Give Your All to the Lord
One day Jesus was at the temple, and he observed people putting money into the temple treasury. The scene is described in Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4:
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on. Mark 12:41-44 (NIV).Mark 4:1-20
The Temple featured a “Court of the Women” that was open to male and female Jewish worshippers; however, female worshippers were not allowed to go beyond the Court of the Women. There were 13 trumpet shaped chests in the Court of the Women where worshippers could were to place their offering. It was here that Jesus saw the widow put in two small coins worth only a few cents.
There are many things we do not know about the widow. We do not know how long she had been coming to the Court of the Women to give her offering. We do not know how long her husband had been dead. It is likely that while her husband was alive they had more to give because together they would have had more resources to live on. We also do not know how old she was or if she had sons. But, it is what we DO know about her that is important. We know that she was quiet and unassuming and did not seek to draw attention to herself, unlike the Pharisees, and we know that she gave her all to the Lord!
Jesus was not impressed by the rich people who threw in large amounts. He was not impressed by flamboyance and flash. To be sure, the widow’s few cents seemed insignificant to the large sums given by the rich. But to Jesus, the widow gave more than all the others combined. Why? Because, while the rich gave large sums, their gifts did not represent their all. For example, someone has $5 million and gives $4 million away, which is an incredibly generous donation. But, he or she still has $1 million left, which is a princely sum indeed. While their gift is generous and appreciated, it does not represent their all. In his “Wiersbe Bible Commentary”, Dr. Wiersbe explains, “When it comes to our giving, God sees more than the portion; He also sees the proportion. Men see what is given, but God sees what is left, and by that He measures the gift and the condition of our hearts.” Here, the widow’s gift represents her all because she had nothing left.
We, as the children of God, must give him our all. Jesus is not saying to empty out your bank account or give away your mortgage payment and grocery money. He is saying that he wants us to truly consecrate our whole life to him, holding nothing back for ourselves. Not only are we to give of our resources, but Jesus wants our love, time, attention, and most importantly, our obedience to his Word. All of it. That is what the widow’s offering represents. Dr. Wiersbe says, “The widow’s mite does not represent the least we can give, but the most, our very all…. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
Choose to give your all to Jesus. Choose to hold nothing back. Andmost of all, choose Jesus today!
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God bless!