I own a solid gold necklace.
It is a beautiful piece of jewelry.
And it's heavy – literally!
The price of gold is currently around $1350 an ounce. So this necklace would definitely be, as they say, *worth its weight in gold!*
It's a treasure – and it would be quite a gift if I gave it away, wouldn't it?
Now what if I showed you two pennies – two tarnished, beat-up pennies?
They've been sitting in a dish of spare change for who knows how long.
They're not worth much.
In fact, in today's economy, they're probably not even worth two cents!
Back in the day, they could buy something – a piece of candy or such.
But now, the penny is so worthless, we don't even like having them rattling around in our pockets.
Many stores have little trays where you can "take a penny, leave a penny."
If you don't want your pennies with you, leave them. (For the most part, I'm an equal taker-leaver...)
So, giving away these two pennies wouldn't be much of a gift, would it?
Today I want to talk about a woman who gave something away…
"While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins." (Luke 21: 1-2, NLT)
Jesus was in the area of the Temple called the Court of Women.
In this area were seven boxes in which worshipers could deposit the Temple tax and six boxes for freewill offerings. It appears that Jesus continued watching the giving for some time, and He observed a number of wealthy persons making gifts.
This woman gave a freewill offering of two mites.
At the time, a mite was the smallest of copper coins, normally equal to just 1/8 of a cent!
Though it might seem that her offering was small, her gift was a sacrifice, for it was all that she had.
Her gift made an impression on Jesus, and He commented on it:
"'I tell you the truth,' Jesus said, 'this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.'" (Luke 21:3-4, NLT)
Today, I'm not going to talk about financial giving – I'd like to expand the story beyond the issue of money.
The issue here is not that the woman had given more as to value and substance – but that she had cast in more in proportion to what she had.
Her gift was counted as more by Christ, and more highly valued and esteemed by Him, because Jesus – the One who sees the heart, and knows all things – knew that she had given FROM HER HEART.
Yes, my friends, the Lord desires no greater gift than the gift of yourself.
He wants more than financial offerings – He wants you to KNOW Him and to LOVE Him.
He is to be loved with all your powers and capabilities, with your time and your talents, with all aspects of your personality, with every ounce of your heart.
Mark 12:30 (NLT) sums up this greatest gift:
"And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength."
Jesus uses the poor widow's offering to teach an important lesson.
A gift is not to be evaluated by its size, but by a comparison of the gift with the total possessed by the giver.
In the secret, innermost part of your heart, have you laid your life on the altar?
Have you presented everything you have, and everything you are, to Him?
May God help us to be like this faithful woman as we give our very selves in His name.
That's my two cents...
What are you giving to God of YOURSELF?
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A penny saved is a penny earned. But if you give up your life for Me, you will find it. |
"'To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.'" (Mark 12:33, NIV)
"What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." (1 Samuel 15:22, NLT)
"'I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.'" (Hosea 6:6, NLT)
"What can we bring to the LORD? What kind of offerings should we give him? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?...No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."
(Micah 6:6-8, NLT)
"And now...what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul." (Deuteronomy 10:12, NLT)
"You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit." (Psalm 51:16-17, NLT)
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship." (Romans 12:1, NIV)
"Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God."
(2 Corinthians 2:14-15, NLT)
"Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!" (Psalm 141:2, ESV)
"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." (John 3:30, NLT)
Linked with:
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BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"
I always admired the faith of that lady to give all she had, trusting God would provide.
ReplyDeleteI want to give the Lord my all; that is my desire, though I know I continue to struggle with it. I guess we are a work in progress though, aren't we?
betty
that word ALL is the clincher, isn't it? great post!
ReplyDeleteIt is US he wants. It's still so hard to believe at times! "The Lord desires no greater gift than the gift of yourself." Thanks, Sharon!
ReplyDeleteAs you know a group from the church went on a trip to New Orleans. In a recap one of them said, "I thought I was going to bless people. I found out they blessed me!" That is what happens when we give ourselves away in service to Him.
ReplyDeleteAwesome penny photo and post! You certainly "give it your all" Sharon and it shows in your writing, heart and grateful thoughts! Beautiful lesson from the widow's mite that we might give more of our selves to Him - all that we are and have! Also that what we have might be used by Him for His glory. Gold and copper pennies, who would have thought what treasures you'd teach from these ... glad to see you return and your precious gratitude.
ReplyDelete"A penny for your thoughts" around here is truly worth alot so add a penny for our prayers, we'd be shooting for the moon with all the blessings. Praying for safety and all the rest with you. God bless Sharon and thanks for the two cents worth that are worth far more than their weight in gold. You are such a gift!
I've always loved the parable of the woman who gave her all. I think giving is best described as what you have after you give, than what you actually give. Time is money and giving of our time is just as important as giving of our finances.
ReplyDeleteWow! To give our all -- that's what Jesus wants. We on the other hand, often want to give just enough to scrape by. Boy, do I have far to go (and much to give)! Thanks for this inspiring reminder, Sharon.
ReplyDeleteMarva | sunSPARKLEshine
Wow...that last question could keep me thinking for a while. I want to get to that place. Much to ponder here! Great post, as always my friend :)
ReplyDeleteGood reminder and good question to ask ourselves? "I surrender all....I surrender all. All to you precious Jesus...I surrender all." Beautiful song, hard words to live by!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful thoughts, sweet friend. Thank you for sharing your heart. It was so nice to visit with you today...so sorry I have been so absent lately. I have missed you and hope you are doing well.
ReplyDeleteSomething my mom said to us as kids has stuck with me all these years; "You can't out give God". To give with the heart of God is to be one with Him. He gives and desires us to give, not so different than Him wanting us to rest on the Sabbath… just as he did.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good reminder, sister.
Our hearts is all that God wants. When He fully has our hearts it's so much easier to fully surrender. Beautiful wisdom shared. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteI love the point that she gave more than she had. Too often I hold back. Linking with you today at Shine Blog Hop.
ReplyDeleteI can't really read the red scriptures....eyes? Contrast? Whatever! But I sure get your two cents!
ReplyDeleteFor me right now, I'm trying to put Him first. I haven't always done that, but now I'm trying to give him the first fruits of everything.
ReplyDeleteYes, He wants us, our hearts, our obedience. And isn't it amazing that God is self-sufficient. He needs nothing from us to accomplish His purposes, but includes us in the plan!
ReplyDeleteI love how you showed the relationship between the gold necklace and the pennies. We truly often put lower value on items that may have less worth in this world. But God looks deeper into our hearts, where men look at the outside. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete"A gift is not to be evaluated by its size, but by a comparison of the gift with the total possessed by the giver." That's something we need to think about. When we give of ourselves to Jesus, how much are we actually giving? Of course He wants all of us, and by giving ourselves to Him we get so much more back - His love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, etc...
ReplyDeleteThe woman is an inspiration to us of her devotion to God. Her love for Him, demanded her all. I am sure she gave willingly and with a cheerful heart. This is how God wants us to give, not of necessity, but willingly. I loved your example of your gold necklace and pennies. Thank you for sharing with us here at Tell me a Story.
ReplyDeleteA great reminder, Sharon. We need to give all to the Lord. Thanks for sharing with Thankful Thursdays.
ReplyDeleteSo inspirational. Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of my favorite posts you have shared with me at #GraceMoments, Sharon. I love this story of a woman whose faith in God was bigger than her faith in what she held in her hands.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing yourself with this gift.
Blessings,
Dawn
A great reminder of a true gift of yourself to God.
ReplyDelete