Devotional - March 30, 2011

Mark 12:41-44
“And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began
observing how the people were putting money into the
treasury; and many rich people were putting in large
sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper
coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to
Him, He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor
widow put in more than all the contributors to the
treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she,
out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to
live on.’” (NASB)

Reflection
As we reach the end of Rice & Beans Month perhaps some of you are wondering if it was worth it. Sacrificing a varied diet and our favorite foods, but wondering, “Is the small bit of money saved really worth it?”

Jesus encourages us in the parable of the widow's mite that when we give sacrificially, even if it is a small amount, that it is great in His Kingdom. In addition to that important fact, those of us who have traveled with Lahash to visit the partnerships have seen how even what we think of as little can go a long way.

On Christmas Day in Sudan in 2006, we saw the children at St. Bartholomew's Orphanage relish the soda we had purchased for them, perhaps the only soda they had ever had, which went along with the Christmas dinner of corn meal mush. Knowing that we are helping children have a more diverse and healthy diet is surely worth our small sacrifice this month. To quote an ancient saying: “If you save one life you have saved the whole world.”

So let us be encouraged that it is worth it spiritually, as well as in the physical reality of these dear children's lives, to give sacrificially, even though we may feel we have just a small amount to give.

- Lyla Peterson, Lahash Volunteer

For Kids
If you had 100 toys, do you think it would be hard to give ten of them
away? Probably not. After all, you would still have lots to play with. But
what if you only had two toys? Would it be hard to give them both away,
knowing you wouldn't have anything left? That might be really hard! But
even though giving ten toys sounds like it's better than only giving two
toys, the Bible says that the person who gave the two toys gave the bigger
gift. Why? Because that person gave EVERYTHING they had. They
made a bigger sacrifice. And God says that the amount of what we give
does not matter; it's how much we are willing to give up, whether that is
big or small!