Some years ago when my wife, Valerie, and I were serving God's people in the Nuremberg area of Germany, we had an occasion to visit with an old lady in the city of Hof. She has since died, but God had called her to be one of His special people.

Her life had been hard. She had endured being raped by soldiers of the advancing Russian army near the end of World War II. She had been in a concentration camp and had lived in the very difficult years of hunger and need that followed the war.

We visited her for the first time in 1989 and found her living in a tiny, old apartment with the bare necessities for life. She would put plastic on the windows in the winter and close off the bedroom to conserve heat. She would gather little branches and sticks for the tiny wood-burning heater and essentially lived in one room all winter.

Her clothes were old and her shoes were worn. But there was a bright shining light in her eyes when it came to learning about God and obeying His commandments. I baptized her a few months later.

On our first and subsequent visits, this lady would always serve tea and, as we were leaving, she would give me an offering for the Church. I can't tell you how hard it was for me to accept the 20 German marks she would press into my hand for "God's work."

My wife and I knew how difficult it was for her to save any money, and we could see that there were many things she was doing without. It seemed to me that the Church did not need the money as much as she did. It wouldn't make much of a difference—would it?

The Widow's Mites

In Luke 21:1-4 we read the account of Jesus observing the widow casting her two mites into the treasury. Jesus did not attempt to give the money back, but He did say that it had greater worth in the eyes of God than the large and generous offering of the rich man. God is just and fair—and it did make a difference.

Jesus accepted the gift of the mites with a special love. When a person has to go to greater effort to give, to serve or to live the life of a Christian, the rewards must also be greater. The little the widow gave was indeed more. God made it more. Perhaps that was in James' thoughts when he wrote that God chooses the poor of the world who are rich in faith to be heirs of the Kingdom (James 2:5). Their rewards will be great.

It is harder to follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ when a person is poor. It takes more effort and determination to follow principles that may mean your income is curtailed. Paul expressed his admiration for those in Macedonia who also gave though they were in poverty. In 2 Corinthians 8:1-6 it is clear that Paul understood the riches they would gain from God.

God is perfectly just and fair. If He observes two people who are obeying Him and sees that it costs one person much more for that obedience, there can be no doubt that God will reward that greater effort. The "little" one person gives can then be more.

We read in Matthew 25:14-30 about the talents God gives to people. The result that God looked for was not so much in amount or quantity, it was in effort. Serving God with all our heart, soul and mind is what is asked of us (Matthew 22:37).

Struggles to Overcome

Paul lists some problems that people whom God calls may face in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Some were fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers or extortioners. Each was saddled with some sort of hindrance that required great effort to overcome or to struggle with because God required that they change.

Alcoholics, for example, almost every day have to face the temptations that drinking offers in our society. It is not easy to abstain. To others, it may seem like a small thing that someone goes through constant small battles to live a godly life, but to God it is of great value. When the Bible says "and such were some of you" in verse 11, it does not mean God has removed the desire or craving from an alcoholic. It means the alcoholic abstains from drinking. That ongoing battle is to his or her credit.

Few of us realize the difficulty that homosexuals, for another example, face. They have inner feelings and desires that they do not want and have not sought. Various factors in their lives have brought them to a condition that God says is wrong. How then can Paul say "such were some of you" to these children of God?

God did not necessarily remove the desires. Many such people have to struggle every day to win that battle. They remain celibate. That takes effort and a great deal of character and determination every day. And there is much pain caused by those who do not understand or who are not kind and sensitive to the huge problem. This, too, may seem like a "little" problem to some, but God understands it to be huge. One who fights this battle has little rest and often receives little understanding or help from his or her physical or spiritual family.

God Knows

There are some in God's Church who cannot hold great offices and don't appear to be strong leaders in the Church. They seem to be on the sidelines and not strongly involved. Only God sees the effort and daily battles they fight to attend services and follow the laws and teachings of God. Only God knows their pain and suffering.

I believe that the widow who tossed two mites into the treasury waited until almost nobody was there to see her and in her heart wondered if God accepted her offering. Most (if not all) people of God who give all they have to give, still feel it is not enough—and, of course, it isn't. Except that God makes it be enough for them. Enough, filled to the brim and running over.

It was the widow who went home justified by God. What a wonderful gift it is to bring before God—a heart that is broken and seeking His mercy (Psalm 51:17)! What father could ever turn from such a child? Our Father in heaven is a much better father than any of us mortals could hope to be.

In Matthew 10:42 Jesus stated that even the giving of just one cup of cold water would be noted and blessed. Poor people seem to understand the needs of others. They also realize their need for God. Maybe that is why God can focus on them. I find it is the poor and struggling ones in God's family who are the first to extend that cup of water. They seem to understand what loving your neighbor is all about. They seem to sense what mercy and love really mean. I as a minister have felt blessed by the examples that I have witnessed.

Their "little" is indeed more. God bless these "little ones"—every one. UN