with meditations by my mother, Poetess Gertrude Sanborn
October 31
Luke
20:1--Luke 21:38
OUT OF HER POVERTY SHE GAVE ALL
Luke 21:4b
"Of her
penury hath cast in all the living that she had!"
Today let us meditate
on some "giving" people. WHILE IN THE TEMPLE,
JESUS OBSERVED PEOPLE CONTRIBUTING TO THE TEMPLE
TREASURY! Contributing to the expenses of God’s work is
a good thing! Everyone who attends church today should
take a page out of this true account of "giving"
to the work of the Lord. The Apostle Paul, spoke of
this, when he said,"Let the elders that rule well be
counted worthy of double honour, especially they who
labour in the word and doctrine." (I Timothy 5:17)It is encouraging to observe that people in JESUS’
TIME were faithful givers. EVEN TODAY, CHURCHES,
MISSIONARIES, AND PASTORS MUST BE SUPPORTED BY THOSE TO
WHOM THEY TEACH & PREACH.
In the Temple that
day, there were two distinct classes of "givers." Jesus
was there and noticed a group of men by the treasury
box. Others noticed them, too. Probably everyone saw
their "giving" attitude. Jesus said they were
"RICH MEN!" (Luke 21:1-4) Even if Jesus were not "all
knowing," any one can tell a rich man by the way he
dresses. Usually both men and woman dress their best
when going into the Lord’s house. It is only in recent
years that church attenders are showing their disrespect
for "the holy" by their lowered dress standards.
In the relaxed altitudes that prevail in today’s
mega-church mentality, people pride themselves that they
have a "come as you are" dress code.
The term "rich"
is relative. What a "street person" or a "bag lady"
would think "rich" meant would be far different
from what a billionaire would consider to be the meaning
of the word. Let’s go with the definition of
"having more than enough material
possessions, owning much money, property, and wealth."
The "rich" men in
today’s reading have never been introduced by name. We
are curious! Have we met them before? All we know is
that they walked into THE TEMPLE and "cast" some "gifts"
into the treasury box. We know this to be true became
the Bible said so.
Could the men have
been some of the "rich men" Jesus told us about
previously? Let’s see: There was the "rich man"
who could barely get into the Kingdom of God (Matthew
19:23)! Jesus assured that it was possible, but
difficult. Maybe he was there. Or was "rich" JOSEPH OF
ARIMATHAEA present? He placed Jesus dead body in his own
tomb after the crucifixion (Matthew 27:57). Or, could
one of them have been the "rich man" who built
bigger barns (Luke 12:16) and died of greed? Maybe one
was the "rich man," dressed in purple, who ended
up in Hell (Luke 16:19). Or could one of them have
been "RICH ZACCHAEUS" (Luke 19:2), whom Jesus
forgave? Maybe another one was the "rich young ruler"
who loved Jesus, but loved his money more (Luke 18:23)?
Or could it have been the "rich man," who asked
his steward for an accounting of his stewardship? Ha d
he been in the temple that day (Luke 16:1)? Now let us
give our attention to the woman in this story. We are
told she was a "poor widow." The death of her
husband had been difficult, as all deaths are. Still she
grieved his loss. Her dress betrayed her "widowhood."
Her cloak was dark. It was worn. Everyone could tell.
Perhaps she knew OLD WIDOW ANNA, (Luke 2:36).
This particular widow paused until the men had ceased
their contribution display. Stealthfully, she came
quietly to the treasury box, hoping no one would notice.
It may have been difficult for her to walk. She may have
used a cane. Yet, though poor, she worshiped JEHOVAH
from the depth of her soul. JESUS SAW HER. He saw her
heart. Her contributions compared to the rich man’s was
not much–only two mites! IT WAS ALL SHE HAD!
Out of her poverty, she gave her all! While the rich
men had much, they did not give out of their
"abundance." Think about that!
Which one, in God’s
sight, gave the most? (ysw)
"WHAT IS THE PRESENT TIME?"
(Romans 8:18)
"For I reckon
that the sufferings of this present time
are not worthy
to be compared with
the glory which
shall be revealed in us."
"THIS PRESENT
TIME IS THE TIME WE CALL LIFE,
DURING WHICH WE
LAUGH AND CRY."
(ggs)
And Sarah
heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he
said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly
return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo,
Sarah thy wife shall have a son. (Genesis 18:10)
AN IMPORTANT CONFERENCE:
Make plans now to attend the 33rd annual meeting of the Dean Burgon Society.
The theme of this years conference is the four hundred anniversary of the King
James Bible. The date for the meeting is July 27-28, 2011. The place
is Collingswood, New Jersey. This is a meeting you do not want to miss.
Please arrange your schedule to be there in person. To view the 2010
conference please follow this link: http://www.deanburgonsociety.org/Videos/dbs2010.htm
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