<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 12;41-44<div><br></div><div><b>41. &nbsp;And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watch the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.</b></div><div><b>42. &nbsp;And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny.</b></div><div><b>43. &nbsp;And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.</b></div><div><b>44. &nbsp;For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she, out of her poverty &nbsp;has put in everything she had, her whole living.”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Do you give to God from your ‘extra’? &nbsp;Do you give to yourself first, pay your bills, purchase your needs, and also your desires, THEN, (if you have anything left over), do&nbsp;you give an offering to God or make a charitable gift to some needy person or worthy cause?</div><div><br></div><div>That kind of giving&nbsp;is called, ‘giving out of your abundance.’ &nbsp;It is not pleasing to God. &nbsp;That is how Cain&nbsp;gave to God. &nbsp;It is not giving ‘first-fruits’ as Able gave of the ‘first fruits&nbsp;of his flock.</div><div>&nbsp;(Genesis 4;3-7)</div><div><br></div><div>The command, <i>“Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”. &nbsp;</i>Is pure love which puts God first above all other things, especially ‘self.’ &nbsp; This is how Jesus lived and kept the Law. &nbsp;He loved our Father more than He loved Himself. &nbsp;His death was His gift of love to the Father, and to us, His neighbors.</div><div><br></div><div>We see in the widow’s two copper coins (worth a penny), the very Spirit of Christ (heaven’s most precious and&nbsp;greatest treasure)&nbsp;indwelling the widow.</div><div>That same treasure, the&nbsp;Spirit of Christ,&nbsp; was given to each of us who were baptized into Christ. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>By the gift of faith, that same&nbsp;sacrificial love of the will of our&nbsp;Father and our neighbor is working in us.</div><div><i>“For God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” &nbsp;</i>(Philippians 2;13)</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, bless us to acknowledge and embrace Your will and work in us. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br></div><div><br><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 12;41-44
41.  And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watch the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.42.  And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny.43.  And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.44.  For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she, out of her poverty  has put in everything she had, her whole living.”
Do you give to God from your ‘extra’?  Do you give to yourself first, pay your bills, purchase your needs, and also your desires, THEN, (if you have anything left over), do you give an offering to God or make a charitable gift to some needy person or worthy cause?
That kind of giving is called, ‘giving out of your abundance.’  It is not pleasing to God.  That is how Cain gave to God.  It is not giving ‘first-fruits’ as Able gave of the ‘first fruits of his flock. (Genesis 4;3-7)
The command, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”.  Is pure love which puts God first above all other things, especially ‘self.’   This is how Jesus lived and kept the Law.  He loved our Father more than He loved Himself.  His death was His gift of love to the Father, and to us, His neighbors.
We see in the widow’s two copper coins (worth a penny), the very Spirit of Christ (heaven’s most precious and greatest treasure) indwelling the widow.That same treasure, the Spirit of Christ,  was given to each of us who were baptized into Christ.  
By the gift of faith, that same sacrificial love of the will of our Father and our neighbor is working in us.“For God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”  (Philippians 2;13)
Prayer:  Merciful Father, bless us to acknowledge and embrace Your will and work in us.  In Jesus we pray, Amen
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”



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