21:4 - While I consider myself rich by worldwide standards - there are many times when I feel poor with regards to my readiness to be a ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We've probably all been there - I'm not good enough, holy enough, smart enough, prepared enough, etc. The poor widow encourage me to give everything out of the poverty of my character and righteousness and let the power and grace of God make that enough. God can take my pitiful offerings of ministry and use them to do great things through His power, like the 5 loaves and 2 fish.
21:12ff - Persecution at its most intense is the ultimate catalyst for powerful witness and testimony. When is the gospel more powerful and real than when it is lived out faithfully in the face of extreme hatred and persecution? Never. I think one of the problems we have with Christian burn-out in the States, is that lack of persecution and challenge leads to stale Christianity. It is so easy to be a "christian-by-name" here that you don't even have to rely on God - that is dangerous.
21:14 - Very comforting...you don't have to know all the answers...Jesus will give you the words that you need, when you need them...so step out in faith and live boldly.
21:32 - One of the hardest and most confusing verses around (F.Y.I. all the people he was addressing are dead and Jesus hasn't come back yet). Does this mean Jesus was wrong? No. I believe that when he references "this generation" he is actually continuing to talk about the future generation that he brings up in verse 25 (go read it again). He is saying that all the end times stuff will happen before that generation passes, so through the course of one human generation. When will that be? Don't know, but you should live like it's tomorrow.
21:36 - WAKE UP! Be on the lookout...don't get sidetracked by the things of this world...live like this is your last day on earth, because it could be.
2 comments:
"14But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict."
I suppose that goes with life as well..don't worry because God will give you wisdom to get through it.
when i read the story of the poor widow, after a few times something different sticks out. all through ch. 20, Jess is just going to town on the pharisees basically telling them that they have screwed up what was given to them in the OT, and telling parables that say they will kill the son of God. after yhe poor widow, we see Jesus immediately talk about how the temple, a symbol of religion, is going to be torn down. with this in mind, the picture i see regarding Jesus and the poor widow is a sad Jesus acknowledging how influence used the wrong way can lead a poor widow to give all she has to a broken system because of misused influence practiced by the pharisees.
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