Luke 21:1-6

As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.[a] 3 “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” 5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

In Luke 21 Jesus paints a contrasting picture between wealth and poverty, between those who were well off and those who had been cast off, between what was given and what was held onto, between a sacrificial heart and a stingy one.  As people we crave comfort, we are devoted to pleasure and the absence of pain and if we are honest we greatly dislike sacrificing. Asking most people to willingly sacrifice is like asking a cat to take a bath, we hiss, our hair goes up and our claws come out. Yet in spite of how we might feel about it, sacrifice is a part of the Christian walk. But for many sacrifice is the stumbling block that causes them to hold back and for some even to turn back, choosing instead not to follow the Lord because of the sacrifice involved! This story reminds us that:

• Jesus Saw – Vs 1 “As He looked up, Jesus saw”

This moment in the life of Jesus is captured in full HD, here He is in the Temple, surrounded with its jeweled beauty, and where is Jesus’ focus?  What does He see while His disciples are distracted by the beautiful building? Jesus sees the people, He noticed the poverty, and they saw only the riches. He was focused on the eternal, the souls of people, they only saw the temporary soon to be torn town and gone. What do you see when you look up? It’s not about the adornment of the building but the hearts of people. Are you willing to focus and really see like Jesus? It’s so easy to get caught up in the temporary and miss what is really important. I love this picture of a poor widowed woman alone with no one to care about her, surrounded by the splendor of the beautiful Temple, ignored by others including the disciples yet seen by Jesus. Does the thought that Jesus sees what you do create excitement or fear within you?

Some may ask “what does seeing have to do with sacrifice?” The Temple was a place where people came to worship God; worship is about connecting with the heart of the Father, about putting our focus on the Father. Worship is about connecting, really seeing, not ritualistically going through the motions; it’s not about doing but about being. Being in His presence, about I get to, not I have to.  Connecting with the heart of the Father should change us because as we look up we see His heart and what really matters. In your moments of worship when you look up what do you see? Does worship refocus you from self to service, from stubbornness to sacrifice?

But this moment is not just about the place, the temple, it’s also about the timing. This was the final week in Jesus life before He would sacrificially give His life, when He would give everything He had. What was He doing with His time? He could have taken this time to do other things but instead He took the time to worship and watch. The knowledge that Jesus sees absolutely every area of my life is not a fearful thing it’s a beautiful thing. Many of us want to play a game of Hide and Seek with Jesus but life is not a game and Jesus sees every part of our lives, including the intentions of our heart. Even with the sacrifice of the cross looming on the horizon He noticed a widows heart.

• Saw Her Life – Vs 2 “He also saw a poor widow”

This lady was extremely poor, there are two words in the Greek language used to describe a poor person.  Peno, which means to have to toil for daily substance, what we would call living day to day. The other is Ptochos a beggar, one who is in deep poverty, what we would call destitute. Both of these words are used to describe this woman, she was at the bottom of the barrel. Not only was she financial poor and her situation dire but so was her family situation, she was a widow. Her husband was dead there was no Social Security, Medicare, or welfare. Yet she gave and she gave sacrificially. If there is anyone who had an excuse not to serve it was this woman. We want to base our sacrificial service on our circumstances but giving to Jesus is not based on our situation. As I look at this woman’s life and I think back on the list of excuses that I have offered to God through the years I realize I could have offered Him so much more that my excuses. More than I can’t, I’m tired, hungry, hurt, broke, I’m not smart enough, not good enough, to old, to young, to busy, buried by bills, and working, I’m not ready, not good at, I’m scared. What excuse do you offer? In spite of her many great excuses that she could have offered, she gave everything, both copper coins, sacrifice always costs. She gave all she had to live on not just 10%, not just the thing she didn’t want, or her left overs, she gave it all, she held nothing back. How do we measure giving? Is it by how much we give, or by how much we hold onto? How does God measure giving?

• Saw Her Heart – Vs 3 “this poor widow has put in more than all the others”

Two copper coins were not much a fraction of a penny, in Roman terms they were worth only 1/64 of a Roman denarius which was a day’s wage for a laborer. Earlier in Luke Jesus summed up the amount she gave when He said:

Luke 12:6  “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. What can we buy for a penny today? Nothing, nada, zip. I’m not a financial expert but wouldn’t it have made more sense for her to give one and to keep one for herself. Jesus wouldn’t have been mad, I can’t see Him jumped up screaming “hey poor widow you still have 1/16 of a penny left, you’re SELFISH”

The paradox is that she gave everything and her everything was nothing when we measure it according to our standards. But this story is not about the money, it’s about giving as an act of worship, an act of the heart, an act of love. What did she give? She gave herself, holding nothing back. In her case it doesn’t even makes sense what she was doing. To those around you serving Jesus through sacrifice will not make sense. But when it comes to Jesus, what is worth holding back? She gave and it hurt, she gave till faith was involved. Are you willing to sacrifice? What are you willing to give, money, time, success, position? Many of us care more about our comfort than our call. You can always measure how much someone cares about something, by how much they sacrifice. That is how I know how much God cares about me, He sacrificed his only Son, He held nothing back. Is there something you need to let go of and give to God today? What are your two copper coins that may not be much to others but are everything to you?

Romans 12:9-12

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

We are instructed in Romans 12:11 to serve the Lord enthusiastically, this verse deals directly with the “who and the how” of serving.

The “Who” are we serving is the first question that we have to deal with, because while it is important to be enthusiastic, if our service is misguided then no matter how much enthusiasm we give to it, it will be misguided. So how would you answer the question “who are you serving?” Is it the Lord?

If we want to fire a rocket at a target it is important that it has fuel (plenty of enthusiasm) but it is also important where it is aimed. If we fail to aim at the target then no matter how much fuel it has it will always miss. Some of us don’t lack enthusiasm we just lack the Lord. We are enthusiastically serving but it’s not the Lord we are serving.

The second question flows out of the first and deals with the “how” of serving. If Jesus is the answer to the “who” we are serving then we have to answer the “how”. How am I serving Jesus, is it with enthusiasm? Am I excited, is my service to Jesus passionate? Unlike those who are missing the target by serving something other than the Lord, we are the missile on target but with no go, we have a little fizzle but no fuel. Has your serving become indifferent and lukewarm? Has something stolen your passion for Jesus?

When we are serving Jesus with enthusiasm we will:

•  LOVE SINCERELY

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them”

Enthusiastically serving Jesus means not just go through the motions of love but really loving. Is your love for people real? Or have you lost your passion to love others? Christianity is not a religion but a relationship that is real. Religion is the imposter, the fake that puts its energy into pretending to be instead of really being. Is your love genuine? God loved me so much that He sent His Son…He really loved me, not with a pretend love but with an excessive love that held nothing back. When we lose our passion for serving the Lord our passion for people falters too and it becomes easier to just fake it, to put on the mask and play the part. But love must be sincere, it has to be real. Do I love others sincerely, honestly and genuinely?

•  HATE WHAT IS WRONG

Real love draws lines and has convictions. The hard truth of Love is that “It is impossible to love without hating.” Doctors that love to bring health hate disease, the firefighter that loves to save people hates fire. Psalm 97:10 “You who love the Lord, hate evil.”  When we stop hating sin we start losing our zeal for the Lord. The true test of spiritual love becomes whether we will choose a holy walk.

• HOLD ONTO WHAT IS GOOD

Unfortunately many people only become defined by what they hate and not what they hold onto. Conviction does not just hate evil but also loves good. If you were to fall overboard into the sea and someone threw you a life line it would do you little good to just hate your situation if you did not also hold onto the life line. We need both hating and holding, if you did not hate your situation you would not hold onto the life line. We no longer hate sin and slowly over time we don’t seem to mind living lives overboard in the relentless battering waves of sin. We no longer care to cling to what is good, instead we are holding onto the broken debris of anger, bitterness, unforgiveness and the hurt from our past shipwrecks. Yet these are not what will keep us afloat and so we drown as our passion for serving Jesus slips below the unyielding waves. You can’t hold onto something without first letting go of something else. What are you clinging to? What do you need to let go of so you can cling onto? Are you holding on or have you given up? We live in a very broken world where it is sometimes hard to see the good but when you see the good in others do you cling to that good? Do you commend that good, do you compliment that good? Hating and holding both require energy and unfortunately many of us have lost our passion so we hold onto the hate and let go of the good.

•  HONOR OTHERS

Love is not real if its affection is not genuine and real love will always show up in the way we treat others. As Christians, conviction is our position but affection is our disposition and we need the balance of both.Taking delight in honoring others means making them more important than “me”, it means dealing with my selfishness that wants to make things about me! Honoring others means focusing on them and holding them up as important. It means asking the question “what can I do to help others?”

Who am I serving, is it Jesus? Am I serving Him with enthusiasm? Or have I given in to the temptation to have a lazy faith. How am I putting feet to my faith and actively serving the Lord?