“I tell you the
truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All
these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty
put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:
3-4
How many of us give to the church or to
others in need when we don’t have anything extra to give? I am very timid about leaving this island I
have called home for over 15 years now because I know how expensive it will be
for my family to move back and to find jobs that will provide for us in the
“style” we are accustomed to here. When
we need something, we purchase it and pay off our debts almost immediately. We
do this because we have that luxury out here, not having the bills that others
in the states have with house payments, car payments, cell phone payments,
cable payments, water, electricity and garbage bills, etc….We are very, very
blessed to be on a military base where so much of that is simply provided by
the government. And I am very, very thankful for that, but it does make me really
consider the question above when I read about this poor widow who gave the last
coins she had to God. If I am honest, I
would have to say my first thought when I have some extra money is to put it in
savings for the future of my family, not to give it away or to even give it
back to God. I usually forget to bring
my offering money to church even. Isn’t that terrible?!?! I do believe God
honors most of my choices with the money I make and wants me to use my good
judgment in what I do with what is ultimately His money, but in a way, it’s not
putting my trust fully in God to provide what I need for the future. And it’s not considering what He wants
first. When I was a college student
living off the money my parents set aside for me in a trust fund, I had to
speak with them concerning any additional expenses or things I wanted or needed
outside of the usual tuition, food, and lodging payments. In other words, I had
to ask them for permission and approval for where I spent their money. Shouldn’t it be the same way with God and the
money he provides us? It’s all His after
all. A good goal for me in the upcoming New Year would be to pray about where
God would have me to give His money.
I’ve never heard of anyone who regretted giving their money to other
worthy causes or to others in need, especially when it meant forgoing something
they would like to have, but don’t really need in order to bless someone else
with a more urgent need. Usually, these individuals find that the money they
gave so generously is given back to them ten-fold because God is blessing them
for their unselfishness and trust in Him and His provisions for His
children. God will provide, but if I am
not seeking His guidance for where to share what He has given me, He will not
be able to provide for others through me, and I so want Him to work through me
to assist others. So, let’s ask God
today what we can do to bless someone else with what we have so graciously been
given. Out of poverty comes rich inner wealth…
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