Voice: Kae Chee
Today is Tuesday, 7th of October. Let us gather our scattered thoughts and be still in His presence.
When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek”, David wrote this psalm, Psalms 52
1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 You who practice deceit,
your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.
3 You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.[
4 You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!
5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at you, saying,
7 “Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”
8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
Mark 12:41-44
41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums.
42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.
43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.
44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
A Penny’s Worth
On this occasion, Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, watching people putting their offerings into the collection boxes in the Court of Women. He wasn’t just observing the amount given, but also who was giving, something he could tell from their clothing and demeanor.
It was a good day for collections. Many wealthy individuals turned up and dropped in large sums of money.
Then came a woman. Slowly, she approached the box and dropped in two small copper coins. They cascaded down and disappeared into the pile of notes and coins. This penny’s worth didn’t seem to add much to what was already in the treasury. Its monetary value was negligible.
Jesus did not criticize the rich givers. If anything, their generosity was commendable. But what caught his attention was the poor widow. It became a powerful discipleship moment—an object lesson for his followers.
Pointing her out, Jesus said, “She has put in more than all the others.”
The disciples were puzzled as they looked at the plainly dressed woman.
Jesus explained, “They all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything she had—all she had to live on.”
In today’s terms, we might say that the rich were high-net-worth individuals or people with disposable income—those who had more than enough for their daily needs and could give from their surplus. But this widow had no such surplus. Her two coins were not “disposable income”; they were what she had to live on. And yet, on that day, she disposed of it all into the offering box.
In that sense, she gave “more.”
Can you think of other examples in Scripture of extravagant giving? Recall the story of the Alabaster Jar, when Mary “wasted” her precious ointment to anoint Jesus. Her act, like the widow’s, was costly and wholehearted.
The lesson for us in Singapore is clear. Have we been giving sacrificially? There are many generous givers in our midst, and if you are one of them, thank you—please continue to do so. But there will be moments when God calls us to give or serve sacrificially, not just from our surplus. This could involve our finances, time, energy, or other resources.
Jesus paid special attention to the widow. Are there such “widows” among us today? Think of the full-time pastors, missionaries, or workers who have chosen to forgo higher incomes to serve Christ and His Church.
Take a moment to give thanks for their example.
And if you are one of them, remember Jesus’ promise:
“No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age…and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29–30)
We close with the Collect of the Day:
O Lord, we beseech you mercifully
to hear the prayers of your people who call upon you;
and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil them;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Be blessed by this song, Alabaster Jar.
Be blessed by this song, Alabaster Jar.
This alabaster jar is all I have of worth
I break it at Your feet, Lord, it’s less than You deserve
You’re far more beautiful, more precious than the oil
The sum of my desires and the fullness of my joy
Like You spilled Your blood, I spill my heart
As an offering to my King
Here I am, take me as an offering
Here I am, giving every heartbeat for Your glory
Take me
This time that I have left is all I have of worth
I lay it at Your feet, Lord, it’s less than You deserve
And though I’ve little strength, and though my days are few
You gave Your life for me so I will live my life for You
Like You spilled Your blood, I spill my heart
As an offering to my King
Here I am, take me as an offering
Here I am, giving every heartbeat for Your glory
Here I am, take me as an offering
Here I am, giving every heartbeat for Your glory, take me
Worthy, worthy, You are worthy, worthy is the Lord
Worthy, worthy, You are worthy, worthy is the Lord
Here I am, take me as an offering
Here I am, giving every heartbeat for Your glory
Here I am, take me as an offering
Here I am, giving every heartbeat for Your glory
Take me
Daily Devotion 
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