“for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”
Luke 21: 4 (New King James Version)
We read in verses 1-2 , “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.” This woman was poor and she was also a widow… yet she came all the way and she gave all that she had !
We read that she put in all the livelihood she had. In other words what money that could have been used for her sustenance in this world … she gave it all to the Lord. Various rich men also came and were seen putting in their offering into the treasury.
But you know what ?? God does not look at what you give .. He looks within and sees how it is given. The rich men put in their offerings out of their abundance…. However, would they give all what they had to the Lord ?
I am reminded of a story that I heard as a kid. There was this small boy and his mother gave him two coins. One to put in the offering box in church and the other to buy himself some sweets. As the boy strolled on his way playing with coins in his hand , one coin slipped out of his hand and rolled away into a drain and was swept away. The boy promptly looked up to the sky and said “God , that was your coin !!’ :-)
Funny right ? Well we do the same thing. When some work of this world (say an exam , or some important work ) comes up, what do we say ? “I got to study for this exam… Oh I got to finish this work … Oh I have to do this… So Lord its my time with you that is lost. I will still hold onto all the time that is associated with work in this world” Still funny ??
Why is it the first thing that we say is ‘no time for prayer today… no time to sit with the Bible today…’ ? The very first thing that gets compromised is our time that is to be given to our God. Why ? Because we choose things of this world to be more important .
When we give unto the Lord do we give all that we have ? Do we give the best that we can ? Its not just about money. What about our time ? Do we give everything to the Lord ?
What about our bodies which are His … which are to be offered as a Holy sacrifice to Him ? Is it given 100% all to Him ?
I had a demo with a client couple of weeks back which went on very successfully by God’s grace. It was a big win for us and I was ecstatic. The next day as I was driving back to my home town my car broke down. But there was a higher reason for that . God opened the door for me to share the gospel with the mechanic who came to tow the car. As I reached back home that night I just broke down in tears… How much greater is the joy in sharing the good news of salvation than any other thing that the world could possible offer.
I know when I have deadlines in work , then I can do well with just 4-5 hours of sleep and work really hard for a successful deliverable by His grace. Why is it though we don’t carry the same attitude when it comes to sharing His word with those around us and getting down on our knees in His presence ?
It does not matter how tired you are at the end of the day.. It doesn’t matter how much work is pending at the beginning of the day. Give all that you are to Him and you will be amazed at what the Lord can do.
Missing a deadline in work may cost a few escalations. Missing time in prayer, in His presence, can make the difference between life and death.
Verses 3-4 , “So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”
Its time to sow to the Spirit
God Bless
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