“…for they all put in out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
Mark 12:44
I will probably never have the honor of the poor widow. God has put me in the place of the one who gives out of surplus. How humbly then, should I give? I should never compare my giving with the world’s – who thinks that a fraction of a percent is a huge sacrifice. No, I should compare my giving with the widows and humbly confess, “I have only done my duty.” The honor of giving goes to the widow, not to those who put in large sums of money out of surplus.
But even though this particular honor is unavailable to me, I should nonetheless be taught by her example. Jesus commended her for her faith which put in all she had to live on – leaving her to depend on God alone. She must have laid hold of a promise like Job 22:24-26…
And place your gold in the dust,
And Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
Then the Almighty will be your gold
And choice silver to you.
For then you will delight in the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.
In this sense I suppose I can “buy” delight in God. I can put in my treasure and “purchase” eternal rewards. I can put it all in and sever my heart’s attachment to the things of the world and connect it up with the things above.
If God continues to bless me with surplus it might not be possible for me to put it all in financially, so this particular honor will have to be reserved for someone more worthy. But there are other things I can put in. Certainly I have little surplus of time – that can go in. Certainly physical strength is limited – that can go in. My personal reserves of emotion, vigor, and love are hardly vast – they can all go in to the praise, honor, and worship of my God.
O Lord, give me a heart of faith that longs to “put in all I have” in exchange for you as my treasure.
In the name of the Son of God, Jesus my reward. Amen.
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