And So, I Continue . . . . . .
Matthew 12:42-44 ~ 42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
A Christian businessman had just
been asked to make a contribution to a worthy Christian mission endeavor. He
responded, “I’ll be glad to give my widow’s mite.” The person asking for
the gift responded, quite excitedly, “Can you really afford to do that?!! She gave all she had.” He knew the
widow had given her ALL but he wasn't sure the businessman knew what he was saying!
Read our verses again. Jesus is talking, again, about a Christian’s
giving to the furtherance of the Gospel through the local church. If you are obeying the Word, you
are tithing, giving offerings, and supporting your church as the Lord has
blessed you. It isn’t a demand. . . have you ever thought of that. He is asking
FOR YOUR HEART when we give. He wants us
to TRUST Him in all ways, especially in our giving. In these verses Jesus draws
the disciple’s attention to the widow who gave her all and He wants the
disciples to understand that this widows tremendous faith, love, and
obedience was on display and was evident when she gave God all she had. She was not being supported by some welfare system;
she had no insurance policy ready to meet her needs upon the death of her
husband. BUT she gave HER all, her last mite, or in our day, her last dime. By
giving all, she had to live on, she was showing her complete dependence on God. By doing so, she put the rich people who gave large sums to
shame. She gave sacrificially and faithfully from her heart. They gave
sparingly from their wealth. God is not asking us to donate all we
have to worthy Christian endeavors, what He is asking is that we put Him first
in everything we do. He is asking us to live sacrificially for Him since He
died sacrificially for us. Is that too much to ask?
You know what the sad part is about the “Christian
Businessman to me?” Someone had to “ask” him to participate in this Christian
endeavor. He obviously is someone of stature, position, and
wealth and you don't get there without being observant! He most likely already
knew of the need, but felt no desire to give from the heart, sacrificially. And yet, we sit in the air-conditioned
auditorium, on our cushioned seats, thinking of that fine lunch we will have
when he quits preaching! We aren’t
concerned one bit about what it takes to run our church. There are bills to be
paid, and our Pastors should be focused on preaching the Gospel, not how much
will be received that day – or even worse, will he have to give up his salary that week to
make a light bill, mortgage payment etc. People, it is happening in many of our
churches! Most churches have a good salary for their Pastors, but some do not! Where did the
money come from? Did you participate even once in the benevolent fund, or
building fund, or given extra to missions this year? Did you think on the pastor’s
needs let alone the pastor’s wife or children when it came time to give so you
could put in a little extra?
It’s a special time of the year, and this
is when people will give a little extra. But let’s look at it from the
widow’s eye this year. Give till it hurts.
God will bless you for it! Then pray and ask God to help you in the
future regarding your giving to Him and His work here on earth. God will truly
bless you for your “Grace Giving”.
No comments:
Post a Comment