"Penny Power"

“Penny Power”

If you see a penny lying on the ground do you pick it up? I do! Maybe it’s the Scottish part of me or my childhood memories when it bought a piece of Double Bubble Gum or twelve minutes on a parking meter. A sign in my workplace years ago said, “If you take care of the pennies the dollars will take care of themselves.” A penny doesn’t seem to be worth much these days but they do add up to dollars, A couple of examples: Increasing a consumer tax by 1% can raise $10 million on $1 billion in sales for government to spend on who knows what; adding a penny to the price of a postage stamp brings the USPS about $1,878,000 in additional revenue daily! So pennies (and other small things) can add up quickly.

Believe it or not, picking up pennies was a discussion topic in our church’s men’s group a few weeks ago. The speaker noted four words over Mr. Lincoln’s head which stand out: “In God We Trust”. So He’s the Source of our confidence, not the coin or the government that issued it. Psalm 24:1 reminds us, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” This includes the earth itself (Exodus 19:5), the animals that inhabit it (Psalm 50:10), its resources and riches (Haggai 2:8) and each human (Ezekiel 18:4). So from the penny on the parking lot asphalt to trillion dollar national budgets it’s all His—we’re only the managers.

In Luke 21:1-4 Jesus gave great value to a widow’s two cent offering to the temple treasury. His words of commendation (“…This poor widow has put in more than all the others.”—Verse 3) were likely shocking to the showy givers’ large “donations” but His emphasis was on the heart’s attitude. Not long before He had observed, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10). My question: with what can God trust me? Whatever that might be I must remember, “…It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2).

How do I (or you) view penny power?

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan