RTW October 26

The Lord’s Treasury

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.
Mark 12:41

 

 

My Takeaways

Something Old

  • It’s the heart of the gift, rather than the value of the gift. God looks at our heart.
  • The value of a gift is determined by what it costs the giver, rather than how much it’s worth.
  • He sees what we give, and knows what we have left.

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (ESV)  2 Corinthians 9:7

Something New

According to Poole’s calculations, the value of a mite can be determined like this: a denarii is one day’s wage, and one denarii equals six meahs; one meah equals two pondions; one pondion equals two issarines; one issarine equals eight mites. When you figure it all out, two mites is 1% of a denarii – 1% of a day’s wage.

Something to Do

Joyfully contribute to the Lord’s treasury.

 

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4 Comments

  1. Much to think about. I gave my time until 1 1/2 yrs ago I found I have Bipolar and have had a hard time adjusting to the medication, the louder music to draw in college students (college town in the mid west). My husband doesn’t attend church so I always gave God what I had and for this year and a half I’ve been able to attend church 3 times in person. I have been able to watch on Facebook but not the same. I’ve prayed God where can I serve that is quiet and no flu/germs home to my husband being monitored 6 months for smoldering cancer. I even got away from this study and others or reading His Word steadily. I watch 2 bible teachers on tv in am and doing I AM 6 week study learning from hear cancer and surviving.
    I feel like a bobbling ship on the sea and one friend who hurt me most just called and wanting to connect again. Within speaking to her it is still all about her and what she thinks everyone else should be doing, it’s been 7 months.
    Father God thank you for drawing me back to this study and especially today with this widow. We got our truck back with many more repair needs and I was going to try and go to the Saturday pm service less people and give my small coins from my heart. I pray to hear Your heart again as it has grown so quiet to me. Satan confusion leave me as Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. In Jesus Name. amen. Thank you Wendy!

    1. Hi Tracy, thank you for your heartfelt post. Every effort you make He sees, appreciates and feels the love with which you try. I can imagine how the enemy pulls at you from so many directions. One of Wendy’s previous lessons about surrounding ourselves with community who will support our walk with Jesus is one that has stuck with me. I’m hopeful you may friend another friend who is also trying to grow in Him so that you can support each other. Maybe even get together to watch sermons online so that you can talk about what you’ve heard and learned together. (I’ve made some tough choices to release friendships that were not based in faith and I’m so glad I did. I have fewer acquaintances and yet richer relationships in my community now.) And for sure your virtual community in RTW lifts you up in prayer for peace, healing and provision during this season. ?

  2. God has really been challenging me on how I am loving others. I am realizing that I have to focus on living God first and then living others will flow out if that connection naturally. Mark 12:29-33 helped me see that the greatest command is to love God then the 2nd is to love people. I’ve been trying to hard to love the people around me but haven’t really been living God with all my mind, heart, soul and strength. I need to maje some adjustments and dig into what it means to really love God with all of me.
    I was also challenged by Jesus words to the Pharisees in Matt 23:13-38. Am I being arrogance, judgmental or focused on outward appearances yet my heart is a mess? I don’t want to be a pharisee!

  3. My Takeaways: Love God with my whole being

    Something Old: Mark 12:30 “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind, and all your strength.” A very familiar verse that says much. I am to love God and make him my greatest treasure. I must love Him with everything that I am, committing everything to Him and giving myself to Him entirely – for the rest of my life. Honoring Him with my abilities, my resources, and my actions. I think I fall short of this every day, but this is what it means to be a Christian and by the power of the Holy Spirit my love and affection for God grows more intense each and every day until I get to the point when I no longer say – I’m too busy to study his words, Sunday is my only day to catch up, or I don’t know how to pray. Loving God makes me eager to do all these things leaving me to wonder how I’ll have time to fit the every day to day activities in my life after I get finished spending time with Him! An intense desire to love God with all of my being is the only proper response to the One who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for me.

    Something New: “You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup, but inside you are filthy, full of greed and self-indulgence… You are like whitewashed tombs, beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. You try to look like upright people outwardly, but inside your hearts are filled with hypocrisy…” (v.25-28). I may do all of the right things and say all of the right words, but my motives must be pure. My heart has to be right with God. I don’t want to live just to impress others. My one and only desire is to always please God, no matter what others think. How terrible it would be if I heard someone said about me, Listen to what she says, but do not follow her example because she doesn’t practice what she teaches. I don’t want to be a Pharisee and only look good on the outside. Jesus is much more concerned about the condition of my heart than the condition of my outward appearance.  He wants to heal me from the inside out. I need to spend my time working on a beautiful heart.

    Something To Do: Pray that I will love God with all of my heart, soul and mind each and every day. Guard my heart and meep it pure.

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