This week we are focusing on the subject of giving and on being wise stewards of all that God has given us. We are richly blessed; we are called to use these blessings for God's glory.
Our text is Mark 12:38-44. Here, we find the story known as "The Widow's Mite." A widow comes to the temple to give her offering. Out of her poverty, the widow puts in all that she has. She serves as a model for us.
We, too, should be giving our all and doing our best to be responsible stewards of all that God has given us. We must consider our devotion to God. Do we give God our best, or does God only get what is leftover?
I often consider this true story from the Butterball Turkey Hotline. This phone service is dedicated to answering people's questions about how best to cook turkeys. It offers many useful instructions for those who need a little help with turkey cooking information. A concerned woman once called this number. She had found a turkey in her freezer. According to the date on the package, the turkey had been in the freezer for 22 years! She wanted to know if it would be safe to eat. The person on the hotline checked and determined that, indeed, the turkey would be safe to eat; but she told the inquiring woman that it wouldn't taste very good. The woman replied, "That's ok. I'm just going to give it to the church."
Sometimes, we are like that "turkey lady," and we, too, give God our leftovers. Yet, God deserves our first and our best. Like the widow in this week's lesson, we are to give God our all.
Let's take time and consider our giving. Let's strive to give God our first and our best. Let's work to be wise stewards of all that God has given us.
As you pray this week, ask God to help you to care for all of creation. Ask God to help you to become a wise steward of all of God's blessings. Ask for the Spirit's power to grow in your giving and to become wholly devoted to God.
And, please, don't give God any 22 year old frozen turkeys!
Blessings,
Pastor Linda
