DBB-80

They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on." (Mark 12:44)

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. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on." (Mark 12:41-44)

Jesus seemed to make an outrageous statement by saying,"I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others." Surely, the rich would never be have been pleased by these words of his. But Jesus knows the intents of all hearts and he judges righteously.
There are often discussions, debates and arguments in Christian circles as to "how much to give to the Lord and his work." 
The answer to that is what the Apostle Paul writes to the Church in Corinth,
For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.(2 Corinthians 8:12)
and secondly,
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
knowing that....
....God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

DBB-79

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20, 21)

The writer of Hebrews tells us that God will equip us with everything good for doing his will. God knows how to sustain us in doing his will. But it also requires co-operation from us. Notice the writer desiring to do God's will by saying-"may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ".

Some people have a wrong impression that once they accept God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, they are then left to sort out things by themselves till they reach eternity. That is wrong, because Jesus specifically spoke several times of the Holy Spirit who will be there continually to counsel and guide believers.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth..... (John 14:16, 17)

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26)

When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. (John 15:26) 

The tasks that the Holy Spirit of God is entrusted with in the life of believers is myriad and he is always there to help us. 

The Apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to take the help of the Holy Spirit for remaining strong in his spiritual walk.....

Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. (2 Timothy 1:14)

Living in these end times, every believer needs to seek the help of the Holy Spirit of God to remain strong in the faith and to overcome hindrances that weaken their walk with the Saviour.

DBB-78

Give thanks to the Lord of lords: (Psalm 136:3)
to the One who remembered us in our low estate (Psalm 136:23)

Many a time we find ourselves in such a condition i.e. a low estate. It can arise from any number of distressing situations. The Israelites in the wilderness experienced it several times and here the Psalmist thanks God for remembering them in such situations.
He details many problems and oppositions that the people of God faced and thanks God for the deliverance from all of them; be it the Egyptian bondage, be it the Red Sea or be it the mighty kings who fought against them.
Noah and family were saved from death from the flood waters and were safe in the ark, but Moses writes that the waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.(Genesis 7:24)
That could have been quite distressing for this family, for there was no definite time set by God for them to exit the ark. There may have been speculations within the family as to when they would step on to dry land again but since it was almost 5 months, there could have been despair setting in.
Then we read an amazing thing in Genesis Ch.8
But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. (Genesis 8:1)
Now that was cool. All they needed was a wind for the waters to recede. 
Does "God remembered Noah" mean that he had forgotten him for a while? Busy with other things? No, not for even a moment. This was God's plan for Noah and family. He had started it and he would finish it and so we read,
Then God said to Noah, "Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives. All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds - everything that moves on the earth - came out of the ark, one kind after another. (Genesis 8:15, 16, 18, 19)
And God has not forgotten you, if you feel so today. He will fulfill his plan for you. 
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! (Isaiah 49:15)

DBB-77

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.(Acts 4:8-10)

God had performed an astounding miracle at the hands of Peter and John (a  >40 year old man, crippled from birth was healed) and now they were being questioned by the rulers, elders and teachers of the Jews regarding it. They asked Peter and John, ""By what power or what name did you do this?"

Peter did not hesitate to proclaim the name of Jesus and told them that it was by the name of Jesus that the man was healed. Peter also proclaimed, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

The rulers were not very pleased with Peter's bold reply, but here was evidence of the power of God and no one could deny it, however hard they tried.

Our prime duty as children of God, is to make them who have not yet known Jesus and the power of his name, become aware of this glorious fact. We must not forget or ignore our precious calling to be effective witnesses for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Peter writes, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9)

Let us remind ourselves of this fact this day and declare the praises of the Triune God as long as we live.

DBB-76

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. (Psalm 68:19)

For you and me, as believers, there is no one else who can do this, i.e.daily bearing of our burdens. And so praise to him is justified.
When Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness to the promised land of Canaan, he often felt that the burdens that he was carrying was too much. He cried out to God and said, "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, 'Give us meat to eat!' I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now - if I have found favor in your eyes - and do not let me face my own ruin." (Numbers 11:11-15)
That may sound like how some/many of us cry out to God when we become frustrated with problems in life.

But we must remember that God is all too willing to take our burdens on him and solve our problems and that is exactly what he did for Moses. God allowed Moses to choose 70 elders among the Israelites to share his burdens and also arranged for a miraculous supply of meat for a whole month for the Israelites. 
Remember to......Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. (Psalm 55:22)

DBB-75

Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.(Psalm 119:35)

Every now and then we must check our lives to see what things prioritize our lives. Does our prayer contain matters like the Psalmist prays here or is it always focused on the things of this world?
No doubt, we must pray for our daily needs, but do spiritual matters have priority is what we must ask ourselves. Day by day, month by month, year by year, is our prayer life, our worship, our meditation of the Word and our working for the Kingdom of God improving and increasing?
Sadly, many do not grow spiritually, because there are many thorns that impede their growth. Jesus spoke specifically of this in the parable of the Sower......
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22)
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. (Luke 8:14)

Jesus had a piece of advice for his disciples who were worried about how their needs would be met. After all, they had left everything and set out to follow the Lord.
He said, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear."  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:31-33)
We can learn much from this.

DBB-74

Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. (Isaiah 49:13)

If you have been troubled over the happenings of the past few days or life in general seems pointless nowadays, this promise is for you. Though uttered more than 800 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, this promise still holds good for God's children. Our God is compassionate and comforts his people even today.
The Gospel writer Mathew writes this about Jesus, our Lord: When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. (Matthew 14:14)
The Psalms are replete with verses where the Psalmists sing about God's compassionate nature.....
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. (Psalm 86:15) 
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. (Psalm 103:8)
He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. (Psalm 111:4)
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. (Psalm 145:8)
.....and there are many more.
If you are suffering this day, be it from any cause, remember that....
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.... (Psalm 103:13)
God will comfort you.