The Sacrifice of Giving

"And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And He called His disciples to Him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box." (Mark 12:42-43 ESV).

To some the story of the widow may mean the giving of money and how much we have of it to give. It's much more than that and the Holy Spirit led me to see just what Jesus was trying to explain to His disciples. It's not about how much we can give, but its a lesson of sacrificial giving.

The others in the story were able to give almost any amount because they had plenty to fall back on, so a few dollars more would not hurt them. But if you look at the condition of the poor widow, she gave all that she had, which meant she did not know where her next meal would come from. The lesson is not about how much you can give, but how much a person has left when they have given.

Stewardship is sacrificial giving, and sometimes what we give is not really a sacrifice. When you give up your time, talents or treasures to those who are in need then you are making a sacrifice. When the elderly couple down the street from you needs help doing something around their home and you spend your entire day off helping them until it is finished, then that is a sacrifice of your time.

Sacrificial giving is giving when it hurts and causes you to give up something until you have nothing left to spare.

Think of this, Christ gave Himself until He had nothing left. He gave up His life so that you and I could receive the greatest gift ever known to all mankind, eternal life. This Christmas, make it more about sacrifice and make sure that the gift you give is wrapped up in love.

I pray that you all have a blessed and rewarding week.

One Love,

#5iveMinutes

#YourHeartsDesire