A few short verses about the widow’s offering can be found in Luke 21:1-4. But Jesus only needed a few verses to say a great deal. He has the ability to say so much with just a few words (He would be excellent on twitter!).
Jesus noticed the poor widow that day in the temple as she put in two small coins for an offering. The Message version states that Jesus said “The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford – she gave her all!”
This familiar story hit me like a ton of bricks this morning. It wasn’t just that she willingly gave to her Lord but that she gave Him her all. So often, I give God my leftovers. My leftover money, time, attention, and effort. I give what I can fit in easily. Sometimes, if I’m honest, I give just what I feel is required. But the great thing about our Savior is that He sees through all that. He’s not interested in what we feel are our obligations or even what we do for “show”. Instead, He’s interested in our hearts. And He desires them completely.
And out of the overflowing of our hearts (when they are filled fully with Him), comes complete extravagance. We can’t help but spend time with Him through prayer and in Bible Study, we can’t stop our mouths from sharing His love with others, and we begin to give above and beyond in every way because we know all that we have been given is just a gift from our Lord.
“A good person brings good things out of the good stored up in their heart.” ~ Luke 6:45
And just as He noticed the widow that day that quietly gave, He will always recognize the goodness in our hearts. And every gift we give (no matter how small) will bring us closer to Him.
My prayer is that we pray for this kind of extravagant love for our Savior, that we give our ALL to Him, and that through the gifts of our hearts the Lord will be glorified!
