By Pastor Segun Doherty

Bible Passage: Mark 12:38-44

“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:” –  Mark 12:41-43

Jesus told his disciples about a widow that gave an offering and that she gave more than everyone in the assembly. As I began to mediate and ponder on this, I asked God what do you want us to learn from this? There are lessons we can learn from this story below:

1. God doesn’t see the way men sees. When a millionaire drops an offering of 250 thousand, people in the church will say “glory” but a widow came with the smallest which is all what she had. This is to tell you that what man overlooks, God doesn’t overlook it. Jesus saw the humble heart of this widow which no man saw. People saw her as a poor fellow, they saw her as a widow having no husband, they saw her as a nobody; but in the eyes of God she was great.
2. God never judges the way man judges. In our relationship with God, He is not looking at our faces, utterances, or appearances; He looks into our heart and sees through it.
3. God can use your two mites of praise. Your two mites of praise can simply be giving thanks for God for sleeping and waking up. There are many that sleep but end up dead but we are still alive. Our circumstances may discourage us from praising God but praise God ahead and praise Him sacrificially. It’s not our right to be alive, it’s a special privilege. You may say God hasn’t done this or that for me, but do you know many people are looking at you and they say “if they can be like that brother or sister, I know my life is okay”. In your thanking Him, your faith is boosted. Don’t look at your circumstances, praise Him in faith because there lies in your miracle. (1 Kings 17:8-16)
4. We may look alike, dress alike but God is interested in our attitude and our motives. The attitude of the woman was “this is the little I have”, I will give it with praise because there’s nothing I got that wasn’t from God. Our praise at all-time should be rooted in a cheerful attitude. When you praise Him with the attitude of cheerfulness, He goes all the way to prove who He is in your life.
5. God expects you to give a proportion of what He has given you back to Him. He requires us to give Him our best. (Matthew 5:48, Joshua 13)

Has God done so much in your life? Then we need to give Him due praise. The praise the widow could offer back to God was her last mite. Don’t give out of the abundance God has given to you, give your best because it will sound in heaven.