Luke
21:1-4
“…all of them have contributed out of their abundance,
but she out of her poverty has put in all
she had to live on.”
(Luke
21:4)
Today’s scripture passage is often
quoted in the context of stewardship, particularly pertaining to the attitude
with which one gives. Scripture tells us
that God loves a cheerful giver, speaking more to the quality of the heart than
the expense of the gift.
How might that apply to our gift
giving at Christmas? Set aside the
significance of how much you spend and consider the quality of your heart in
giving. That begins with what you offer God. The woman in Jesus’ story gave out of her
poverty. I don’t think Jesus was as
focused on how much she gave as he was on the poverty of spirit that moved her
to make the gift. In Matthew 5:4 he
said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Kingdom living, it would then seem, is built more on the humble gift of
self than the ostentatious display.
Christina Rosetti’s powerful text in
pondering her gift to the Christ child reminds us of this truth. She writes, “What can I give him, poor as I am? If I
were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a wise man, I would do my part;
Yes what can I give Him? Give him my heart.”
As you contemplate your gift to God during this Advent and Christmas
season, the best gift you can offer…the best place to begin, is to give him your
heart.
Prayer: Gracious God, I give my heart to you. Amen.
Jim
Abernathy
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