A Widow Who Worships

You were made to worship. The question then becomes, who or what do you worship? How we answer that question depends on what we love. When Jesus speaks of loving God with your whole person, He is not referring to sentimental feelings and emotional outbursts. He is talking about a devotion that shapes our thoughts, desires, and actions. Worship, in turn, is the outward expression of that love—bowing before God, giving Him glory, and offering our lives as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1). At the end of Luke chapter 20, Jesus provides an example of what true and false worship look like, and how it all comes down to what your heart loves most. The contrast between the empty religion of the scribes and the sincere devotion of a poor widow is rather shocking (20:45-214). The scribes sought honor, status, and self-exaltation because their hearts were far from God. On the other hand, the widow demonstrated an act of true worship because her heart was wholly given to the Lord. She gave not out of abundance but out of complete trust and surrender of all that she had to the God who provides. Our loves shape our worship, and our worship shapes our loves. If we love God supremely, our worship will reflect His worth, and our hearts will be transformed more and more into His likeness (2 Cor. 3:18). But if we love lesser things, our worship will reveal that, and our lives will be distorted by what cannot satisfy. –Pastor Nate

Sunday at Liberty

9AM: The Holy Spirit–The Spirit and Revelation

10AM: Pastor Nate–A Widow Who Worships–Luke 20:41-21:4 (sermon notes)

6PM: Evening Gathering–Uruguay Report