By: Dale Weckbacher
Mark 12:43-44
And he called his
disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor
widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering
box. 44 For they all contributed out of their
abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had,
all she had to live on.”
(ESV)
This election year in the United
States is shaping up to be one of the most contentious in the nation’s
history. Never before has someone ran
for President under impeachment. This
coupled with weak candidates running in opposition to the impeached incumbent
means the opposition party has little to do but run negative campaigns
attacking each other and the incumbent president. Fortunately, in the United States the final
determination of who will lead lies in the hands of the voters and why I urge
all reading this in the United States to be sure they are registered to vote in
both their primary elections and the general election this year so their voice
is heard at the ballot box.
As we observe the attitude of
elected officials and those running for office, there appears to be no lack of
arrogance and little humility. Officials
and candidates arrogantly present themselves as the final arbiter of wisdom and
what is best for the nation and its citizens with no humble consideration of
voters who determine their election to office.
In this election, voters must elect candidates that not only say they
have the interests of constituents in mind but have demonstrated the ability to
deliver on those promises. As we reflect
back on the accomplishments of the last three years of the Trump
Administration, we have to admit he has delivered on his promises of a thriving
economy, more jobs, and making America great and why my intention is to not
only vote for his reelection but to vote for a representative and senator that
supports his agenda.
In Mark
12:38-44, Jesus provides two examples that contrast arrogance and humility,
illustrating the superiority of an attitude of service and humility over a noisy
and arrogant attitude. Unfortunately, in
a world of social media and 24-hour news, the noisy arrogance receives most of
the attention. Fortunately, a quiet and
humble person receives Jesus’ attention and will receive a greater reward. Jesus views arrogance and humility as,
1) Arrogance
(Mark
12:38-40) – Jesus is nearing the time of His crucifixion. During His ministry, he has had numerous
confrontations with the religious leaders of His time (Mark
2:6-12; 7:1-8; 8:11-13; 10:1-12; 12:13-17).
However, in Mark
12:38-40 Jesus provides insight into the source of these confrontations,
arrogance in the hearts of these religious leaders. Jesus points out how the scribes like to
parade around in their robes, be honored in the marketplace, and have seats of prominence
in the synagogue and feasts. These
scribes are more interested in receiving glory than giving glory to God. As one of these religious leaders, the
Apostle Paul understood the destructiveness of one having religious arrogance
due to having extensive knowledge of Scripture leading to his acceptance of his
“thorn in the flesh” as God tempering any religious arrogance in his life (2
Corinthians 12:7).
2) Humility
(Mark
12:41-44) – In contrast to the arrogance of the scribes, Jesus points out
the humility of the widow. While the
widow's gift was small in number, it was large and loud in worship and
sacrificial love for God. Jesus did not
hear the loudness of the giver's arrogance in her gift but the loudness of a
heart of humble and sacrificial obedience to God. This widow worshipped God with her giving,
worshipping in spirit and truth. Her
worship was in the spirit of the sacrificial love of God based upon the
biblical truth of giving cheerfully to God (2
Corinthians 9:7; John 4:24).
During this election year in the
United States, I urge citizens to remain prayerfully diligent by praying for
leaders and for civility during the contentious election process. We must be prayerfully diligent in praying
for each other that we remain strong physically, mentally, and most important
spiritually during this process. I
especially urge Christians in the United States to take up their shield of
faith because in these contentious times there will be no shortage of fiery darts
fired at Christians for their beliefs that expose the darkness of the world (Ephesians
6:16; Romans 13:12-14). However, as
we let the light shine in our dark world, we must not become like the scribes
parading about in arrogance but instead, be as the widow by living and speaking
the truths of God’s Word and bringing its light to a dark world by pointing the
lost to salvation in Christ (Mark
16:15; Matthew 28:19-20; Psalm 119:105).
If you are reading this and have not accepted Jesus as your savior,
inviting the Light of the World into your life, I invite you to do so now by
praying with me.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent
three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord
of my life.
Congratulations, the light of
Jesus Christ is now present in your heart.
Those that just prayed and those that have been believers for some time
are encouraged to fan the flame of the light of Christ in their lives by prayer,
study, and meditation on the truth in God’s Word, humbly applying it to our
lives. My prayer is that this fanning of
the flame of God’s grace in the lives of believers will bring light to a dark
world. May God bless everyone reading
this.
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