Daily Devotional For Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Good morning Southside! I am following the One Year Chronological Bible reading suggestion and any Bible verses you see highlighted in bold (ex. John 3:16), means it is a link to that verse. All you have to do is click on the reference and it will take you to the verse online. Our daily devotional for today comes from the words of Jesus found in Mark 12:41-44: 

“Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. (42) Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. (43) Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. (44) For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on’” (NLT).

When I have heard preachers preach on this text, I have never heard any of them say anything good about the rich who were tithing. Jesus did see many rich people tithing large amounts but that does not automatically mean He disapproved of this. It is possible that some of these had the right motivation in their tithes. Yet, I wonder for example if in 1985 if the cameras had not been there and a whole list of singers had not joined to sing “We Are The World” written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie, if so much money would have been raised. What might happen to great charity events today without the support of some well-known and popular celebrity?

In the midst of this Temple worship, Jesus saw something and someone who needed to be applauded. Everyone who saw her entered knew she was a destitute poor widow. Mark says she dropped two small coins. The Greek New Testament word Mark uses for “coins” is [λεπτός, leptos]. The word means “peeled” or “fine,” referencing how thin the coins were. Their worth today was only one four-hundredth of a shekel, or about one-eighth of a cent. Nothing much compared to the rich but all for her.

Mark gives us the impression she approached the offering quietly, probably with her head bowed, not wanting to draw any attention to herself, but this is who God saw out of all the other givers. Her humble giving could be nothing more than genuine love. She was living out Deuteronomy 6:5, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength” (NLT). The offering receptacles were designed to look like trumpets and so when her two tiny leptas went in they did not hardly make a sound compared to the sound the coins made from the rich. The crowds and the disciples probably had oohed and aahed over the sounds the money of the rich made, but they probably laughed that hers made no sound at all. 

Jesus used this to teach His disciples a lesson. He called them to Himself. The rich gave out of their wealthy surplus; she had given out of her poverty. This means she had nothing left to live on to buy food. So, what about us? I see a couple of biblical principles here:

1. When we give, the attitude of our hearts makes all the difference. When you and I have to write a check to the I.R.S., they do not care if I write it joyfully or begrudgingly. Not so with the Lord. Take a moment and read 1 Cor. 13:3. God is the one who knows our motivation in giving.
2. Even when I give from my poverty, God can do great things with it. Those two small coins have done more for the kingdom of God than all the rich who gave begrudgingly. This story has been told for the last 2,000 years and it has impacted millions to think about their attitude in why they give. God loves to take little and turn it into a lot. Remember the 5 loaves and 2 fish? That fed 5,000 men, not counting the woman and children, leaving a basket full for each disciple. 
3. On Judgment Day, God will settle His accounts. There is no evidence this woman ever knew what Jesus thought about what she had done. There is coming a day that our attitudes here are going to be revealed and rewarded.
4. God is unbiased and has no favorites. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, if you give with the right attitude, God honors you. For example, Billy Graham, or his son, Franklin Graham (who started Operation Christmas Child, where churches send shoe boxes all over the world to children), have no advantage with the Lord over the humblest person in the smallest church in the most rural area of the country. Anyone can do great things for God from the youngest and poorest child to the oldest Christian billionaire. 
5. God does not want or need our money. He wants us, but He knows how much money owns us rather than we owning our money. Money speaks. It tells where our heart is. I wish to make a play on words. The disease of alcoholism leads to cirrhosis of the liver; the disease of greed leads to “cirrhosis of the giver”. A good example of this is found in Acts 5 with Ananias and his wife Sapphira. We all know how the Lord dealt with that disease. 

Reflection Assignment: When it comes to your giving, not just of your money, but also of your time, your energy, and your resources, do you give from your surplus or is it above and beyond that? Do you think this elderly poverty-stricken widow knew what she was doing? If so, why do you think she did it? When you give, are you hoping to earn some “brownie-points” with God? Why or why not?

Scripture To Meditate On: 1 John 3:17, “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (NASB).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I need to remember what you said in Acts 20:35. You are a giver. You have given more to us than we could ever give back to You. I do not want to be legalistic in my giving; I want to be sacrificially loving in my giving like this widow. I do not want to be diagnosed with “cirrhosis of the giver.” I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen!”

I love you Southside!”