The Widow-maker

This morning I am greatful to God and in humble surprise of His goodness to me.

As you probably know a widow-maker is generally termed, "anything dangerous to someone's life or health," i.e., when logging trees in a forest and a large limb falls near the workers the limb could be a widow-maker. Or, in medical terms a coronary artery with significant blockage can cause a massive heart attack and death.  Basically, if a life or way of life is put in mortal danger by another force it, the force, could be termed a widow-maker.

I was reading in Luke this a.m. and came to Lk 21:1-4.

"And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury.  And He saw a certain poor widow putting in two small copper coins.  And He said, 'Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.'"

I may have seen it differently today. 

I am wondering if it is more applicable to talk about the rich (most of us) as much as the poor widow.

--More applicable to talk about wealth vs. poverty. . . but not the wealth I usually think about!

--More applicable to consider surplus vs. a bare cabinet. . .but not physical surplus, not food in the larder.

So, what's the point?

When I've read about the widow,. . .

I have always thought, "Yeah, that's awesome. Lord, please let me always be willing to give my last two pennies for your service.  Help me not to hold on to any possession more than I hold on to you!"
I leave that prayer feeling encouraged that I saw that possessions can be way too important and make me selfish and blind to my selfishness.  EVERY physical thing I possess must be the Lord's.  I don't even own my last two pennies. . .It's ALL HIS!!

Those are good thoughts. . . and true.

But, this morning Christ formed another question in my soul.

What is surplus?  Is giving money from surplus money the real issue in this story? Is the story only about our physical stuff/heart to give or is it also about realizing the "principle of poverty"?

 Most of us have been taught that all we have should be DEDICATED to God.

We have been taught that our money, house, cars, jobs, kids, stuff, hobbies, service to others, etc., should be dedicated to the Lord.  That we should "give all we have to God."  Then some good teachers add on, "It's all His anyway."  It is all His and the other teaching about stuff is true as well.

But, this morning my Father corrected/redirected my thinking.

The widow gave out of her poverty. . . she knew poverty BEFORE she gave, not just after.  She saw herself clearly as she came to the LAST OF HER RESOURCES.

The rich were rich because of: intelligence, strength, knowledge, good health, God's favor. . . Who knows.  Take your pick.

What the rich gave was NOT small or bad, just of  MUCH LESS VALUE than the one who gave out of her poverty.

Why were the gifts of the rich less valuable?? 

It seems that gifts were lesser/unacceptable because of our not understanding what we actually have to give to the Lord.  The gift is just a picture of either our ignorance or possibly, understanding.

What do we have to give to the Lord?  He doesn't ultimately value our intelligence (1 Cor 3:18-20).  Our strength is worthless (Is 31: 1-3).  Any knowledge we presume to have is misdirected at best (1 Cor 8:1-3).  As far inordinate time spent on "the temple," we are ultimately only a quick vapor (James 4:14).

What have we of worth to give the Lord??  Nothing......not even two copper coins.

Nothing that comes from our surplus of self amounts to a valuable gift.....intelligence, strength, knowlede, ability.....ALL of that is surplus; it is giving from OUR wealth.  Christ neither needs nor wants our gift of surplus SELF. . .

However, His desire is that we eventually give good gifts to him; a dowry if you will, that eminates from our realization of our total destitutional poverty.  He desires that us, HIS CHURCH, His bride, be WIDOWED to our old self. . . that we come to Him poor and destitute realizing that we have NOTHING to give Him that is of worth.

He desires a widowed bride that begins marriage knowing that she is fully dependent on her husband to provide for her; to be her intelligence; to be her knowledge; to be her strength; to be her food; to be her covering; to give her love and the ability to love. He wants to be our All in all.

The PRINCIPLE OF POVERTY is that we are all destitute and unable to change our spiritual condition. There exists a very real, generational "cycle of poverty".  Poverty begets poverty as it is constantly handed down from one generation to the next.

Why does God remind us to care for orphans and widows?? They were/are helpless, unprotected souls unable to change their physical/spiritual condition.

He graciously shows us ourselves as we truly are. . . wretched, poor, blind, weak, dumb. . . helpless and unprotected unable to change our spiritual condition.

He shows us these things typically through pain and hardship.  He puts us in situations that are tougher than we are to break the cycle of spiritual poverty that we don't even realize we are living in.  We don't see the depth of our poverty because we've never known any better/other way to live. We've never had even the idea that there is a better way to live!

There is a better way!!

He desires for us to be full. . . of Him alone.  Then and only then will the gifts we give have VALUE.

Praise God for Him continually showing me the depth of my need for HIM - THE WIDOWMAKER.