Effort For The One You Love

Mark 12:41-44 NKJV

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who  were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury;  for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in ALL THAT SHE HAD, HER WHOLE LIVELIHOOD.”

We, as humans, try to make some kind of standard, some kind of rule about the volume we give to the Lord. People have much money/talent/time, feel good about giving a lot compared to what the poor give; while those that have little feel ashamed of how few actual dollars they give to Him. The problem is that is a fundamental misunderstanding of the heart of the Lord.

The idea that we some how smuggle in is that volume (how many dollars, time we spend helping others, how complicated or simple a song is) is what He wants. While we may not say it, our love and attention to the world and how it operates bleeds into our thinking. We idolize celebrities that adopt one baby from Africa (when they have enough to build 100 orphanages), metal guitarists who can play a billion notes a second, or the Grammy nominated folk singer who can play the simplest song.

The idea of giving that we get from old testament is our 10%. We act like that was our goal but He instituted it as a minimum standard (Lord knows I'm not perfect at this or any of it). We don't see how He has amplified that, as He has EVERYTHING in the new testament. If you hate a man or lust after a woman it's murder or adultery. There was one temple that God lived in, now we, who have the Holy Spirit, are all temples of God. It was 10% of your money, now it is give of everything until it hurts, not out of pressure but joy to His glory.

Mr Lewis has something helpful to say on the matter...
"I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc, is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them."

All that to say I think that it would again be the influence of the world to say that the Lord only wants us to give away our money. He wants us to give EVERYTHING to Him and for his glory. That means if you wanted to read a good book, but somebody wants help moving, you help move them. If there is an option between an easy or simple worship set or song and the RIGHT song or set that is difficult but glorifies the Lord, you do the more complicated and you spend the time and effort to do it.

Again the motivation is what? Are we trying to justify ourselves before God? Earn our way to heaven? If we love, believe, profess, repent to the Lord, accepting His blood that paid the price for our sin, and have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we know that justification before God is done. We do these things out of LOVE for Him who saved us when we were lost! And really, if we love Him, what amount of time/money/resources is ever going to be enough?

As for worship, the Lord has gifted us  with abilities, and if we aren't pushing ourselves, putting in the effort, to give back to Him with all we have, we have to ask ourselves if we are being like Pharisees or that widow. That being said if the Lord has gifted you with a love for the simple song, guitar line, or beat, do it the best you can for Him. If He has given you a passion for the ornate (I would say it would be a sin to call an ornate gift to God, "flashy" as if there was something inherently worldly about complexity), be ornate! The common denominator is that it shouldn't be easy. He wants us to give EVERYTHING not just a lot, which doesn't look the same for those rich in talent or poor. How much effort are we giving the one whom we profess to love and gave up His very life to be with us? How much attention and time are we putting in for our bridegroom? The Lord wants our heart totally. THAT is what "leading" worship is about. Being first in line to pour our whole hearts out to God, not necessarily playing a complicated guitar part OR singing a lyrically super simple song that even a five year old could pick up first try. There is no holy musical "worship" genre, only wholly devoted worshipers of the eternal lover of our soul.

-Paul