What Do the Destitute Give?

Yesterday my pastor preached from 2 Samuel 24, especially verse 24, "I will not give to the Lord that which costs me nothing." Of course he related his message to our stewardship campaign (we are remodeling). The Lord has been speaking to me about what He wants me to contribute, financially challenged as I am. We've been given brochures about stewardship. One cited the widow and her mite. "1 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. 2And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. 3And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; 4for 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." (Luke 21:1-4). The author of the brochure said that the value of the widow was not in the money. The value of the money was in the widow. She gave her all. She gave herself. Therefore her gift was worth more than all the others. I teach an adult Sunday School class. Our next lesson is on Psalm 63. 1 O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory. 3Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You. 4So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. 6When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, 7For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. 8My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me." (verses 1-8). In his commentary, the author of the lesson quotes someone who says that the Psalmist longed for God and loved Him more than his own life. He said that martyrs likewise value the Lord more than their own lives, and therefore would rather die than deny Him. How many of us love the Lord like that? Don't most of us value our lives more? Maybe that's why Christians deny their Lord. Back to stewardship. I won't say specifically what the Lord has directed me to do in regard to our campaign. But in my situation, it represents putting the prospect of financial independence (which I don't now have) on the altar. Add to that our unstable economy, and you have a recipe for exquisite pain. Will I do it? Yes. Because I value Him above all.