Everybody, what is going on? You know what time it is. You're listening to Join the Journey podcast with your host, Emma, daughter.

Hey, what's up, Join the Journey? It's me, Neil Monroe, back on the podcast with you guys to continue talking about Luke.

Today we pick up in Chapter 21 with this really awesome story about a widow in her offering. And I think that we can

glaze over this very quickly and be like, okay, it's talking about how God wants us to give

all our money to the church and the church just wants our money. Friends, that's not the heart

of what this story is saying. Let me just go ahead and read it really

quick. It's not very long. It says this in starting in verse one. Jesus looked up and saw the rich

putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.

And he said, truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them, for they all

contributed out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live

on.

What I want us to see from the story is that giving is meant to be an act of worship.

It's something that we willingly do.

And I personally liken it to prayer,

that prayer moves the heart of God, right? That in reality, God is sovereign and he is going to do

what he wants to do whether we pray or not. And yet, God allows us to take part in his mission.

That when we pray, we are made aware of what God

is already going to do so that when he does it, we can be encouraged and say, man, God answers

prayers, and that is really awesome. And when we give, God, whether we are involved or not,

is going to advance the things he wants to advance. Like the things that need to happen financially

are going to happen,

and he is going to find the money or resources that he needs, where he needs it. But yet,

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