“Ready or Not…”
April 11, 2019“Ready or Not…”
So goes the caution for one of childhood’s greatest memories. The seeker would call these words out so you had some sense of warning but was also broadcasting that there was little concern for your preparation in hiding. But if you were the one trying to remain unseen, it was a reminder to slow your breathing, control your laughter, and steel your nerves so you wouldn’t be “it” next time. (Don’t you find it interesting that hide and seek isn’t near as much fun when you get older and the “hiders” include your car keys, glasses, or memory.)
A recent item of mail came across my desk that I wasn’t ready for. It was a very gracious letter from a friend. Attached to it was a small amount of money (not even enough to buy a medium Starbucks coffee) that was intended to be placed in the offering plate here at Hillcrest. It has been too long since I’ve been taken back by what seems a meager amount of money. I don’t know the senders financial picture, but by all outward appearance and logic this was a significant amount for this person.
My mind quickly went to Jesus and His disciples as they were near the temple. Mark 12:41-44 recounts that the well heeled would put in large offerings, But their attention is drawn to a widow who puts in two small coins. Jesus honors her when He tells his disciples that she has put more in than the others. This should cause us some pause because either Jesus didn’t understand money or He used a different formula for calculating value. (Just a hint- it’s the second choice.)
How can Jesus believe that she had given more? It goes to an issue of the heart. Verse 44 recounts her level of sacrifice. Although I’ve been a Christ Follower for many years I don’t know if I’m capable of this level. And there, on my desk, sat a letter with a monetary gift attached to forward God’s Work. I wasn’t prepared to be confronted so clearly with a sacrificial heart, but there it was. What seemed insignificant to most was significant to The One Who matters. Commit to living with an attitude of sacrificial giving. When you do, you’ll never regret it.
Pastor Dave.
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