Out of Love
by Alan and Clarice Smith 9 July 2023
Read Mark 12:41-44
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30 (NIV)
The widow in today’s reading knew that even sacrifices that seem small to others can be painful. She carefully placed her money in the temple treasury. Did she wonder what good such a ‘small’ offering could do? Did she doubt if God would notice how much it truly cost?
Sometimes we wonder if God really cares about the little decisions we make. But when we read this story, we know that God notices what our sacrifices cost. When we offer Him something as ‘small’ as thinking a holy thought when we want to be critical, wading through a trial with joy rather than bitterness or loving someone who irks us, God notices our attempt to honour and obey. However, the reverse is also true. God knows when what we ‘sacrifice’ costs us little.
We know that God forgives us when we do not invest in the lives of others, but we realise that this is not the best way to respond to His breathtaking, life-saving grace. Out of love we should want to serve God, not with just a little, not even with a lot, but with everything he has given us. God is worth our all!
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Prayer
Dear Lord, we want to offer you everything. Grant us opportunities to give you our all - all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Amen