Luke 21-22

The Widow's Gift

My section of Scripture for today is Luke 21-22. I want to focus on chapter 21, verses 1-4. In these verses it says, "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." At the end of each year, I do an equity worksheet to determine our finances "Net Worth". Some years it grows, some years it shrinks, but each year, my family has been blessed. We have more than most on the Earth! You are probably like us in that matter. Read again what Jesus said about the widow- "She gave out of her POVERTY... all she had to live on." One commentary says that "all she had to live on" was equivalent to 5 minutes of a normal day's wages. That is equal to $2 to live on if a "normal day's wages" was $50,000! and she gave it. Who does she trust? Who is her hope, refuge and shepherd and provider? I will bet that she had a close walk with God and we know from this Scripture that He took a personal interest in her!

Jesus is comparing her to the Pharisees and Scribes who tithed everything they had, but were filled with pride and did not trust God to provide as Jehovah-Jireh. From these verses, we should:

- Be generous and look for opportunities to privately have a giving spirit toward others
- Seek 1st God's kingdom and His righteous
- Not worry about things- trust God to provide for our needs
- Not set our heart on riches nor trust in them
- Tithe because of what God has done for us through Jesus (not out of obligation)

May He bless you today as you seek Him and love others!


Jack Exum
March 16