Day 33: Mark 12:41-44

Everyone else was impressed with all the rich people dropping in their huge offerings, but Jesus was most impressed with this widow who only gave a few pennies. Why? Because while everyone else was giving out of their surplus, she gave everything she had. It was easy for those with lots of money to give, they were going to have plenty left over to live on, but this one lady literally gave everything she had.

We are often infatuated with the wrong things. It’s easy to be impressed by the multimillion dollar megachurch, but what about the small storefront congregation that helps needy children get food on a weekly basis? The pastor with thousands of people attending his weekly services and a contract to write multiple books is no more important to the Kingdom of God than the one who works a full-time “secular” job, struggles to pay his own bills, yet still leads his congregation of fifty with love and wisdom. Both are giving their all, and that is what Jesus asks of each of us.

Are you willing to give your all to Jesus? What does that look like for you? It’s not going to look the same for all of us. Just like the parable of the three servants whose master had given them different amounts of money to invest while he was away, at the end we’re all going to be asked the same question. We’re not going to be asked how much money we have. We’re not going to be expected to all have the same amount to give back to the master. We are all going to be asked, “What have you done with what I gave you?”