DEVOTION - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011

DEVOTION – WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011

“The Greatest Gift”

BY

PASTOR BOB COY

Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites… Mark 12:41-42 (NKJV)

By now, we’ve come to see that Jesus didn’t follow the script most people do. He would often respond to things in the exact opposite way that the typical person would. This is never clearer than when He observed people putting their donations into the Temple treasury.

Most rich people contributed a lot of money. And yet, that didn’t make much of an impression on Jesus. But then a poor widow woman shuffled through the line of donors and inconspicuously dropped two mites into the collection. The mite was the ancient equivalent of our penny, so her “gift” seemed pitifully insignificant to say the least. That’s when Jesus flipped the script on common thinking:

He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” Mark 12:43-44 (NKJV)

It wasn’t the amount of money that made an impression on Jesus; it was the attitude behind it. Here was a poor widow, who didn’t have any financial margin in her life. Yet she still gave what little she had to God and His Temple. In the world’s eyes, these two mites were barely worth mentioning. In God’s eyes, however, they were worth more than all the other coins combined, because they represented everything this woman had. She wasn’t giving God a percentage—she was giving Him everything!

God isn’t moved by the amount of money we give towards His causes. He notices the attitude attached to the amount. He doesn’t want a percentage from us. He wants us. And if our hearts are truly His, our giving will undoubtedly be what it should be.

Think About It…
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?