Tuesday, March 7, 2023

The World Cannot Hold Our Attention When…..

It’s one of the shortest sections in the NT. The widows offering is a tiny snippet of the “bigger picture” of what it means to have faith. One Sunday our pastor made an illustrative point about our faith that will stick with me for life. He had another person stand about 3 feet from him. He took out a sword, and pointed right at the observer’s chest. He then said, “this is exactly what happens to us when we make a commitment to follow Christ”. The closer you get it feels like you are dying, like a sword piercing your heart. The death of things follow. We feel like we are dying. Dying in the sense of all the things we used to love have fallen by the wayside in comparison to Jesus. At first it’s painful, but the closer you draw to God, the pain gets lighter and lighter. This is because the satisfaction of knowing you are “dying to self” in order to serve God takes away the allure of worldly things. Nothing can compare to the riches in Christ. The widow knew this, that’s why she gave it all. She knew God would provide for her. Jesus’ acknowledgement of her seemingly insignificant sacrifice shows us that when we are willing to give up the very thing that sustains us on earth (in this case money), there is a greater reward God grants us, eternal life. And that’s way more than we think, it involves treasures here in earth as well. Treasures without measure. Treasures money can’t buy. Treasures that are indescribable. Treasures that have no rival. They say the man who needs nothing is invincible, well, the man that dies to self for Jesus’ sake (to serve Him) is filled with such significance and duty, the world cannot hold his attention for very long. It’s part of the effect of receiving this indescribable gift of Christ. Don’t you want that gift? Then give God your best. It’s what He’s been asking of us since the beginning. When you give God your best, you live with no regrets. It’s a win-win every single time.

1 While Jesus was in the Temple, He watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” Luke 21:1-4

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