Fresh Start Devotionals

Cheerful Givers “He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. [3] ‘I tell you the truth,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. [4] All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:2–4 NIV) Like many believers, Karen Sparks had trusted God with her salvation, but wasn’t sure she was trusting God with everything. When she returned from a mission trip, she began praying, “God help me to trust You for everything like the believers in Guayaquil.” Not long after that prayer, her church sent out offering envelopes and she noticed that one of the envelopes was for International Missions. As she considered how much money she should put in the envelope, Sparks began to think about how the widow gave all she had. “Well, Lord, I’m not a widow. This can’t apply to me.” She sensed the Lord saying “Yes it does.” So Sparks balanced her check book and wrote a check for everything she had and put it in the envelope. She held onto the envelope for a couple of days just in case God changed His mind, when He didn’t, she put the check in the mail. That evening, she went to her pantry and surveyed its contents. There wasn’t enough for a week, much less a month. She would have to trust the Lord for her daily bread. The Lord provided every meal. “No, I didn’t have any extra, but I never missed a meal.” Sparks said, “Our God is good, and I can truly say that when we are determined to trust Him completely, He will provided for us just like He says.” Jim L. Wilson, Fresh Start Devotionals (Fresno, CA: Willow City Press, 2009).