Impact                                                                     02-21-14

Mark 12:41-44 (NASB) ⁴¹  And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.
⁴²  A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.
⁴³  Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury;
⁴⁴  for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on."

Greetings from Tennessee the SECOND craziest state for crazy weather! Only our compatriots from down south in Georgia can lay claim to crazier. We had 60-70 mph winds with tornado warnings last night in FEBRUARY! For crying out loud, what is going on here??? Oh well, we made it through none the worse for the wear and now are enjoying a balmy 60 with brilliant sunshine. Go figure. hehe.

Let me ask you something. Has the enemy ever tried to plant seeds of doubt in your mind and spirit? Has he ever told you that your life hasn't amounted to much? You know..that song and dance about your lack of accomplishment and lack of IMPACT when it comes to the things of God? Has he ever reminded you that you really haven't done that much ? HE HAS???!!!WHEW!!Thank the Lord. I thought that I was the only one who hadn't done anything for the Kingdom of God. What a relief to know that there are others out there like me. I capped that word impact because that was the word that the devil threw at me yesterday as I mused about what I would write on. BUT, as I was being bomber about my lack of impact, the Lord God quietly spoke that scripture to my heart. Then He spoke a slightly different perspective to me. The perspective of the poor widow.

Have you ever wondered how that widow felt? Think about it for a moment. Take yourself back and get a mental picture. Here we are in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover and man it is buzzing. People from all over Israel have converged on the city; and, not only that, this man Jesus has arrived to the cries of Hosanna. Many are calling Him the Messiah. At any rate Jesus, while at the temple sits down and observes the folks as they put their money in. The Bible then says "many rich people were putting in large sums." Then here comes this poor widow. Imagine walking down that aisle with all those people around. Rich people at that, all dropping a lot of cash in the plate. But, that's not all. Jesus is sitting there OBSERVING how much is being put in. I can imagine that after a couple of minutes a crowd has gathered and they are OBSERVING along with Jesus. I wonder how that widow felt as she walked down that aisle. Or proceeded to the depository or whatever. I wonder if she was wishing that she had chosen a different time to bring her offering. I wonder if she was tempted to put it off to another time. I can bet that the devil was sitting right on her shoulder mocking her faithfulness and demeaning her meager offering in her mind. I wonder if she was questioning in her mind the IMPACT that her offering would have on the Kingdom.

BUT, then something happened.The Bible says that Jesus did something. He called His disciples over. And here is my point today. The Bible makes no mention of anyone taking notice of this widow. No fuss was made either positive or negative concerning her offering. It made no impact on anyone, EXCEPT JESUS! It certainly impacted Him!! So much so, that He CALLED His disciples over. To add to that,Jesus then said that she had given more than all the other contributors. Hmmm...I wonder how that sat with the money men of the church.? Listen, brothers and sisters and this goes for yours truly also, I'm preaching to myself here.

You may not be on Christian television. You may not have your own private jet taking you all over the world preaching the Gospel. You may not minister to a congregation of thousands every week. Your impact may not be lauded and splashed over the media outlets. BUT, as I was taught many, many years ago, the real heroes of the Kingdom of God are the "poor widows" of this world. It's the folks who give of their time to help troubled youth. It's the people who support the ministries that God has placed them in. No fanfare, just quietly going about their business. It's the people standing in faith through unbelievable adversity that inspire others. These are the REAL heroes of God's Kingdom. These are the IMPACTERS. Keep walking child of God. God has and still is taking notice. The actions and service that have long since become second nature to you, are making a sure impact on those around you. Only in eternity will we know. Keep the faith. He's coming back and His reward is with Him. Remember that widow's mite and her heart to please God so impacted the Lord of Glory that a remembrance was made. Her act was recorded for all time in the Word of God. Pretty heady company huh?

 Psalm 75:2 (NASB) ²  "When I select an appointed time, It is I who judge with equity.



God Bless