And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and began watching how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large amounts. 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; 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 12:41-44, New American Standard Bible).

There is a story about a chicken and a pig who decided one day that they wanted to do something nice for the farmer who owned them. The chicken said, “I have a great idea! Let’s give him breakfast in bed. Bacon and eggs!”

The pig said, “Yeah, that sounds great to you. For you, a couple eggs are a small offering. For me, bacon is a total commitment!”

Some Christians are glad to make an offering. We will throw a few small bills or coins into the basket when it is passed around during the service. We come to one church service every week or two. But the rest of our time and money belongs to us. We expect God to be satisfied with a little offering of our time, talents, and treasures.

On the other hand, Jesus calls us to total commitment of our lives to Him. All of our money belongs to Him; we are His stewards, using the money He entrusted to us wisely to meet our needs, bless those less fortunate than us, and advance God’s kingdom purposes. Our time belongs to Him. Our talents are gifts that He gave us: we might use them in our professional lives or in our hobbies, but they are primarily to bring glory to Him.

Jesus used the widow’s small offering to make a point: The devotion behind our offering is more important than its size. Are we giving ourselves to God as our top priority, or does He get our leftovers?

Are there areas of your life where you have made a complete commitment? Are there areas where you are giving God “leftovers”?

Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.