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gift of gratitude

Mark 12:43
"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:"

Jesus knows this situation from every perspective. It is probable that this widow lost her home to one of the scribes! AND! She keeps on giving more to the Temple!!! Her two little mites made very little noise in the trumpet shaped collection box. The scribes MUCH that was cast in sounded like a Las Vegas slot machine paying out. 

Jesus noticed the widows offering and points it out to His Disciples. Money is important, Jesus often teaches about it. We need money to pay for things. If we let it; money worries consumes us and controls us. The tithe began in the Old Testament to support the priest. They established worship and the Temple. Even today, we need to be able to pay for our church. It takes a lot of giving to support a pastor and his family. It can be done. It can be a success. But, it takes money.

The thing that Jesus teaches about money is to control it and not let it control you. The tithe is a great place to start. It's like training wheels for a bicycle. You get used to giving, and pretty soon, you're giving beyond the tithe. Giving out of gratitude and NOT out of obligation! We recognize that God provides everything we have. Ourselves, our time and our possessions. God is faithful, and just.
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