Luke 21:1-4 TPT
Jesus was in the temple, observing all the wealthy wanting to be noticed as they came with their offerings. [2] He noticed a very poor widow dropping two small copper coins in the offering box. [3] “Listen to me,” he said. “This poor widow has given a larger offering than any of the wealthy. [4] For the rich only gave out of their surplus, but she sacrificed out of her poverty and gave to God all that she had to live on.”
Often our giving is representative of our level of surrender to the Lord; and I believe this story, though obviously speaking to us about giving him, also speaks to us about our level of absolute abandonment to the heart and will of God. The worlds measure of commitment is often determined by how much is given, but I believe the Lord measures our level of surrender by how much is left after we’ve given. This widow was celebrated, not because of the world’s measurement, but because Jesus said she gave all that she had to live on. This is what our Lord is looking for. There is a biblical truth that I think is so significant, which determines the degree to which we will experience and manifest all that Christ is, and the truth is simply this; “Give All; Take All.” Our levels of surrender do not determine how much of Christ we have, or how much of grace we possess, because we are all possessors of the fullness of the divine nature that Jesus carries, but not all of us manifest the same level of the fullness of Jesus, and to the degree that we give all, in absolute and utter abandonment to His will, is the degree to which by faith we can take all, and manifest all. It’s one thing for the Lord to give us everything, is another thing for us to take by faith of what he’s given us. Many of us are impacted and robbed by the accuser of the brethren, because he will tell us that we don’t have much to offer the Lord as opposed to some other people, and therefore there is not much God can do with us. This is of course a lie, and one of the great lies of the enemy, that he uses to keep people from partaking of and manifesting all of their inheritance in Christ.
When we talk about death to self it is imperative that we understand that Jesus took care of that 2000 years ago at the cross when he took yours and my fallen humanity into his person, and crucified the old self and buried it, and then in his resurrection raised us up as new selves in union with Christ. So when we talk about surrender, we’re not talking about dying to self, because Jesus took care of that for us 2000 years ago; we’re simply talking about believing that the old self was crucified with Christ, and surrendering to the death to fallen self, or independent self, that Jesus already accomplished. Understand, it doesn’t matter whether you are a person who in the natural seems to have very little to offer God, or you seem to be some kind of shining light in comparison to other people, because the weakest of the weak, and those who think of themselves as the strongest were both crucified in Christ 2000 years ago, and you no longer can evaluate yourself in terms of what you think you have the offer, or don’t have to offer. Jesus has incorporated all those who have trusted him as Savior into him in his very life, and your value to God is determined by what Jesus has to offer, and not by what you think you have to offer. A small boy with 5 small crackers and 2 little fish, offered his sack lunch to Jesus, and Jesus blessed it, and those 5 loaves and 2 fish in the hands of Jesus, became supernatural, and miraculous in nature. If you thought you had little to offer Jesus, just surrender all that you are, no matter how small it might be, because remember the inadequate and irrelevant self was already put to death at the cross, and you now, in Christ, have everything that Jesus has to offer to God and to the world. Surrendering is simply saying yes to fact that you are crucified with Christ, and the mess that you think you are no longer lives, but Christ lives in you. Believe that, and say yes to that, and you’ll be on your way to living the supernatural life that only Christ can live through a person who has fully surrendered in faith to what Jesus has already accomplished, and is now prepared to manifest. The new creation the you are was God’s dream, and the life that Jesus lives, and wants to live through you should be your greatest dream. Live the dream. Say yes to who you are in Christ; which is, your true identity.