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Giving out of poverty, not excess

Had this passage shared at SYFC staff meeting earlier. Thought it was rather applicable to us! Here's the summarised version. I happened to write this for my cell group, so might as well put it up here too.

Luke 21:1-4
As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

We know that this widow, in the first place, is the one that the church should be supporting. Yet, here she is at the temple treasure putting in everything she has. The Bible records the two copper coins of value equal to 1/64 of a worker's daily wage - about $1? It could have bought her something to eat, but instead she returns it to God.

We often give out of abundance. We have extra money - we give it to church in the offering. We have extra time - we attend cell group, prayer meeting, tracting... you name it.

Quoted from Keith & Kristyn Getty's song - Simple Living
"Not what you give but what you keep
Is what the King is counting"
Without going into the theological debate of the accuracy of this statement, but taking it at face value, Jesus values the two copper coins more because the widow is giving out of poverty, not of excess. Here's the link to the song by the way! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX-a_ibnHB0

Can we take the extra step, to give out of what we have, and not just we have extra of? Can we invest our lives, our time and efforts into the things of God, instead of simply offloading the excess?

Here's another line from the same song
"And when I cling to what I have
Please wrest it quickly from my grasp
I'd rather lose all the things of earth
To gain the things of heaven"

Let's take this prayer as well, to not cling too tightly to the things of this world, and to have a heaven-ward perspective :)
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