February 29, 2024
DAY 20
Key Verse:
“Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.’”
Mark 12:43-44 NASB
Do you ever feel like what you are able to give is not worth much? Whether it be what you can give financially, or with respect to talents and abilities. We can often feel as though our service to the Lord only matters if it is of a high enough earthly significance. However, in this passage Christ gives us a glimpse at how he views our giving.
Christ contrasts the rich people giving large sums of money and the poor widow who only gives “two small copper coins.” The modern equivalent of the copper coins is about 14 cents. She had hardly anything to give, but for her it was a great sacrifice and a great display of her faith in the Lord that she was willing to give these to the Lord. Meanwhile, those who gave large sums were described as giving “out of their surplus” or from what was left over. For the wealthy individuals they were giving more purely in terms of monetary value, but their sacrifice and devotion was deemed to be far less.
God has provided all things to us, and He knows the depths of our hearts. He knows what we are able to give, what is easy and what is challenging. His call to us is to give sacrificially from all we have as the widow gave, not out of what is left over when we have already satisfied our own wants and desires. This act of flipping our lives upside down in this way signals a change in priorities in our hearts from living for ourselves to God’s will being first in everything we do.
Heart Prompts
Why does Christ highly honor the small gift of the widow?
What does sacrificial giving look like for your family? Try to put an actual number down.
Why do you want to give that amount?
Pray
Christ, you are my King. You give me all I need. Lead me to give back to you in a sacrificial way and to place your will and your Kingdom first in my heart! Teach me to place the First Things First! In Jesus’ name, Amen.