If you look around in society, there are many sayings/cliche’s that encourage us not to place all our hope in one place.  We’re told we should diversify our investments, not to “put all of our eggs into one basket”, that “everything in moderation” is a good thing.  Those ideas are fine and good except when it comes to our faith.

(Jesus was watching people at the Temple) Mark 12:41-44 “And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. ⁴²And a poor widow came and put in twosmall copper coins, which make a penny. ⁴³And 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. ⁴⁴For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Now before I go into what I think God was meaning to say here, I first want to say that I don’t believe God was saying that each of us should sell everything we own.  God isn’t after money; what does the God who created the entire universe need with money?  It’d be like going up to Bill Gates and handing him a penny, thinking that the future of Microsoft was at stake.  Our giving to God is a gift to us, primarily, to draw our hearts to Him, not a means for us to “support” God.  But that’s something to dig into another day.  So if this isn’t a strcit model for giving financially what was God’s purpose in this parable?

I believe this parable is meant to be a picture of faith for us.  For this woman, there was no welfare, or social security.  Family was the only means of support for widows during this time, and the fact that she only carried 2 copper coins with her, likely indicated she didn’t not have a support system.  This woman could die of starvation – the money she just gave to God could have helped make her life easier.

Contrary to what some of us may hear from popular televangelists down in Houston, our best life now isn’t financial gain, or a comfortable life.  Trusting God isn’t hard when life is good, but what about when we lose our job, or when a loved one dies, or when a marriage is struggling?  I’m not going to try to explain exactly how God will use specific tough life experiences, He is God, and there are some things that are hidden except to Him alone.  God has a view of all things much greater than we can know in our small limited view and understanding.  All I will confidently say, standing on Biblical truth in view of the cross, is that God loves us so much that He wants to happen in our lives whatever is necessary that will draw our hearts closer to Him.  For that to happen, we will continually have to place our trust in Him, in His goodness and love for us, because that road likely will be very difficult for us.    

These are heart issues, and we have to wrestle with them every day.  Every day we’ll battle our flesh to determine who will have our trust, God or ourselves.  Christians, my question is this – who better to trust than our perfectly good and holy God, who loves us enough to die for us on a cross?  Are there areas of your life you haven’t turned over to God yet?  My exhortation is this – do that today.  Talk with God, seek Him in His Word, gather other Christians around you to encourage you, and God will grant you a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Grace and Peace,
Adam