Devotion:
For an audio version of this devotion, click here.
Read Luke 21:1-4. Bible scholars tell us that the rich in this passage often drew attention to themselves as they dropped their offerings into the vessels placed in the temple. Imagine trumpets announcing the approach of the rich person holding up their fistful of money for all to see and then dropping it into the treasury with a flourish. We can imagine the poor widow coming quietly and modestly to drop in her two small coins. Her gift was given sacrificially while the rich persons’ were not, and it was her gift that Jesus commended for all of us. Like a lot of us, I grew up in a financially poor family. Yet my mother gave generously to the church, and as a young person hearing this passage or reading it myself, I would identify with her and those who did not have much. Things have changed for me, and now I see myself as one of the rich. While I do not draw attention to or want credit from others for what I give, I struggle to give as sacrificially as did the poor widow or even my own mother. Jesus calls us to be faithful with whatever we have, and for many of us, that is a lot!
Personal Worship Option:
Give thanks today for the financial blessings you have, whether a lot or a little. Ask God to guide you in giving generously and sacrificially. And give thanks for others who have shown you the example of faithful giving.
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