Today's Passage - Luke 21:1-4

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 21:1-4   As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.  He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.  'I tell you the truth,' he said, 'this poor widow has put in more than all the others.  All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.'   The greatest principle of offering is to offer ourselves to the Lord.  A person's monetary offering can only please God if he has offered himself to God.  That is why when David built the temple he encouraged the congregation by asking who was willing to offer themselves to Jehovah on that day.  Anyone who wants to make an offering to build the temple must first offer themselves.  There may be many different motives for a Christian to make an offering in the church: for some it's out of obligation, feeling that he ought to do it; for some it's out of sense of responsibility, because the church needs to be maintained; for others, it's simply an exchange for God's grace.  These offerings did not come from the heart, thus they will not please God.   When Prophet Amos was preaching the message from God, the message was: "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.  Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them."  What God really values is not the offering itself, but the person who makes the offering, whether the person's life pleases God.  The Lord praise the widow's offering, not because what she offered, but what she kept; she has offered herself and saved nothing for God.  Christians must understand that God is the ruler of everything, and we are merely His steward, but not the master.  We must seriously manage the wealth that God has entrusted us.  We didn't bring anything to the world with us, and we won't bring anything with us; so what wealth really belongs to us?   The Bible says that we need to be good steward of all kinds of gifts from God, and we must offer what God has given us.  If it wasn't for the talent and ability that God has given us, we won't be able to make any offering; if it wasn't for the money and wealth that God has given us, we would have nothing to offer.  Therefore, we must go back before God, let Him us completely, and to offer ourselves for Him to use in our daily life.     Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you for putting the example of this poor widow before us.  May the Lord help us to have no reservation towards you, and be willing to offer money, talent and ability of our entire life for you to use, so may God's Spirit come and guide me.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!