Reminders: What Does It Mean?
by Ardith Hoff
A man stood up at a prayer meeting to give his testimony. He said that as a young man he had been down on his luck. He was recently divorced, had lost his job and was homeless. He was down to his last dollar. He decided to go to church to ask for God’s help.
The sermon that Sunday was on stewardship. The pastor talked on “the widow’s mite”, the parable about the widow who gave everything she had to the Lord. The man said that he was so impressed with the sermon that he put his last dollar in the collection plate. He went on to say that as soon as he left the church that day, he was offered a job. He took the job, worked his way up in the company and eventually bought the company. He was now a multi-millionaire. He finished by saying, “That’s what can happen when you give everything you have to the Lord.” Everyone applauded except for one little old lady who was sitting beside the man. When he sat down, she leaned over and said, “I dare you to do it again.”
Most churchgoers try to do their best to support the work of the church by giving what they can. Many people tithe (give ten percent of their income). Beyond that, many church members give generously to other worthy causes. Few give all they have because they have to use most of their income to support themselves and their families.
So what does it mean to give one’s all to God? There may be many different answers to that question. Each person must make his or her own decision about that. Here are a couple of examples of how others have answered: “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” —Edward Everett Hale
“I have one life, and one chance to make it count for something. My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.” ––Jimmy Carter
“Therefore I urge you, brethren by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Romans 12:1