One poor widow came up and put in two small coins...Jesus ...said, "...All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford - she gave her all. Mark 12:42-44, The Message

Extravagant Giving - quite honestly it sounds rather intimidating. For those of us who aren't Warren Buffett or Bill Gates, how can we give EXTRAVAGANTLY??? But Jesus reminds us in today's scripture, that even the poorest among us can be extravagant givers. The widow only gave pennies but it was the way she gave that was important - she willingly and wholeheartedly gave all that she could. It's not a question of QUANITY but rather QUALITY. And it doesn't have to just be about money - what better way to give it our all than to donate our time and talents to help others.

Jesus says the widow "gave her all". Sounds a lot like what I try to tell the kids that I coach - "give 110%", "give maximum effort", "leave it all on the field". It doesn't matter what cliché you use. It's not about what or how much you give (the results), it's about the joyful gratitude that you give with (the effort) and being able to know that you gave your best back to God because He gave his best (His eternal love) to you.

Prayer: Generous Lord - thank you for all the wondrous gifts you have given us. Help us to remember that the best way to show our gratitude for these gifts is to be generous givers ourselves - givers of our time, our talent and our resources. Help us to give it our all each time we take the field as a member of Your team.

~ Mike Goetting