Luke 18:18-27 Who Rules Your Life

A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’”  And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”  But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.  And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!  For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”  They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”  But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

This message you have heard for years, but there are haunting parts of this message that I want to you to take in.  First, the young man calls Jesus “good.”  Jesus rebukes him saying why does he call Him good when God along is good.  How many times do we label something “good.”  A good laugh or a good piece of pie.  How careless we are with our words when it is our words are what we are judged by.  Don’t call anything good that is not.  Second, Jesus explains that money is our ruin.  Just think how all of us Christians pursue money.  How much better our testimony would be if we were different from the world in this respect. If we really trust God, money will not rank very high in our priorities.  The message then is trust God, be careful with our words, and do not chase what the world seems to think they need.  Amen.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, change our soul so that our body obeys the soul of the redeemed.  Let our attitudes express our wholehearted trust in the One who rules the universe.  In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Luke 18:15-17 Living the Faith of a Child

And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them.  But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

The problem with many adults is that they want to be Christians, but do not trust in Jesus in the same manner as a child.  A child does not try to solve their own problems, because they know they have a mother and an father.  But adult Christians, though they believe in Jesus, do not trust Him which is evidenced in their trying to work things out for themselves instead of depending on Jesus’ care alone.  If we could go back in time when we were children, if we could, we would find that all things work together for good for those who Love Jesus and trust Him according to their needs.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, this is why we must surrender to your will.  Unless we do, we will have to agendas, ours and yours, when there is only room for yours.  Help us to come to this point to let go and let God.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Luke 18:9-14 He who humbles himself will be satisfied

And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:  “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’  But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’  I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

So many times Jesus warns us not to hold ourselves in honor.  Instead he says that the least will be first, and the first last.  Why is that?  It is because good deeds are reckoned to our own mind as righteousness when the only rightness we have is found in our giving of ourselves to Christ.  Christ is righteous and that is our source of righteousness and holiness.  Apart from that, we are sinners.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, give me the strength to fully surrender my will to You.  This of course means dying to my own self, but living for you.  This is my and everyone’s call no matter rich or poor.  Let me rejoice in this.  Amen.

Luke 18:1-8 Parables on Prayer

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,  saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man.  There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’  For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man,  yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’”  And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?  I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Certainly Jesus knows His Father, and He is my Father too.  God has a friendly face and is the most just and generous force there is.  If only I give Him my steadfast loyalty, my Father will move heaven and earth for me.  My Father does not begrudge me, but delights in giving to me and enjoys my joy.  For this reason, turn your hope and your strength to God, because he will make your dreams come true before your very eyes..  In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,  saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man.  There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’  For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man,  yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’”  And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said;  now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?  I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Certainly Jesus knows His Father, and He is my Father too.  God has a friendly face and is the most just and generous force there is.  If only I give Him my steadfast loyalty, my Father will move heaven and earth for me.  My Father does not begrudge me, but delights in giving to me and enjoys my joy.  For this reason, turn your hope and your strength to God, because he will make your dreams come true before your very eyes..  In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Luke 17:30-37 In The Final Days, Some Will Be Chosen

It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.  There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left.  [Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.” And answering they said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”

These verses speak to two things.  First, there will be a selection process for those who join Christ in the air.  The ones that are left are cursed because they have been left behind.  The ones taken are joining Jesus.  The ones selected by Jesus are those who placed their trust in Him and not in themselves.  The ones remaining have trusted in something or someone else and now will have to survive with that. In those coming days, the Anti-Christ will be revealed and he will have his way with the remaining souls.  Some will escape, but will give up their lives for it.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, now is the best time for salvation.  No longer are we under the Law because you have fulfilled it.  All we must do is to trust in you and your finished work  on the cross and we will be chosen by you as your own.  I pray this in your holy name Amen.

Luke 17:22-30 Second Coming Foretold

And He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  They will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go away, and do not run after them.  For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building;  but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

This is a long segment concerning the Second Coming of Christ.  Recently I heard that an expert was predicting when Christ will appear.  Be wary of that kind of prophecy.  I too once felt that I had Scriptural bearing for such a prediction.  Let me tell you, when you  believe with a whole heart and it doesn’t occur, your faith can be devastated.  It can take years to repair.  Jesus is indeed coming again, he told us so.  But understand this, even the faithful will be shocked on that Day, and the scriptures will be fulfilled by the surprise of His reappearance, but when it happens, nobody will doubt.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, it is enough for me to know that You are coming.  Help me prepare for That Day, because I will want to be ready on the day of Your reappearing.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Luke 17:11-21 The Kingdom of God Is In Your Midst

 While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.  As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed.  Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice,  and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan.  Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they?  Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”  And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”  Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Two important lessons are to be taken from this text.  Always give thanks for what Jesus has already done, despite what you are waiting on him for.  Second, the Kingdom of God is now.  To the natural man, it is an invisible kingdom, but to the one who is saved, he sees God’s kingdom every time we show love to one another, for this is the Law of Christ.

Daily Prayer:  Lord, let me not be to hurried to give thanks, because are really good and valuable.  Second, let me preach the Kingdom of God to all who will hear, carrying on the work of Jesus in the world.  In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Luke 17:1-10 Jesus Is Our Example For Living

He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.  Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”  And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. “Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’?  But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?  So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”

Jesus looks with favor upon those who do more than their duty.  Doing your chores in labor, because it is your job brings no credit to you because it was your duty to do so.  But to forgive someone who wrongs you, even wrongs you more than once honors

God who sent His Son to take the punishment for our sins.  When we forgive, we model the One who God gave us as our example.  It is not a matter of faith, but a matter of patterning our lives after Christ to become more like Him.  Whatever you do, do not do it because of duty, but do it to give glory to God.

Daily Prayer:  Lord, guide my steps to become like you.  Teach me to copy the speech you have, your attitudes, and most of all the grace you show in the life that you live.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Luke 16:19-31 Heaven & Hell Described

 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,  and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.  Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.  In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.  And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’  But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’  And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house—  for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’  But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’  But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’  But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

This is one of the most quoted sections in the New Testament.  Here Jesus depicts heaven and hell.  He describes hell as a place of torment where the is a great divide between Hades and heaven where one cannot pass from one side to the other, but it seems one can see across.  The rich man who is in Hades has deep regret and desires to warn his family about such a place.  He is warned that if the prophets and the  resurrected Lord could not convince them, sending him as a testimony will do no good.  It is yet another time when hope rests with those who suffer now and to those who now have plenty, they are inclined to forget God and try to manage themselves, but in vein.

Daily Prayer:  Lord draw men to yourself so that they believe.  Same them from this awful place and let them rest their hope in You, the Great Covenant Blesser.  In Your holy name I pray Amen. 

Luke 16:14-18 God's Kingdom Is For Those Who Believe

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him.  And He said to them,” You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.  “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail. “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.

There are two ways in which God judges men.  For those who place their trust in the Son of God will be justified by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus by grace apart from works.  For the scoffers or unbelievers in Jesus Christ, they will be strictly judged by the Law of Moses for which nobody is justified.  The Kingdom of  God freely welcomes friends of Jesus, but to those who is His enemy there is no way to enter.

Daily Prayer:  Lord, give us the wisdom and the faith and the freedom to be partakers in Your grace.  Let us not by hypocrites believing somehow we are justified in  God’s eyes apart from You.  Instead, let us enter as friends of the King who is generous to those who love Him.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Luke 16:1-13 Crafty Like A Fox, But Shrewd Like A Widow

Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.  So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.  I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. “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.  So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?  And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Two message Jesus is portraying.  First, a Christian is not a doormat in the world, who is run over by all of his adversaries.  God desires that the people of the light be shrewd like this man was when he was seeking to preserving himself.  At the same time, God wants us to be accountable for a little or a lot. Worldly treasure is but a test to see if you can be in charge of greater responsibility.  Whoever can be trusted with a little is evidence that they can be trusted with much, but we are not only called to guard treasure but expand it for God’s sake.

Daily Prayer:  Lord of the Harvest, make me an important worker for you in the spreading of the gospel.  The harvest is plenty but the workers are few.  Make me into a shrewd laborer of the harvest, giving the Good News to anyone who will hear.  In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Luke 15:11-32 I Once Was Lost, But Now Am Found

 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.  After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.  So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.  He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.  “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!  I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’  So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’  “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.  “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.  ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’  “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’  “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

These are the key passages of Luke 15. A popular hymn we sing is Amazing Grace.  In this song it says I once was lost, but now am found.  This is the message of the verses of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and now the Lost Son.  It once was lost, but now is found.

And with its finding comes great rejoicing in heaven and on earth because something truly valuable has been restored.

Daily Prayer:  Christ Jesus, there are many under the sound of my voice that are in the world, but are lost and separated from you.  You have commissioned me and the readers today to be the ones to seek and to restore those who without an evangelist may never find their way home.  So let us make haste and not delay, but empower us  to do Your work while You are away.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Luke 15:8-10 When God Smiles

“Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?  When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’  In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Jesus is building a picture for us here.  What do people value more than their treasure.  And surely the person of modest means places a very high value on their money.  In this example, we have a widow in Israel, among the poorest of the poor.  She loses a silver coin and directs her whole attention and being into finding that one coin.  Can you imagine how much God values each of us, the very ones that He sent Jesus to die for?  I tell you, when one of us breaks the stronghold of sin and living for ones-self, all of God’s heavenly family rejoice in the smile that God displays on that day!  If we understood the pleasure taken by God Himself over our drawing near to Him, we would spend everyday do that very thing.  But instead, we live isolated from God and His presence and do not refrain ourselves or honor Him.  It is not as though we lack our moments, but our whole life and very being should be committed to Him if we honor Him for who He is.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, let me have eyes that can see heaven and the nature of the Father.  Let me experience His smile and not only His wrath.  Allow me to entreat myself to His kindness and generosity and live with Him in wellness forever.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Luke 15:3-7 Dying To Ourselves and Living for God

So He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’  I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd.  As such, He is one who’s character will lose none which are given to His care.  Often times we feel that our sins are in private when they never are.  God sees our deeds and knows our hearts.  He truly understands how difficult it is to change the mind and the will of a person.  This is why Jesus informs us that there is great rejoicing in heaven when a man or woman turns from their sin and toward God ( repentance ).  We too need to repent and it takes the form of our surrender to God in all parts of our life.  It is dying to ourselves and living for God.

Daily Prayer:  Create in me a heart of repentance.  Let me pick up my cross and carry it daily without complaint knowing that my reward is great in heaven  In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Luke 14:25-33 Foolishness and Wisdom Contrasted By Jesus

 Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them,  “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.  Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?  Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him,  saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.  So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

I know in my own life I have been guilty of the offenses mentioned here.  It is a matter of counting the costs.  He compares a workman and even a king and asks the question who, but a fool would endeavor a project without estimating the costs.  There are times when I am that fool.  Sometimes we act hasty and not with bad intent, but with foolishness we fall short of success.  Jesus is saying there the same is true of discipleship.  You can not be a Sunday worshiper and be a full-time disciple.  To be a disciple or a partaker in Christ, we must follow Him daily and place our hope in Him alone.  Anything short of this is an unworthy follower.  Let us rise up together and give an ear to His warning.

Daily Prayer:  Christ Jesus, give me a ears that can hear, a mind that understands and a heart that cares for You in  the way that we should with the King of Kings.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Luke 14:16-24 Who Is Worthy

But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many;  and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’  But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’  Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’  Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’  And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’  And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’  And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.  For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’”

Did you partake of the dinner with Jesus, or did you have more pressing business elsewhere.  Remember what Jesus says, those who make excuses will not partake of His bread.  And if they do not sup with Him, they will have no part of Him.  Jesus says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock.  To the one who opens the door, I will come in and we will sup together.

Daily Prayer:  Christ Jesus, I will make Your business my first business.  Because I know that apart from You, I can do nothing.  I will not be found on the outside looking in, but instead reclining with You at the feast of the Lamb.  Amen.

Luke 14:12-14 True Blessedness

And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment.  But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,  and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Many of us know that when we give with no expectation of repayment, that God will bless that motive.  But did you hear what Jesus says now?  He says that we will be blessed at the resurrection of the righteous.   We will be blessed in the presence of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  And in the presence of Job, Daniel and Elijah.  God desires to bless us in front of His whole family.  What a blessing it is for us to give with the hope of making another’s life whole.

Daily Prayer:  Christ Jesus, You make it fun to be righteous.  When we turn our dark heart to the light, the whole room is lit up and the glory of God shown.  Permit us to live our life this way.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Luke 14:1-11 Recognition From God, and Not from Men

It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely.  And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy.  And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”  But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away.  And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?”  And they could make no reply to this.  And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them,  “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him,  and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place.  But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you.  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Honor to Jesus is something that is bestowed on the meek person, not something that is grasped for by the greedy.  Honor is recognition from others, not self-recognition.  In this parable, Jesus speaks of sitting in a place of honor in God’s Kingdom.  Here, he is speaking to Temple leaders who strive for recognition from men.  But Jesus warns us elsewhere, that if you receive recognition from men you have your full reward, and God will not honor this individual.

Daily Prayer:  Father, humble me in my life here on earth.  Let me recognize that anything favorable that I have is a product of grace and not of my own work.  Instead, if I boast, let me boast of Christ who loved me and gave Himself for me, but not me alone, but to all who trust in Him.  In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Luke 13:34-35 The Second Coming of Jesus

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!  Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

In these verses, it tells how Jesus has longed to bring the Jewish people unto Himself, they they refused.  God called them a rebellious people and a stiff-necked people.  Jesus longs to glorify the City of God, but people will not believe unless they are drawn.  Therefore He predicts that Jerusalem will be left desolate until He returns in glory.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, Your people have rejected you and the gospel demands that people accept Your message and You.  Therefore draw people to Yourself and bless my evangelism efforts to bring people to you so that it brings honor to the City of God.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Luke 13:22-30 Truly I Say To You "I Never Knew You"

And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem.  And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them,  “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’  Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’;  and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.’  In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.  And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.  And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”

Who stands by the Cross of Christ?  This is the front of the line into the Kingdom of God.

Those who are ashamed of the Cross are nowhere near.  Those who fear are far away.  Even those who consider themselves worthy cannot be found.  Only the faithful to Lord Jesus are at the foot of the Cross.  Those covered by His blood are near.  And one can see, the line isn’t long.  Mary, John, and some widows stay for the event.  Others, many others stand from a distance taunting Him.  “Physician heal yourself,” they taunt.  But Christ acknowledges that they know not what they do.

Daily Prayer:  Christ Jesus, today people still taunt.  They raise up themselves and boast of their own achievements.  They entertain and laugh.  They let their money do their talking.  They seek power and position.  None of these have a place at the Cross.  Only the lowly and the meek will be found, but their sins will be remembered no more.  Lord, count me among these.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Luke 13:18-21 Parables of Mustard Seed and Leaven

So He was saying, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.” And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”

It is not unusual for Jesus to demonstrate that great strength can originate from small sources.  In today’s reading He explains that if you have the faith of a mustard seed, you will flourish to the extent that you can carry the weight of others on the strong branches you will produce.  In the same way, Jesus explains that a tiny amount of leaven is enough for an entire batch of flour.  What we need to take out of this is that if we put our small faith in a big God, we too will demonstrate mighty things in God’s Kingdom, but we cannot depend on our own strength because we are fallen and in need of a Savior who we find in Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, we have put our trust in You.  Now deliver us from the Evil One, our sin and death.  You are able to do this because You have been raised from the dead, assuring all who are with You eternal life.  This we pray in Your holy name Amen.

Luke 13:10-17 Jesus Is Lord Over the Sabbath

And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.  When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.”  And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.  But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”  But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him?  And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”  As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.

A central theme in Luke’s gospel is that Jesus is Lord over the Sabbath.  What this means is that the Sabbath was made to serve the physical and spiritual needs of God and man.

But as Jesus said, this child was held captive by Satan these 18 years.  He as the Son of God, had the opportunity and ability to loose her.  Jesus goes on to say that it is not a violation of the Law to do good on the Sabbath.  When the people recognized this, they rejoiced and glorified God.

Daily Prayer:  My Savior, You continually do what is right in the sight of the Father.  He says that with You, He is well pleased.  In the same way, teach me to pattern myself after You so that at my life’s end, I will not be ashamed.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Luke 13:6-9 JUDGMENT IS DELAYED, BUT VERY REAL

And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any.  And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’  And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer;  and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’”

Yesterday, we learned from Jesus that He is calling us to repent of our sins.  This is to say He is seeking that we “turn away” from our trespasses and come to an agreement with God concerning it.  Today He speaks a parable concerning diving judgment.  It concerns a plant that is not producing fruit or evidence of its grace.  When the Master says destroy it, the vine dresser urges the master to relent and delay his judgment until the plant is given one more season to flourish.  The vine dresser pledges to work with and on the plant so that it has a good opportunity to produce.  And the vine dresser concedes that if then it doesn’t bear fruit according to its grace, then destroy it.  To the Christian it is a reminder that God’s judgment is certain.  He gives us time and opportunity to make ourselves right with Him.  But the day is coming where no more time will be given to receive the Son and His covering.  Then, to those who do not believe, they will be cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and mashing of teeth.  So receive the gospel while it is available and free.

Daily Prayer:  Open the eyes of our heart Lord so that we believe and commit ourselves to being Your followers.  By Your grace, allow us to image You in our life so that when people see us, they can tell that we know You and are Your follower.  In Your holy name I pray A

Luke 13:1-5 Call to Repent

Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.  And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate?  I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.  Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

In God’s opinion, all sin consists of missing the mark on what His holy standards are.  We know that there is none that are righteous, no not one.  This means we all have within us offenses against God.  The key for deliverance is that we agree with God about our sin.  That is to say that we acknowledge it before God and turn from it for His sake. This turning away from our own sin is called repentance.  Jesus has said not be judge one another, because that is like a man with a plank in his own eye trying to remove the speck in his brother’s eye.  Jesus calls that hypocrisy.  Therefore, instead of worrying about your neighbor, examine yourself, and make yourself right with God.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and concerned mostly with myself.  I do some things to make me feel better about myself, but in the end I recognize and confess my own selfishness and need for repentance.  So bless me Lord as I now turn back to You.  Amen.

Luke 12:49-59 Christ Divides Men

“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;  for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.  They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”  And He was also saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way.  You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?  “And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?  For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent.”

One of the great concerns that Jesus has with us is our complacency.  This is why it is necessary for Him to stir us up.  He notices that we are able to predict weather patterns, but when the Son of God appears before them in person, they call Him the son of a carpenter.  If they were spiritually unable to identify Him in the same way that they can pinpoint other things, they would not be presumed hypocrites.  But because they have identified other things well and still reject Him, they remain in their sin.

Daily Prayer:  Christ Jesus, I will stand steadfast with my faith in You as my personal Redeemer and Savior.  I desire that my sins be washed away by Your Blood and my sins be remembered no more.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Luke 12:41-48 Those Who Find Heavenly Favor

Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?”  And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?  Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.  Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.  But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;  the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.  And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes,  but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

When Jesus spoke in parables, whether to the Pharisees’ or to the disciples, the hearer would say in his heart and even with his mouth, “Are you speaking about me?”  It seems the sayings left a sense of conviction with the hearer.  And Jesus response was always according to the will of the Father.  That is He knows man has an agenda apart from God.  The one who is favored in heaven is the one who surrenders his will to God’s.  “Father, not my will, but Thy will be done,” Jesus uttered.  Therefore those to surrender to God’s sovereign ways will find life and reward, but the one who turns aside will be rejected in heaven.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, teach me how to die to my own aspirations.  When I truly do this, only then will I find life and life abundant.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Luke 12:35-40 Be in Readiness

“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.  Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.  Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.  Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.  “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

Children are more inclined to have behavior described above than those who are older.  Children trust their Master and understand their dependence on Him.  As children become older, they develop an unhealthy independence of their Master which is the sin of the Evil One.  Because of Jesus Christ, we have become Children of God. As such, our trust in Him should be childlike in nature. If Christ says He will return, then He will return.  We have two choices, to obey Him by having a continuous state of readiness anxiously awaiting His return.  Or, we will do “what is right in our own eyes,” following an agenda of folly that will lead to great remorse.  The choice is ours, so let us pray for the will to trust and obey.  In Jesus name I pray Amen.