Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Life for the Creator: Tithe Offering Sunday

Bible Reading: Mark 12:41-44

Key verse:  "but she out of her poverty put in everything-all she had to live on".

DEVOTION

In the Gospel according to Saint Mark, Jesus does something many would overlook. He sits down near the temple treasury and watches how people give. Some give large amounts, and others give quietly. Then a widow comes forward. She is poor, and she gives just two small copper coins. What she places into the offering box is worth very little in the eyes of the world, but Jesus sees it differently.
Jesus says she gave more than anyone else. Why? Because she gave all she had. She did not give out of leftover wealth. She gave from her very life. Her offering was not about money. It was about devotion. It was about trust. It was a life surrendered to the Creator.
Tithe Offering Sunday is not simply about fulfilling a tradition. It is about rethinking what giving means. It is about asking what it means to give not from what is convenient, but from what is committed. Just like the widow, many may not feel they have much to give. But Jesus teaches that the value of a gift is not in the amount, but in the heart behind it.
God does not need our coins or our offerings to accomplish His will. What He seeks is our surrender. Giving becomes worship when it reflects love, faith, and dependence on God. When we give from the heart, we are saying that everything belongs to God, and that our lives are for Him.
Today, may this community be reminded that giving is not about showing wealth. It is about showing faith. Whether it is finances, time, or energy, the gift matters when it comes from a place of devotion.

PRAYER

Gracious Lord, thank You for the gift of life and the many blessings You pour into our hands. Teach us to be like the widow in the temple. Give us faith to trust You, and hearts that hold nothing back. May our offerings reflect a deeper surrender to You, our Creator. Let our giving be an act of worship, and may our lives be lived for Your glory. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

As we give  our tithes today let us give it out with joyful hearts remembering God's great provision and making it reach through out the world for the needy extending his love.

Justin Manoj, St. Johns Mar Thoma Church, Queens
New York.

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