Skip to main content

Jesus Passion Week - Tuesday Devotion


Jesus Passion Week – Tuesday
The Widow’s Mite
Luke 21:1-4; Mark 12:41

            One of the most fascinating studies in the Word of God is the study of what transpired on each day of our Lord’s passion week.  On Sunday He rode into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey to exuberant praise.  On Monday He cleansed the Temple and overturned the tables of those who were exchanging money and selling doves.
            On Tuesday, the next day, He is again in the temple.  In Mark’s Gospel we learn that Jesus sat near the offering box and He observed how the crowd tossed money in for the collection.  We learn that those who were rich gave large gifts.  In verse 42 from the Message Bible we learn, “One poor widow came up and put in two small coins – a measly two cents.”  
            In verse 43 this became a teachable moment.  “Jesus called His disciples over and said, ‘The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together.’”   Most today would scoff at such an insignificant gift.  We would celebrate the large contributions and honor the generous donors.
            God’s ways are different.  Listen to how Jesus describes her gift in verse 44 from the Message Bible, “All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford – she gave her all.”  We are in a season that celebrates the fact that “Christ gave His all.”  He gave His best at the cross of Calvary.
            How can you be extravagant in what you give to God today?  Are you extravagant in your praise?  Have you made Jesus Lord of everything in your life? Have you given your best to Him?  William McDowell wrote a song entitled, “I Give Myself Away.”  It is a popular song that is being sung in churches all around our nation.  The words to the second verse read:
Take my heart
Take my life
As a living sacrifice
All my dreams all my plans
Lord I place them in your hands
            Why not make the words of this verse your prayer today?  What do you need to give to God?  What do you need to place in His hands?

Dr. W. Terry Bailey, Senior Pastor

Comments

Amy Laye said…
If it doesn't cost much, its not worth much....the cost is the key! Cost doesn't come from a place of abundance, because that would give man too much control over God's plans. Cost comes from the extravagant place of sacrifice, because sacrifice requires faith! Jesus loves extravagant giving!!
April 2, 2012 at 10:24 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tent Peg of Jael

Judges 4:21-22 – “Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, I will show you the man whom you seek.” And when he went into her  tent,  there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.”             The book of Judges covered a chaotic time in Israel’s history.   A key Scripture for Judges in found in Judges 21:25, “Every man did was right in his own eyes.” There were seven cycles of apostasy, where the covenant children of God would turn away from the principles of the Word of God.             When they had godly leadership they would serve the Lord.   When that leader would die they would turn f...
1 comment
Read more

Rebuilding the Broken Altar of Prayer

In Matthew 21: 12-13 , “ Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” Jesus made this declaration, “My house shall be called a house of prayer!”  I believe that God is calling us back to the altar of prayer.  For several weeks the Lord has dealt with me about rebuilding the broken altar of prayer in our personal and corporate lives.  If we are going to see spiritual breakthrough in our churches and communities then we must rebuild and return to the altar of prayer. Wayman Rogers writes, “The ministry of prayer is the most important of all ministries in the church.  Prayer creates the atmosphere and binds the powers of darkness so the gospel of Jesus can go forward and the church can prosper....
Post a Comment
Read more

The Fourth Month - The Month to See

  In   1 Chronicles 12:32   we learn that the Sons of Issachar had an understanding of the times and knew what Israel ought to do.  Like the sons of Issachar, we need to have an understanding of the times.  We are in a time of uncertainty and fear, therefore we need prophetic insight into what God has for us and desires to do in our lives. For some time I have been praying and asking God to give me insight into how He moves in time. The Sons of Issachar were masters of the calendar.  In  Exodus 12:2  the Lord establishes the Hebrew calendar.  “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.”  The Hebrew calendar begins at Passover.  This is the calendar that God ordained and introduced in the Bible.  To better understand how God moves in times you can study the Hebrew calendar and the patterns that have been established in the Word of God.  Our Gregorian calendar is on a differ...
Post a Comment
Read more