The Invitation - Day 22

While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people drop their gifts in the collection box. 2 A poor widow came by and dropped two small coins.
3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

Again, we see Jesus recognizing those small gifts from those who don’t have much to give. We have seen this reversal often, but in this particular text, we know the power of sacrificial offering to God. And to be clear, this is not an issue of money but of submission and commitment.

The poor widow was willing to give all she had, and that volume of giving had nothing to do with the value of the coins she gave. It was the commitment to provide all she had that was honored by Jesus. It was the acknowledgment that the best we have to offer God is well-received, deeply appreciated, and marked by God.
But is this about money? Are we supposed to give all the cash we have on hand to the church? While the widow seemed to, I am not sure this applies to today’s financial households. Of course, we should give. The church functions on the goodwill of those who find meaning, community, and hope in these places of worship.

However, if we expand this example to what can be seen as the discipleship of our lives, things change pretty profoundly. It doesn’t let us off the hook; instead, it drives the hook in even more deeply. We are then called to give “all” we have and all we are. This is a much greater commitment than giving money. It is a much deeper and more profound commitment to Christ than putting our hands in our pockets, pulling out a few coins, or even going deeper and writing checks we can seemingly hardly afford. It is a commitment that every part of our lives might be sincerely given in submission to Christ and his precepts.

We call this discipleship. Sitting at the feet of Jesus, abiding in him, and remaining to learn from Jesus, not just about Jesus. To do this, we must seek a more significant commitment. This commitment happens after we “taste and see” that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8) It is the place we go next after seeing how good God is to us.

JOURNAL

1. When have you given everything you have? 
2. What do you need to submit to God? 
3. What are you holding back?