41 And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. 43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” ~ Mark 12:41-44 (NASB)
We want to be generous in our giving, but sometimes we worry about meeting our own needs. Surely, we think, God wants us to take care of ourselves and our families first. But we have nothing that didn’t come from God, and He commended the poor widow for putting everything she had to live on in the “collection plate.” We aren’t likely to have so little that our offering would deplete our resources, but maybe we need to give a little more sacrificially.
Heavenly Father, Jesus showed me that I should be a generous giver—to give of what I have instead of hoarding what You have entrusted to me. Lead me in my giving to give both generously and cheerfully. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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