February 2013
Mark 12:42-43
“A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.43Then
he called his disciples and said to them, ‘truly I tell you, this poor widow
has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury”.
The copper coins were
called “mites” and they were worth less than a penny. The gift she gave was not a forced “temple
tax” that had to be paid in order to worship, that was paid at the door going
in. This was a free will offering. The rich liked to drop money in the box,
because it showed their wealth and influence.
The widow showed trust in God, because this was all the money she
had. It would be a cold night without
supper for her.
You see, God does not look
at amounts, he looks at the heart. It
isn’t enough to give just because you have a little extra; we need to be giving
out of our poverty. When it comes to our
time, are we giving because we had nothing better to do, or are we truly giving
up something for God? When it comes to our talents, do we actually strive to do
our best or do we do just enough? When
we donate things to the church, are we giving the best that can be given, or
are we cleaning out an old closet? When
we give of our finances, do we give out of what is left at the end of the week,
or do we put God first and live on what is left?
God knows our hearts, and
only God will pass judgment on all we do in his name. We promise as members of the United Methodist
Church to give our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service and our
witness, but it has to be from the heart.
Are our prayers heartfelt? Are we truly glad to be in God’s house? Are our gifts first fruits? Is our service the best we can do? Is our witness truly about God?
God calls us to give our
all, not just a part. True believers
know that ultimately, all they have is Gods.
Amen
