"As he taught, Jesus said, 'Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.'" -Mark 12:38-40
In today's Our Daily Bread Xochitl Dixon writes about the poor widow who gave only a few cents to the synagogue, but she gave "out of her poverty" which is worth far more than when we give "out of our wealth." The Statue of Liberty was given to us by the people of France and dedicated in 1886. How it came about is an interesting read. A fundraising auction to pay for the base and the assembly of the statue included a poem by Emma Lazarus with the immortal words, "Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." They would later be engraved on a plaque and placed in the museum in the base of the statue. Others gave money sacrificially such as "A young girl alone in the world donated 60 cents, the result of self denial" and "a group of children sent a dollar as 'the money we saved to go to the circus with.'" Eighty percent of the money raised came in donations of less than a dollar each.
Many have sacrificed much for the freedoms many of us enjoy, but the greatest sacrifice was when God condescended to become flesh so that He could show us how much He loves us. He suffered and died a terrible death in order to give us the Holy Spirit so that we would not be alone and without help. The Statue of Liberty is a statement of the importance of freedom, but the Cross is a statement of how much God loves us. To have the freedom Christ gives us is to experience true freedom. It should spur us on to give liberally where there is need just as God has given to us.
I am grateful that God gives liberally to all who seek Him with their whole heart.
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