Giving

"As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 'Truly I tell you,' he said, 'this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 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 21:1-4

This story is so simple, yet so profound. Anna and I studied this passage with missionary (doctor) Rebekah the Saturday before we came back from Uganda. Ever since then, God has been really challenging me with this passage. Over the summer, I reread 1 & 2 Samuel and I was reminded that God does not look at our outward appearance, but He looks at our heart. And in this passage, again, we see that Jesus does not focus on the outward appearance, but He looks into our hearts. This widow had two small copper coins, which are equivalent to around two pennies. Although what she gave was worth so little, her action pleased Jesus. She gave all that she had to live on and had no idea where her next funds were coming from. I believe her action was a declaration of trust in the Lord's providence. On the contrast, all the other "people gave their gifts out of their wealth..." I realized that it's quite different to give out of your wealth and to give, so that you go without. I, too, like to give out of my wealth because when you have plenty, it's easy to give. But what is it like when you don't have much? Giving is not so much about what you have, but about the condition of your heart. I believe giving all that you have because you trust the Lord - this is the kind of giving that moves God's heart. I don't know about you, but I want to move Jesus' heart. How amazing would that be? Giving doesn't necessarily have to be associated with money, but it can be your talents, time, effort, etc. But before we do all these things, let's have our hearts right before God. Although people may see all the things we do outwardly, He sees the motivation in our hearts.

Another thing that I read last week that's I've been thinking about is - "The Christian life is personal, but is not private." As Christians, we live in context of a community and as much as we have a personal relationship with Jesus, I realized it's important to share with others what God is teaching you. Through this, we can encourage and be encouraged.

Blogs I Follow

I just wanted to share a list of blogs/websites/devotionals that I stumbled upon and follow in case anyone else might be interested! Looking at them, I think they're blogs geared towards girls/women.

shereadstruth.com
She Reads Truth is a devotional website where they post a new devotion every day. I like how they go through series. Over the summer they studied women in the Bible. I like how their emphasis on reading the Bible and living it out. Some days, they had devotionals on women that I quickly overlooked or didn't even know were mentioned in the Bible. I also really like their artwork and typography, which makes the website more enjoyable to look at, haha.

alyssajoy.me/blog
I don't know if you know Jeff Bethke (the guy who got famous from Jesus > Religion youtube video) but this is his wife's blog! I love how she chooses to openly share the difficulties as well as the victories she experiences in her walk with the Lord.

havilahcunnington.com/the-good-stuff
A friend forwarded this study a few months ago and I really liked it because unlike most devotions, this is a video! I just watched the video in the morning as I got ready for school. I don't think I finished it, but I remember learning a lot from it.

deeplyrootedmag.com
I stumbled upon this website while I was on instagram. They have magazine issues that you have to pay for (but I think now they're trying to release a part of the issue for free). But they also have a blog portion that's free (deeplyrootedmag.com/blogs/blog). As you can see in their name, their mission is to help women become deeply rooted in their faith.

www.setapartgirl.com
This stems from Leslie and Eric Ludy's ministry of Ellerslie. I always found their articles to be grounded from the truth and encouraging but also very convicting and challenging. They are also the authors of Authentic Beauty and When God Writes Your Love Story. They also have setapartmotherhood.com for parenting mothers.

These are a few blogs/websites that I wanted to share! If you have other blogs you follow I would love to know. (: