Fifty Cents – or What's the Value of a Prayer Partner?

Jesus looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury;  he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.  He said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them;  for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on." (Luke 21:1-4)

I just sent a receipt to someone for the amount of 50¢. They put two quarters in a letter and asked us to pray for a couple of specific items. 

Some agencies would say, ‘we don’t receipt any gifts under $10.’  I understand that; it probably costs us $10 to process a donation—when we boil it down to paying someone to do the books, print out the receipts, have the receipts printed, postage, etc.

So why send a receipt for 50 cents?

Because I can’t forget the lady who put two mites into the Temple offering box. Jesus said that she put in all that she had to live on. I suspect that the lady above who put in two quarters is probably in a similar situation.

But she prays for us. And she asked us to pray for her—for her father who is sick, for her family, and for her hearing, which is giving her problems. I don’t know if she can afford hearing aids; she didn’t say. My guess is that she can’t.

Not long ago, a mission leader from Brazil wrote to me concerning something that is a hot-button issue in missions day—financial dependency. We’re concerned, and rightly so, about the tendency to send money (and not ourselves—we like easier ways) overseas and thus robbing pioneer ministries of sustainable, indigenous growth.

My friend wrote: 

“. . . when a mission agency chooses to develop relationships with mega-churches because they have more funds to give, while excluding relationships with smaller churches, are we being selective in similar ways to the South Sudanese pastor who chooses to welcome American visitors who have more resources rather than pursue long-term relationships in country with his own Christian community?”

I hope that I never value people, or churches, based on how much they have to give, because that is not how Jesus values us. Disciples are priceless, because He is. And when they actually put their identity in Christ into practice, by interceding for our workers—I can’t put a value on that. It's priceless. Which is one reason we send receipts every month--we want our supporters to know they matter.

The widow mentioned in Luke’s Gospel didn’t really give money so much as she gave herself. Which is what God did and does, all the time, and His attitude is in us. The question is, do we live it?