Himself and said to them, “As- suredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood. An important historical note, the monetary unit of ‘mite’ did not exist in Christ’s time. This was the small- est denomination of currency at the time of King James (circa 1611). The coin was actually called a ‘lep- ta’. This is worth about six minutes of an average daily wage. An average daily wage, remember, is called a de- narius. Comparing that to, a person in modern America, at a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, each lepta was worth about $0.73. This widow knew and understood the value in testing God and devel- oping her relationship with Him, despite her poverty. What stands out most of all is that she would have been well within her right to put in the bare minimum as an of- fering and fulfill the letter of the law. It was the smallest denomination of coin, but she didn’t have only one of them. This woman had every op-
portunity to put in a single copper lepta, but she didn’t. She put in two! CHARACTER OPPORTUNITY God desires growth in this life from His people. Offerings are a tool God uses to develop reliance and trust in Him. Three seasons a year, seven instances annually, Christians ap- pear before God and have the same choice to make, just as this poor widow did. Seven instances in a year, all are presented with an opportuni- ty to grow closer to God, to step out in faith and give a little beyond our comfort zone. These moments offer us the opportunity to test God on His promises. As the spring Holy Days approach, remember that as we actively search out and remove sin from our lives we must also actively fill that void with something else—something that aligns with God’s will. Instead of relying on earthly crutches, turn your sense of dependence toward God. Consider testing God this sea- son, stepping out in faith, and devel- oping trust through your offerings.
God is able to provide for His peo- ple, and He promises to bless them abundantly when they give offerings cheerfully and faithfully. This is not just a one-time process. Learning and growing are iterative. Each time we give a Holy Day offering God gives the opportunity to take one more toddling step, as He pulls His arms back just a little farther, further building our relationship with Him. It’s important to note that, just as a parent doesn’t expect a toddler to walk across the room after two steps, God doesn’t expect us to give beyond our means. He specifically states that everyone should give as they are able, without putting their family or livelihood at risk. God is not asking us to sacrifice everything we have, but rather to stretch be- yond what feels comfortable. In Mark 12:41 it states: Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the peo- ple put money into the trea- sury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to
Special thanks to Hannah Wolford for her custom cover artwork depicting Luke 8:24 Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased and there was calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?”
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