Withholding
“What are the implications for us of Jesus’ teaching on the heart? First, we may fool ourselves or others, but we can never fool God. Once again, duplicity was certainly known to the Hebrews: "Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak." (Ps.11: 2)…God can see if we are holding back in any way, that is to say, as the Native American proverb goes: “If we are speaking with forked tongues.” (Father George Morelli)
“…all gifts and abilities come from God…be willing to utilize our gifts wholeheartedly, not holding back anything from God’s service.” (Life Application Bible, Romans 12:6)
“This is our goal – bringing about the breakthrough of the Kingdom of Heaven in to our world. This is what God is calling you to be part of. This is why He wants you to choose to be part of His Church, of this holy community. Remember the saying: “The only thing we can do alone is go to hell.” But together, we can transform our lives by transforming our relationships…If you believe you can protect yourself from pain by holding back, by not engaging with others, you are lying to yourself. We must engage, we must commit, we must come together. We must love.” (Douglas Cramer)
“The depth of our devotion to Christ is inseparable from the quality of the service which we offer to Him. If our relationship with God is right, then we will set aside as a matter of course some of the best of our labor. In the list of our life's priorities God will not be an afterthought. And yet, more often than not, we offer to God only that which is left over of the gifts that He has generously given us to enjoy….Jesus… took particular note of the sacrifice represented in the poor widow's gift to the poor box of the temple…Her gift represented sacrifice…The fundamental principle that Jesus sought to emphasize through this widow's example is that love is lavish. It does not think about how much it can withhold, but how much it can give.” (Rev. Andrew Demotses)
“God places greater value on devoted love and sacrificial giving than on the amount. The spiritual discipline of giving isn’t about the amount but about the trust and confidence in one’s heart.” (Father Barnabas Powell)