There was a man who had nothing. So God gave the man ten apples.
Three of the apples God gave him were for food, so the man ate the first three apples. The next three apples God gave him were to trade for shelter from the sun and the rain. So he traded the second three apples for shelter. And God gave the man three apples to trade for clothing to cover and protect his body.
Then God gave him a tenth apple so the man would have something to give back to God in gratitude for his life and for the other nine apples.
The man held up the tenth apple to examine it and to admire it. It seemed larger and more juicy than all the rest. He knew in his heart that this was the apple God expected him to use as a gift of gratitude. But this apple looked so good and so juicy.
The man reasoned that God had billions and trillions of apples in the world. He felt God was not going to miss one measly little apple. So the man ate the tenth apple. Then the man gave the core of the tenth apple back to God.
In today’s Gospel (Mark 12: 38-44) Jesus points out and praises a poor widow in the temple who gives to the Lord her last two coins. The widow gave from her own need and not from her abundance. She gave God her tenth apple.
How do we measure our own spiritual life? Our prayer life? Our relationship with God?
The single most reliable and most accurate measure of our spiritual life and where we stand with God is how we use our money. Money is such a dominant force in our lives that it greatly figures into the condition of our spiritual lives. PLEASE REFLECT ON THIS!
Do YOU feel that God will miss one measly little apple of the ten apples that God has given YOU?
ANY FOOL CAN COUNT THE SEEDS IN AN APPLE. ONLY GOD CAN COUNT ALL THE APPLES IN A SEED!
