Giving All

"...but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had." Luke 21:4

Good morning, dear friends!

As a missionary wife and mom, I would like to thank all of our supporters who faithfully give to the Lord in order for us to stay on the field.  I cannot tell you the number of times we have been blessed by the generosity of God's people, sometimes in very extravagant ways.  I am always humbled and touched by your giving.  Thank you for making God the Lord over your giving, and blessing us in return.

As I was reading in Luke 21 this morning, my attention was drawn to the short anecdote of Jesus observing the widow giving her offering in the Temple.  I cannot help the tears that spring up in my eyes when I think about her act of devotion to God:

This widow literally gave her all.

The setting is very telling.  Jesus had been teaching in the Temple, and answering difficult questions from people not seeking the truth but seeking to trap him in a lie.  He observing the giving of the rich men who were hoping that their generosity would not go unnoticed by God and man.  

Then this woman came and gave her gift to the Lord.  It wasn't anything at all compared to the offerings of those before her in terms of financial worth, but it represented everything she had to live on.  Quite frankly, she gave out of her own "personal lacking" to show her love and thankfulness to God.

The phrase, "cast in all the living that she had" is an interesting one to me.  This widow put EVERYTHING she had in the offering.  There was not any left for herself.  She did not have a Plan B, an IRA, a "rainy day" fund.  She literally gave her all to God.

Many years ago, as I young Christian, I remember during a missions conference the main speaker talking about giving our lives to Christ.  He took the offering plate off the altar, put it in the aisle, and then stood in it.  This is the offering that pleases the Lord, he reminded us.

How many times do I give my "extras," or even worse, my leftovers, to the Lord?  Do I put myself in the plate, or do I give of the overflow, like the Pharisees?

May God help me to be mindful of my giving today.  May I give to the Lord, to my family, to my friends, to my neighbors, to my responsibilities, so that my living is all an offering to the Lord.

May I give my all to God.