Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:43-44
Most of us are familiar with this story, “the widow’s mite.” What exactly is a mite? The King James says “she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.” That doesn’t help much…and now I have to figure out what a farthing is! It’s time to turn to my Funk and Wagnall’s Dictionary: “1) MITE noun 1 Any of various small arachnids….” I don’t think this is what we’re talking about. Next entry: “2) MITE noun 1 A very small amount or particle. 2 Any very small coin….” Bingo! So, if you recall the story from Mark, when it was time to take up an offering at the temple “many rich people threw in large amounts” while the widow put in “two mites,” or “two small copper coins.” Jesus’ lesson? It’s actually two-fold. First, following on the heels of a warning about “showy” religious people, Jesus condemns how some make a spectacle of their “large” gift to garner the praise of on-lookers and to show just how generous they are with God. (This is a little ironic, since all that we have is God’s anyway). Second, Jesus says that the significance of your gift is relative to your wealth. A million-dollar gift for the average person would be a life-changing windfall. For the likes of Jeff Bezos, it’s chump change. Similarly, for a person with only twenty bucks, putting twenty bucks in the offering plate is immeasurably greater than giving thousands for the one who has many thousands more. There are a few very obvious applications of these verses for finances. First, if we are giving as an act of worship, we should do so not to get praise from man, but to get praise from God (cf. Matthew 6:2). This is why we give anonymously. Second, God calls us to give sacrificially, as an act of worship, which means that the significance of the amount we give to Him is relative to what we’ve been given. Yet, as I meditated on Mark 12 this week, I saw more profound application in my own life not in my finances, but in the giving of other resources. For example, time is one of my most precious resources. As a result, I can be rather greedy about my time. As I pondered this, I was drawn to think about the amount of time I spend just thinking about things that I want or things I want to do. I’m pretty sure that a fairly sizable portion of my thought life is devoted to contemplating such things (e.g., shows to watch, things to buy, places to go), pursuing my plans, my pleasures, my purposes. Obviously, such thoughts are not evil, in and of themselves. The real issue arises when I compare time spent contemplating self-centered pursuits versus God-centered pursuits. The widow was “all in” with her financial resources. When it comes to time as a precious resource in my life, I cannot say that I am anywhere close to “all in.” Such thoughts leave us conflicted. Some resolve the conflict by going to extremes. It’s the hermit/ascetic who practices self-deprivation, selling all possessions, and living in a cave on the side of a mountain. At the other end, it’s the self-contented Christian who decides, “I’ll give God this much,” then devotes the rest…the bulk…to “me, myself and I.” But what if there was a third option that was not self-deprivation or self-contentedness? What if the third option was a desire to increasingly give of who I am and what I have to make an eternal, Kingdom impact and to bring glory to God? Maybe the choices aren’t as extreme as “join a commune” or “eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die!” Instead, what if we increasingly sought to live circumspectly in the world in view of the Kingdom of Christ. “Circumspectly adv 1. Watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent… 2. Well-considered” (Webster’s Dictionary). The intent behind walking circumspectly, as we find it in our church membership covenant, is living thoughtfully in view of the reality of Christ’s Kingdom! Believers, may we increasingly see our time as not something that we own, but something that God provides for us to use for His Kingdom purposes and glory. May we learn the lesson of the widow who was not stingy, but gave sacrificially out of her love for God, by thoughtfully and intentionally giving of our time for things that have an eternal impact. Certainly, we can enjoy the sweet pleasures God sends our way, but may we increasingly find our joy in making disciples, gathering with and encouraging fellow believers, prayer, meditation on the Word, serving, worship. May we not model ourselves after the self-contented big-spenders who, in reality, gave very little of what they had for God, but after the widow who gave all she had out of love for her Lord. It’s all His anyway, so may we increasingly steward our time and resources in a manner pleasing to our God!
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Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
June 2022
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