2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Numbers 6:1-7:89 ESV, Mark 12:38-13:13 ESV, Psalm 49:1-20 ESV, Proverbs 10:27-28 ESV
Daily Verse: “And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.” (Mark 12:43 ESV)
PTOCHOS (4434): “Pauper, denoting absolute or public mendicancy, although also use in a qualified or relative sense. As an adjective, “one who crouches and cowers.”[I]
Spiritually rich.
Material possessions’ main problem, they don’t last. Just like fall fades to winter, our stuff will no longer exist. Money becomes many people’s gods, but within seconds, it can disappear. Jesus, watching the poor woman put all she had in the offering plate, knew she understood this vital principle.
Enron Corporation declared bankruptcy on Dec. 2, 2001. One of the largest companies in the United States at the time, overnight, its stock went from $90 a share to mere pennies.[i] Tens of thousands of people lost their pension and investment accounts. In the blink of an eye, their life savings disappeared.
Invest eternally.
Nothing on earth can take away the gift of eternal life God offers. One day, our life on earth will end, beginning the next chapter, eternity. Nothing we do can stop death from knocking at our door. But we can prepare for the transition by investing in heaven.
When the poor widow placed her money in the offering, she invested in heaven.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19-20 ESV)
The widow placed her treasures in God’s hands, trusting His provision for her. Enron’s shareholders quickly learned the reliability of putting faith in money. One debilitating accident could bankrupt anyone of us, but nothing can break God. Trusting Him with our finances will lead to eternal rewards.
[i] https://www.investopedia.com/updates/enron-scandal-summary/
[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 218) Thomas Nelson
