares even more about our hearts.

God desires for us to love Him above everything else. When we love God most, everything else we think, say and do will be impacted. Because the poor widow loved God above everything else, she was willing to give away all that she had, down to the last penny. Because the scribes loved themselves most, their religious actions were a means to receive praise from others. The actions of the poor women and the scribes revealed the content of their hearts.

We need to be careful that we don’t jump at opportunities to serve others, pray in public, sing on stage (or just louder than others), to be seen and praised by others. Following God certainly requires service and sacrifice, but our service and sacrifice must be God-centered, not self-centered. Consider Jesus’ warning from Matthew 6:1, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” At times, it will be impossible for us to serve God in secret, but we must always maintain the posture of serving and sacrificing ourselves for the approval of God not the approval of man.

Resources:

• The Widow’s Sacrificial Offering—An Article by Ligonier Ministries

• Radical—David Platt

• When People Are Big and God is Small—Ed Welch

Reflection Questions:

• What is your motivation for serving God?

• In what ways have you sought the approval of man over the approval of God? Confess this to the Lord.

• How does your love for God impact the way you spend your time, money, and energy?