Luke 21:3-4 NLT
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”
“You can only do your best” is a popular phrase we regularly use to encourage others. It suggests that so long as we put everything we have into whatever it is that is asked of us, that is sufficient. It addresses attitude, and it is always attitude that interests God. It is not the external reality but the internal heart that God considers. This widow quietly made her way to the temple and contributed the smallest amount to the offering; yet for her it was everything she had – something God acknowledged and applauded. This gift was not given under duress nor from any sense of obligation, but from a willing heart that knew the reality of God.
UK households are in debt at historic levels of an average of £15,385 owed to credit card firms, banks and other lenders, a combined total of £428bn. If we are servicing debts, our ability to contribute to God financially is restricted. We must always ask ourselves if these debts are essential. We can also never enjoy flexibility in life while we remain highly indebted to others. Debt is a form of slavery. We live to service our debts, which in many cases are an expression of our search for meaning through ‘lifestyle enhancements’.
Jesus, as he approached the garden of Gethsemane en route to his crucifixion, wrestled with how he would invest his life. Obedience to his Father was to cost him his life. It was a down payment for the redemption of the world, which God redeemed on resurrection Sunday. We can only imagine the struggles he endured in prayer that night. Like the widow, this cost him and demanded of him everything he had. Jesus held nothing back, and the way of discipleship must over time lead every one of us to consider the question of: what will we give in response to God’s love?
QUESTION: What would it mean for you to give everything to God, and what holds you back?
PRAYER: You gave everything to set me free, what can I give you today?

Released on 9 Apr 2020