With All Your Strength

After a long morning of teaching in the courtyard, Jesus took a long break with His disciples. Sitting right across from the treasury, their gazes drifted over to observing many people who were making their offerings. Never one to miss a teachable moment, Jesus asked His disciples about what they had seen. “Who put in more?” was the implied question.

The answer is obvious to anyone reading or watching—those who gave the greatest sums put in more. Jesus turns the tables on the obvious, teaching His disciples an important principle of giving. Giving is not measured by dollar amounts; giving is measured by how much we truly give of ourselves. Some gave large sums offered out of their surplus gifts that they would never miss. But what a lonely widow offered meant the world to her, though it was only a penny. Her gift affected her life. Her seemingly small gift is the one Jesus singles out for praise. She put in more of herself than all the others.

Commitments are not about equal gifts, but about an equal sense of sacrifice. Rather than the amount, would God be honored if every person in this Fellowship made a sacrificial commitment?

Bible Verse

“Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury, for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned.” Mark 12:43-44

PRAYER

Lord, each and every gift makes a difference to Your church. Teach me to give in ways that actually make a difference in my life.