May 17
The Measure of Giving
“…she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned…”
The remarkable scene and wonder of the poor widow woman who came to give her offering to the Lord, shows us the measure of giving by which we should gauge every act of giving in our own lives; whether it’s money, time, things, talents, etc. So often you could ask any Christian how much they are to give to the Lord and they would answer “a tenth.” Our understanding of the measure of giving in Christendom today, for the most part, is to give ten percent of everything we earn. There is much debate over giving in the churches as to how much we are to give, and has stirred much controversy over the years. I believe the true standard, or measure of giving, is found here in the life of this poor widow woman that the Lord Himself was watching. He wrote her deed for all the world to read. She was His precious story for all to hear.
He used her as an example and compared her giving to the giving of others who had put in great amounts before her. Yet, Jesus does not use these people to teach His disciples this most precious truth. You see, the poor widow put in all she owned. Here is this marvelous truth: The measure of giving is not based on what you give, but rather what you keep. The widow woman gave very little when measured by itself. But when measured with what she kept, her giving measured to be more than all others. Do you want to know your measure of giving? Look at your “keeping” record. What have you kept that you could have given to the Lord? Churches keep tithing records, but the Lord keeps “keeping records.” May we give all that we have because Christ withheld nothing from us.
I opened your hands to see what you had given,
and Your hands bore the marks of Calvary
I desired to know how far Your feet had traveled
and found Beulah land’s distance could not be fathomed
I sought to measure the love You poured forth on me
And I found no vessel to contain it
PJ
May Your hands be found empty.
Pearls of Grace is a book of devotions for the entire year, including a read through the Bible in a year calendar, broken down for every day. Beautifully written with encouraging words of hope and empowering words of joy and strength for every woman. Pam draws from the truth and richness of God's Word and gives real life examples in her down to earth style. A must have in your library, click here for more information.
For more from Pam Jenkins and Jabbok Ministries, please visit www.jabbokministries.com!
Listen to Pam Jenkins's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.
For more from Pam Jenkins and Jabbok Ministries, please visit www.jabbokministries.com!
Listen to Pam Jenkins's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.
