Mark 12:41-44
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
In the two years since I began Webster Men of Courage, I’ve learned that our living GOD can and will bring biblical scripture alive, right in front of your eyes, if you say “YES” to GOD. One of these lessons came directly to me the other day while completing one of our free wheelchair ramp projects for the needy. We were working at a very small home of an elderly lady, Mrs. Adkins, who resides on Martin Luther King Street in Minden. Mrs. Adkins is a very bold and courageous Christian who has very modest financial means.
The Webster Parish Men of Courage Wheelchair Ramp team is made up of 15 truly bold and courageous Christian men. These men were very near completion of this ramp when I went inside to ask Mrs. Adkins if she would come out on the ramp so that we could pray over her. She said she would but then asked me, “Honey I hope y’all don’t leave without eating these meals we have prepared for y’all.” I turned to see 15 homemade lunches in Styrofoam boxes on her small kitchen table.
I had noticed over the hours we were there that a few ladies were coming and going from the house, but I just thought these ladies were visiting Mrs. Adkins. I had no idea they had come to help cook! I looked at the very small kitchen table and saw 15 Styrofoam lunch boxes packaged with drinks for every man there. I was totally set back in my heart, mind, and even physically. Please know that WPMOC has completed close to 30 of these ramps over the past two years but no one has fed us while working at their home. It isn’t even expected of any person to feed us. Please listen, this story gets so much better. Our living GOD was not playing around with me on this day!
I got three of the boxes to take outside to give to our men for lunch, and a few ladies followed me with the rest of the boxed lunches. I couldn’t help my curiosity, and GOD wanted me to open these boxes to see what was inside. This is where this living GOD scripture story took the best turn ever. I opened the first box to find a delicious looking homemade meal with a piece of chicken, potato salad, beans, a piece of bread, and a piece of homemade cake. I handed that box to the first man in line and then opened the next box. I looked at two delicious pieces of link sausage, macaroni and cheese, rice, and the home-made cake. I gave this to the next man. With a little curiosity, I opened the third box to find a chili dog with Fritos, mac and cheese, and a piece of cake. This just didn’t add up why these meals would be all different. That’s just not how people prepare meals right?
I walked back into this very modest trailer house and saw empty cabinets, empty boxes on the kitchen counter, and imagined a totally empty refrigerator.
Mrs. Adkins had decided that no matter how little she had, she was going to bless these men with a meal. This meal was literally made up of all she had in the cabinets and refrigerator. The ladies that she asked to come help had worked for a long time in that kitchen while we built that ramp. They prepared a meal that was truly from the heart of a miraculously faithful Christian woman. She knew our living GOD would provide for her if she gave all she had to us. As I type, I still fight back tears from this story that our living GOD deemed me favorable enough to physically show this too.
I then got to thinking about how good I thought I was as a Christina man, out working to build this lady a ramp, and how much I was blessing her. LOL LOL LOL. It was her that blessed me and these other WPMOC men more than we blessed her. I got to see a true biblical story. The story of the lady that gave all she had at the temple that day for Jesus. I saw something similar literally come to life before my eyes!
I am so thankful that our Living GOD loves me enough to show me this true-life biblical scripture and I am so grateful that Mrs. Adkins said “YES” to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and gave all she had in true Faith, out of her poverty! How the world would be so different if we truly had more Mrs. Adkins and her faith.
Christians please stop doubting and start truly believing and come out of the pews and fight side by side with the men and women of courage! John 20:27
(Chris Plants is a founding member of Webster Parish Men of Courage. Their mission is to encourage, equip, and empower the Men of God to become spiritual leaders in their home, local church, community, and workplace. Webster Parish is now home to a Women of Courage chapter as well as Families of Courage.)
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