You think is yours? Luke 21:1-6

I hope you are not training lions but suppose you are an animal trainer and you are training two of these creatures. One is already trained and the other is not. The untrained lion is a challenge because he is used to a rough environment. He grew up and lived in the jungle but the other one was well treated and grew up and learned the ways of men and therefore, he has been easy to handle all along.

As a trainer, would you get more excited if the trained lion walked around your house without attacking anyone or if the untrained lion took something from your hand as he is caged without attempting to attack you for the first time? So are the spiritual gifts and changes done for God when Christ comes into our hearts. Being as small steps or larger ones for He knows what we all had to deal with and the effort we have to put into it.

C.S. Lewis says in the book of Mere Christianity that “some of us who seem quite nice people may, in fact, have made so little use of a good heredity and a good upbringing that we are really worse than those whom we regard as fiends (demons)”

Although the widow’s gift was about her willingness to give the little amount she had compared to the offerings of the rich people, who according to Jesus, gave out of their surplus. I believe this scripture is also about our spiritual gifts and “our goodness” given to God.

Sure you might have been born into a stable home where God was worshipped and by association you learned. By association and good upbringing you might have learned to be good and kind but is your goodness and kindness better than someone’s struggle to follow God and do good despite the fact that they grew up in a rough environment with alcoholic and abusive parents? Which one pleases God more?

I am not saying that your goodness is not well received but we are to give our best. As a matter of fact, we are to give it all back for it all comes from Him. Your small amount of goodness is not enough. He wants your heart. He wants my heart. The widow gave all she had for God had her heart.

God does not need our money! All of it is His! Did you hear me? All is His! It is just as when a parent gives her child money and the child spends it on a present to give to the parent. The parent rejoices for he knows the child acted out of love. It is not because the parent needed the money or the gift.

As the scripture continues, some of them were admiring the beauty of the temple! How wonderfully built it was! How wonderfully adorned it was! The gifts that it had! What it represented to them! how it made them feel good! In the previous chapter Jesus had mentioned how the scribes took advantage of the widows for their gain.

Yes, Perhaps man takes advantage of the poor and sometimes, shamefully in the name of God. Perhaps the widow in the eyes of man should not have given her last cent but perhaps in the end it did not matter because Our Father sees! Nothing escapes Him and when we act out of love for Him, That is what pleases Him! It is not about what others see. it is about what He sees for He can’t be fooled. He sees our hearts!

In response to their admiration for the temple, Jesus responded by saying: you are admiring this world. None of this will last for it will all be destroyed but what will matter is the heart you gave God! Live for God and you will not be disappointed! John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten son that whoever believes in him, will not perish but will have everlasting life.”

Believe in Him! Believe in His words! Trust Him when He tells you to give it all! give your heart to God and you will have found life!