Women Of Faith Sermon Iv: A Poor Widow: Self-Giving Faith Series

A POOR WIDOW: SELF-GIVING FAITH

Jesus said: “The poor you will always have with you . . .” (Mark 14:7). Was this saying of His a pronouncement or an observation?

If meant as a pronouncement, wouldn’t such be out of character for One who came to free us from the burden of sin, and thereby give us life “more abundantly”?

On the other hand, if meant as an observation, wouldn’t such historically be in line with actual experience? No matter how you grew up . . . what your financial circumstances were . . . how “well off” or “barely making it” might be your current situation – there always has been, is now, will be someone poorer - and, as a matter of fact, someone richer!

Any way we look at where we individually might be placed on an economic scale - one that compares monetary and material wealth of any given segment of the population, it’s all relative . . . Some have more, some less. The question is: Do I have what I need?

In His teachings about money and possessions, Jesus sought to make this point: Abundant life (John 10:10) never correlates with abundance of possessions --- a point at sharp odds with that old bugaboo “obsession with possessions” which has infected society from the beginning, rendering some folks addicted to greed, others addicted to envy (covetousness).

Jesus warned against greed – and covetousness! Our Lord left no doubt about what He meant by greed – insatiable craving for more and more which eventually becomes one’s all-consuming passion and focus in life. With that definition in mind:

Our Lord seized the opportunity, when a public appeal was made to him by a self-centered fella whose self-centeredness and covetousness Jesus was aware of before the guy ever opened his mouth and stuck his foot in it – Luke 12:13-15 . . .

Folks: If you don’t have a will on file in a secure place, available to a trusted family member or friend, please get it done – sooner rather than later . . . There’s no time like the death of a loved one to bring out the “bad” in folks prone to act that way. Therefore, advised our Wonderful Counselor, “Watch out and be on guard!”

As much as we would like to think that every one of our relatives and friends is right with the Lord and right with each other, and that no one would ever seek to disrupt relationships for the sake of money, think again:

“In his arrogance, the wicked man boasts of the cravings in his heart and he blesses the greedy, but reviles the LORD . . . In his heart there is no room for God.” (Psalm 10:3-4). “A greedy man or woman stirs up dissension, but he or she who trusts in the LORD will prosper.” (Proverbs 28: 25).

Since greed comes in various forms – not just a craving for money - perhaps you have seen firsthand what it can do to relationships . . . and, let’s face it, no one is likely to go through life without at least once entertaining the notion, “It sure would be nice to have enough of whatever - to do this, that or the other.”

Even Mother Teresa wished she had the wherewithal to pay for all she saw that needed to be done - to lift up the fallen, care for the dying! What a legacy she left - as she spent her last years on earth influencing philanthropists to honor the Lord by financially supporting caregivers whose job it is to make dying patients comfortable – a concept that ushered in Hospice Care

How grateful we are for compassionate people of faith who give to worthy causes . . . invest in God-honoring, kingdom-building enterprises . . . serve others!

Ministry-minded folks are indeed the richest on earth - “rich toward God” - a concept taught by Jesus in The Parable of the Rich Fool - Luke 12:16-21 . . .

Some folks I know spend time in Amish country just to be among folks who are among the truly “wealthiest people on earth” -- with their wealth of goodwill . . . caring . . . tending to the needs of their community.

Yes, the Amish have barns (silos) filled to the brim with grain . . . livestock of many varieties . . . acres of fertile soil. But --- no one builds bigger barns! Instead, they build new barns for newly-weds or newcomers to their self-denial way of life - and they sell their surplus goods to make a profit to give to benevolent causes.

While the lifestyles of those of us who live outside communal societies are quite different . . . there is also within us a yearning - to “lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth but to lay up treasures in heaven”.