Luke 21:1-4
Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
We live in a world of scarcity. For some there is never enough. People just trying to get by. Some of us find ourselves in that same predicament. But we live in a world that tells us there is never enough.
We have water shortages and restricted watering days, yet bottled water is still sold on the counters and shelves of grocery stores and gas stations. There is a global food crisis, yet we can always find inexpensive, convenient food. Last summer, for a brief time, the city was at a gas shortage with lines of angry, frustrated people waiting simply to put fuel into their cars. We live in a world of scarcity.
Is this our economy or God's economy? As Christians, do we put our hope in the market or in the marked hands of Jesus Christ? Grace is free and abundant. God has given us resources to live and love and serve. The challenge is to see that God has given us more than enough. The world says that there is never enough. As Christians, we believe that the God who made the world has given us more than we could ever give in return. This is why the woman who gave it all, works on God's economy and not ours.
Prayer: God of abundance, help me to give with the widow who gave not just some, but all. Amen.
G. Thomas Martin
