The Mirror of the Word by C.E. White can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Word-Devotions-Reveal-Refine/dp/B0DFZS83C7  To learn more about this author and other words, visit https://cewhitebooks.com/

“And a poor widow came and put in two lepta coins, which amount to a quadrans. Calling his disciples to him, he said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury.’”

—Mark 12:42–43

She put in “more than all.” Jesus doesn’t say more “considering” or more “in comparison to.” He says she gave more—no qualifications. 

Giving everything we have—whether in time, talent, money, or intelligence—may not look like much to others. It might look like a woman throwing two pennies into the offering plate. Others may ridicule how little we have to give and how we could think it even worth the trouble. 

But that’s not how God sees it. Jesus didn’t look on the woman with pity and say, “Well, at least she did her best, poor thing. It doesn’t amount to much, but we’ll take it anyway.” He commended her above all the others.

God doesn’t need our riches; he owns the cattle on a thousand hills, after all (Psalm 50:10)! He wants us to give because it shows where our hearts are (Matthew 6:21). When we’re willing to give all to the Lord, holding nothing back, it means all of our heart belongs to him.

When we give all we have, it might look like nothing to the rest of the world, but the Lord knows what it cost us. And in his great goodness, he honors what we give as a good father treasures a gift from his young child. God will multiply what we give for the good of his kingdom just as he multiplied the little boy’s five loaves and two fish (John 6:8–11).

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