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#1251. When God is our God (4/4/25)

  • Writer: Matt Beaney
    Matt Beaney
  • 3 minutes ago
  • 5 min read

Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional (Posted each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) as we continue in our Luke, Exploring Who Jesus is series. 


From Luke 21:1-4: When our status is our God, big and public things matter;  when God is our God, small and hidden things matter. 


You can listen to this devotional below.


Luke has carefully crafted a contrast here. After portraying religious leaders who seek power and recognition, he now turns our attention to a quiet act of authentic worship.

In Luke 21, Jesus highlights the difference between the wealthy, who give out of abundance, and a poor widow, whose offering—though small—reveals a heart fully devoted to God.


1. True Worship Gives Everything to God (Luke 21:1-2)

‘As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.’ (Luke 21:1-2)

Jesus draws our attention to the rich who give out of their wealth, contributing large amounts. Their offerings were visible and impressive. Yet, Jesus’ attention is drawn not to the size of the gift, but to the heart behind it.

He then draws our attention to this ‘poor widow’. She offers ’Two very small copper coins’ - two leptons (each worth About one-tenth of a penny!) - enough to buy a handful of flour and the smallest coins in circulation. To most, this would seem insignificant, yet Jesus sees it as the greatest offering. Why is it great? Because her giving was inspired by true love and faith because it was sacrificial in proportion to her means. According to our means, in all areas of life, is a good value, as Murray Harris writes: 

‘God assesses the ‘value’ of a monetary gift not in terms of the actual amount given, but by comparing what is given with the total financial resources of the giver’

2. True Devotion Gives from the Heart (Luke 21:3-4)

‘“Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”’ (Luke 21:3-4)

Jesus redefines generosity. It’s not about how much we give, but how much trust and devotion we show in our giving.

The rich gave what they could spare. The widow gave all she had. Her offering wasn’t just money—it was an act of faith, a declaration that God alone was her provider.


3. The Challenge

When our status is our God, big and public things matter;  when God is our God, small and hidden things matter. When God is our God, we give Him our all—not just what’s convenient, or that which attracts praise,  but we give what truly costs us something. Do we trust Him enough to give sacrificially, whether with our money, time, resources, obedience, service? 

We’ve seen in the previous portraits that those who have power or pride as their god are deaf to Jesus. They will do big, showy things that enhance their esteem. However, I hope we can see the humility in this woman. She gives this tiny amount publicly! She’s not ashamed of her tiny offering that would have been sneered at by many. Her humility means that she worships God with her giving and is unconcerned with the opinions of others. 

Let’s choose today to worship God with everything we have, trusting that He sees, values, and honours what is given in love and faith.

 

Community Group Notes


1. Notices

It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News. 

Please pass on our heartfelt thanks for your amazing generosity during our last Gift Days. We were overwhelmed to raise more than £40,000—what an incredible blessing! Thank you again for your generosity and support.


2. Icebreaker

How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week, and how has this helped you? 


3. Worship together

Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.


4. Study and pray together


Balanced Time Allocation - Please ensure a balanced focus on discussion, SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite), and prayer so that each section is meaningful and fruitful.


On Sunday, we explored Luke 20:20-21:4, where Jesus gives us four examples, or portraits, of different ways of relating to Him and truth. In this section, we are searched as to whether we are resistant to Jesus and His truth due to power (20:20-26) and pride (20:27-47) or, like the example of The Widow’s Offering (21:1-4), we can say that God is our God and so we worship even in the small and hidden things. 


On Sunday, we explored Luke 20:20–21:4, where Jesus presents three portraits of how people relate to Him and His truth. This passage challenges us to examine our hearts:

  • Are we resistant to Jesus and His truth because of a desire for power (20:20–26)?

  • Does pride keep us from surrendering to Him (20:27–47)?

  • Or, like the widow in 21:1–4, can we truly say, "God is my God," worshipping Him even in the small and hidden things?


Discussion: 

  • How does this section relate to The Parable of the Tenants (Luke 20:9–19)?

  • In what ways do the religious leaders try to trap Jesus in Luke 20:20–26, and what does His response teach them—and us?

  • What was the motive behind the theologically based question in Luke 20:27–40, and how does Jesus refute them?

  • What is Jesus teaching through His quotation of Psalm 110 in Luke 20:41–44?

  • How does Luke 20:45–47 reveal the deeper reason why the previous two groups could not receive Jesus?

  • How is The Widow’s Offering (Luke 21:1–4) a deliberate contrast to the previous examples?

  • What does this final portrait teach us about true worship and how it should affect our use of wealth?


SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite)

  • Mission inspiration from the text - Is there anything from the quite long text we’ve looked at this week, which teaches us about mission and our approach to it? 

  • Share Stories – Have you had any recent experiences of Serving, Investing, or Inviting someone toward Jesus? Let’s encourage one another by sharing testimonies of God at work through us. 

  • Practical Next Steps – Who is God putting on your heart to reach? Discuss and pray for those you regularly engage with, including any ‘people of peace’ (* See note) in your life—those open to you and the gospel.


Let’s pray together: 

  • Let’s pray for one another based on our study, and bring before God any other needs or requests for prayer.



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