Daily Devotional: The Worth of Two Small Coins

Photo Credit: Pixabay @Pixarama

Mark 12:41-44
Then Jesus sat down opposite the chests for the Temple offerings, and watched how the people put money into them. Many rich people were putting in large sums; but one poor widow came and put in two small coins, worth very little. Then, calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, “I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others who were putting money into the chests; for everyone else put in something from what he had to spare, while she, in her need, put in all she had – everything that she had to live on."

I very much admire the generosity and faith of the widow mentioned in these passages. Despite of her poverty and lack at that very moment, she thought of the LORD first than herself. She put every coin she has. What character! What faith! What a heart!

Talking about the rich people in the scene, I can surely relate myself having the same "attitude"in the matter of offerings. I think of what I can spare for myself first, then decide what I can offer to the LORD. Like the rich people in this story, I tossed in the extra, not the source. In God's way of economy, it's the other way around. The widow in this story totally understood this principle. More so, she didn't allow her poverty to hinder herself from honoring God of what she had. She offered it all. Her offering sprung from a genuine love and gratefulness to her Creator. She was not worried nor ashamed of the amount of money she can give. All she wanted was offer what she had.  Jesus saw her heart and her faith, and He counted her offering to be much more worth than what the rich people offered, combined. I believe in my heart that God rewarded her for it with abundance of what she lacked once.

I desire to change the attitude of my heart in my offering. My heart desires to have the kind of character and faith the widow has. It's going to be a process. It can be long or short, depending on how I respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I can sometimes be stingy, greedy, fearful of the future along the process. But I will ask for God's grace as I walk through this course.

My heart yearns to have a cheerful, faithful, generous heart. A heart that believes my future is secure in every circumstance. A heart with no reservations in my giving and sharing what I have to those in need. How much I am willing to give, is how much I am willing to receive. My sowing will reap rewards from Him who made heaven and earth. Most importantly, it's the attitude of my heart that truly matters first and foremost.

Sowing the Healthy Seeds in My Daughter's Hearts

 

I'm sitting here on bed alone, as I typed these words. Smiling with a glad heart as I listen to my two girls out in the living room, singing their hearts out along with Hillsong Young & Free's, "Alive." Yesterday, we bought them headphones. My older one Evie, found her Daddy's old MP3 player laying around, got curious about it. To make the story short, Daddy passed it on to her.

On our way to Walmart to get groceries and a headphone for Evie, our conversation in the car was centered on the MP3 player that she will use. She's thrilled and excite. Then I thought of my Felicia. What about her? For sure, she would want something like what Evie has (as most siblings do). Immediately, I remembered a very tiny MP3 player my husband (then my boyfriend) gave me nine years ago. So, I mentioned it to him. Lo and behold, that player apparently is still available, kept in our car's dashboard. Thankfully, after being stored in the car for all those years, it survived the summer heat of Arizona. It still works! Can you imagine how happy the little girl was when she found out that she will have her own too?

Since yesterday, both of the girls were all over their MP3s, listening mostly to Hillsong's. I told my husband to only store Christian songs in their players. If there's secular songs,  make sure the lyrics are appropriate for them. The Holy Spirit reminded me that the kind of seeds we choose to hear, are the kind of seeds that will grow and flourish in our hearts. Same true to our little ones, most specially. As parents, we are responsible for guarding the things that get into our children's hearts. We cannot always filter what they hear, but in times we have the opportunity to exercise our parental duties, we must do so, with the grace of God.

My husband and I are not perfect parents. We fail many times in our responsibility as "watchmen" of the things that our daughters hear and see. We are working on it. I am working on it, with God's grace.

How Cool is My Father God?

The same God who flung the stars in heaven, is the same God who happens to be my Abba, Father. How cool is that? How privileged I am to be His child! May I remember all the time who my Father is specially in my times of insecurities, thinking of myself small, and unworthy. May I always remember how loved I am by the God who created heaven and earth.