Daily Verse: Luke 21:1-4

As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

 

I love this text for two reasons: 1) It highlights the fact that the depth of our faith is not measured by our outward appearance; and 2) Jesus notices everyone, even the ones that our world sets aside as unimportant or insignificant. Here you have a poor woman that digs deeply into her pockets and lays it all before the Lord as her offering. If you counted the monetary value of the coins, her two small coins probably paled in comparison to that of the rich that also provided offerings. But if you measured the “weight”, impact, or significance that the offering had on the woman’s life, it far outweighed that of the rich individual. This unassuming woman provides a great example of devotion and commitment to the Lord! A deep, genuine, and fortified faith found in a person that the world has likely tagged as poor, weak, and perhaps even useless! It’s also encouraging how Jesus makes a point to notice this woman…this poor woman of little to no significance…he pauses to notice her and recognize her significant faith. We can draw great hope and joy in realizing that our Lord is not swayed by the ways of this world. While the world looks only to the wealthy and powerful, Jesus looks to all, even the poor and weak. There is no one walking this earth that is so insignificant that they fail to catch the eye of the Savior…that they go unnoticed by the Savior, unworthy or his love and attention. May we find encouragement from this story in our own lives today…digging deeply when it comes to our gifts to the Lord and resting on the peace that comes with knowing that the Lord sees us…no matter how “big” or “small” we may be! To God be the glory!