Daily Scripture Reading:
Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
Luke 21:2-4 – “He (Jesus) saw a poor widow put in two small coins. He said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.’”
Jesus sat down opposite the offering plate. He watched as folks came and put their offering into the trumpet-shaped container. Not only did Jesus see what was being given, everyone else heard the coins drop into the container.
The offering of the rich made lots of noise as it was dropped it. Some offerings made only a little noise. However, the offering that Jesus pointed out was the smallest – the offering of the widow. Most folks would not have noticed or even cared about the two small coins. But Jesus knew that this offering meant far more. The widow was giving everything she had. She was sacrificially giving.
Maybe she should have given one coin and saved the other – just in case she needed it. But she gave all she had. Her gift was a tremendous statement of trust and surrender. She surrendered her fears of not having enough and she trusted the God whom she served to take care of her needs.
It is never the amount that we give that makes Jesus jump up and down. It’s always the spirit and the heart in which we give. Are we giving sacrificially or are we giving IF there’s enough after WE’VE taken care of all of our needs?
Prayer: God of all grace, You are indeed the One that can meet all of my needs. Teach me to give to You sacrificially, trusting You in all things. In Christ’s name, I pray, Amen.
Reflection/Application Question for the Day:
Think about your giving. Would you gladly welcome Jesus to watch as you gave your offering?
Are you giving sacrificially or are you taking care of your wants and needs first, and then giving out of your leftovers?
God calls us to tithe (10%) of our income. If you are doing this already, is God calling you to increase your giving more sacrificially? How can you do this?
If you are not tithing yet, what can you do today to move toward tithing? Maybe giving incrementally – 2%, 5%, 8%?
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Devotion from Building Margin for a Balanced Life, devotional book, small group study and sermon series
©Tim Reaves and Trish Archer
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