Money, Get Away

⁴¹Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴²But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

⁴³Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on." -Mark 12:41-44

The woman and her offering... she gave so much. And it was to her benefit. Sometimes I think we forget that giving does us good too. There is something about money, this strange symbolic system, that is contrary to the way that we are meant to live in this world. Of all the things that the church emphasizes, this is one that it often forgets... yet it is one of the topics Jesus most talked about! And last night, we finished up Romans 6, where we read about how we are to "offer" ourselves in obedience as a slave to God. Our very lives should be an offering. Every day, everything. It's similar to our money. Just as it's not enough to give out of our wealth, it's not enough to give the extra time left over... we have to give all we have to live on.

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. -Hebrews 12:1-3

This is one of my favorite verses, and this morning it also seems to relate quite well to the previous verse. We need to "throw off" everything that hinders us as well as sin. Money can be a hindrance and a sin if we focus on that instead of fixing our eyes on Jesus. I like that image of "throwing off" also. Every day we are challenged to focus on obeying God, making an effort to live it for Him... remembering who our Lord is and the joy we have in His miraculous story.. so we don't lose heart.