Higher than our ways

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55: 8 - 9

I love the fact that God’s ways are nothing like our ways because his ways are full of grace, truth, mercy and compassion.  Every time I read an account in the Bible of Jesus’ dealing with people, he treated them with love and not with the judgement, criticism and condemnation that man would use.  His way with adulterers, sinners and tax collectors was so different that the religious people complained about it all the time.

Everyone wanted to stone the woman caught in adulteryer to death which the law did not require (John 8: 2 - 11). According to the law, both man and woman were ‘to be put to death’ (Leviticus 20:10).  Jesus dealt with her differently.  First of all he confronted those who had caught the woman with their own hypocrisy and then he instructed her not to sin any more. 

Jesus always had an answer to the tricky questions. The Pharisees hoping to trip him up, confronted him with whether to pay taxes to Caesar or not. He just took a coin and instructed those listening to give to Caesar what was his and to God what belonged to him. Anyone else asked that question would have probably tied themselves up in knots over whether it was right to support the invaders and conquerors of their country which is what the Pharisees wanted. Jesus again confronts their hypocrisy and cut to the heart of the matter and those trying to trip him up were not just silenced but amazed (Matthew 22: 15 - 22).

When Jesus and his disciples were watching everyone give their gifts into the temple treasury I am sure the disciples would have been impressed with those giving great gifts but Jesus turned their attention to the widow whom most people would have overlooked and the two tiny coins that she gave. Jesus commended her for her outstanding generosity and re-aligned the disciples’ thinking on giving. The amount you give is not what matters.  It is how much you give out of what you have that is the true test of generosity. 

The disciples, like all of us, were constantly impressed with the outward appearances.  They drew Jesus’ attention to the magnificence of the temple (Mark 13: 1 and Luke 21: 5) and Jesus again re-aligned their thinking by prophesying the destruction of the temple which happened in AD70. Jesus wants us to focus our lives on matters of eternal significance. So many wonderful empires and buildings have come and gone. What matters is the eternal truths of God’s word and living our lives by them not being impressed by passing glories. 

God constantly seeks to re-align our ways and especially our thinking to come into agreement with his ways and thinking.  I am amazed at how often my thinking about God is so faulty and yet with love and grace he redirects me to his truth and then helps me change the way I think and therefore the way I live. 

God’s Word is a wonderful book which cleanses our minds as we read it. The Holy Spirit uses it to point out truth, convict of sin and instruct us in better living. He never condemns or tries to control or manipulate us. God is not cross with us or seeking to tell us off or punish us.  We have nothing to fear from God. His single aim is to liberate us from sin and its effects so we can walk in freedom and truth and fulfil the plans and purposes he has for our lives. 

The widow's mite

Luke 21: 1 – 4

I am sure we are all familiar with the account of the widow who put her two mites or small copper coins in the treasury at the temple. Jesus commended her because everyone else was putting in out of their surplus but she was putting in all she had to live on.

The context of this little event is Jesus warning his disciples about the religious leaders and the hypocrisy of their practices, one of which was to make an extravagant show of their giving. Jesus contrasts this with the poor widow who quietly puts in the little she has.

Underlining this story, Jesus is commending the poor widow for her generosity. Those who have little do not give it away unless they have a very generous spirit. They hang on to the little they have. The religious leaders wanted everyone to think what good people they were because they gave large amounts. The widow only had a small amount and yet she gave it. She was not putting on a show for anyone – who would be impressed by the gift of two small coins? She gave out of a desire to bless God. She would know her two small coins would make no difference to the upkeep of the temple or the religious institutions. Her gift was given to God. Only he saw her generosity when no one else did and God would have been blessed by her heart which so reflects his own generous heart.

God wants us to give freely and generously to him and others. We give because he first gave to us. ‘Freely we have received, freely give’ (Matthew 10:8).  We must never give ‘reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver’ (II Corinthians 9:7). We give out of love for all God has given to us. If you are giving out of duty or a sense that as a ‘good Christian’ you must tithe or you are giving so that God will bless you – stop!  Give because you want to give and be a blessing. The size of your gift does not denote your generosity. The size of your heart does that.