The Widow and the Rich Man

"A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked."

We are told by Jesus the poor widow woman who gave into the treasury, "...threw in two mites, which make a farthing," (the Greek mite was 1/2 cent; the Roman farthing 1 cent; she put in a penny). Hence our Lord tells us, "...she of her penury (poverty) hath cast in all the living that she had." According to the wise man in our text (and the Rich Fool in Luke), her little penny was better than the rich man's plenty. She put in, we would say today, "Her last cent." 

Jesus doesn't look at what we give, but rather what we have left. The Pharisees gave out of their abundance, but had much left; the Poor Widow gave out of her poverty and had nothing left. The greatest day in a child of God's life is when he or she can come to God and say, "Lord, I truly do not know of anything in my life I have not given you, and humbly say with Christ, 'All mine is Thine.'"

Paul tells the early believers, and us, it is alright to have as long as we're not possessive. He instructs them, " they that buy, [be] as though they possessed not." That is, they could have things as long as the things didn't have them. In our relationship to God, I have found it wise to keep, what I like to refer to as, an "open-handed" relationship. Or as the little saying goes, "LET GO AND LET GOD!"

"You can't lose what you've given to God!"