Luke 21 Verses 1-4 Jesus observes a poor widow who puts her last 2 coins in the offering. She has given more than any other, he says, because she gave all she had. Giving out of our abundance is one thing... giving out of our poverty is altogether different. God sees our hearts..He knows.
As they gaze at the temple, Jesus begins to tell them what will happen. This beautiful building will be torn down. Everything will change... a day is coming when all that we know now will be gone. How do we prepare for that?
"See to it that you be not mislead... " v8
"... do not be terrified.." v9
"... make up you minds..." v14
" ... straighten up and lift up you heads, because your redemption is drawing near.." v28
"Be on guard.." v34
".. keep on the alert.." v36
And a key verse.. " By your endurance you will gain your lives." v19
The details that Jesus shares with His listeners are kind of overwhelming...
There will be some who claim to be Him.
There will be wars... and more wars..
There will be earthquakes, plagues, and famines.
There will be persecution of Christians.
There will be hatred of believers.
Jerusalem will be desolated and trampled.
Israel will be in "great distress".
The sun, moon, and stars will bring dismay to the nations.
The sea and waves will cause fear to the point of men fainting.
The "powers of heaven will be shaken".
And then Christ will come.
Jesus tells His listeners that "when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near."
We need to pay attention and believe that the things we see happening in this world are signs that the time of Christ is near. "But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." v36
Reminded again that like the widow.. Jesus wants us to fully surrender.. to be all in. And as He taught we must also be alert. Lay down our lives.... take up our stand.. and follow Him.. endure until He comes... and He is coming soon.
Father in heaven, we thank You that You are patient and are still bringing men and women to salvation in Jesus Christ. We pray for unsaved loved ones yet again.. asking that You would change their hearts and lives through the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, we look up, with expectation, Lord.. recognizing that some of these signs that Jesus taught us have already happened and are happening even now. We do pray for strength and endurance that we might gain our lives and stand before Jesus, our Lord and King. We pray this in His name, the wonderful, powerful name of Jesus. Amen.
Friday, January 10, 2020
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Luke 20
The chief priests, elders, and scribes began their confrontation with Jesus by questioning His authority to act and to speak. Jesus questioned them about the baptism of John. They would not answer Him because they couldn't admit that they didn't believe John's words in front of people who believed John was a prophet. The question in my mind is why didn't Jesus just tell them? He spoke about the fact that He only did what the Father told Him to do and only spoke what the Father told Him to speak... So, there must have been another reason that He refused to answer them at that time.
Instead, Jesus tells the parable of the vine-growers who refused to give the owner His produce. They killed his slaves and also his son. They foolishly thought that they would inherit the vineyard! The owner would come and destroy them and "give the vineyard to others." The scribes and chief priests recognized that this parable was about them. They resolved even more to get rid of Jesus. They did not recognize the lesson that Jesus was giving them. God's kingdom could never be taken by those who were desperately trying to usurp Him. God alone will choose who to give His kingdom to.. and He chose Jesus, His Son. And Jesus has given it to all who will believe and follow Him.
Jesus is asked some questions by those who want Him to incriminate Himself. He answers them with such wisdom and truth that they can not answer and give up asking more questions. But, Jesus has a question of His own. "How is it that they say the Christ is David's son?" David would not call his physical son "Lord". Yet, he wrote, "The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make thine enemies a footstool fo they feet."
The Lord - is more than the son of David, He is the Son of God. The priests and scribes and elders had no idea who Jesus was.. but they could have if they would have stopped their evil ways and really listened.
Perhaps what we need to learn from this passage is that God's plan is so much greater than we can ever truly understand or think about... but when we stop and really listen to His word we will find Him waiting to tell us what we need to know... and it will all be focused on His Son.
Father, teach us Your ways and increase our understanding so that we can know Jesus more. We look to You so that we can find life and hope and rest. For all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus Christ our Lord and He has redeemed us and made us Your children. This is our cornerstone and we stand on this firm foundation forever and ever. Amen.
The chief priests, elders, and scribes began their confrontation with Jesus by questioning His authority to act and to speak. Jesus questioned them about the baptism of John. They would not answer Him because they couldn't admit that they didn't believe John's words in front of people who believed John was a prophet. The question in my mind is why didn't Jesus just tell them? He spoke about the fact that He only did what the Father told Him to do and only spoke what the Father told Him to speak... So, there must have been another reason that He refused to answer them at that time.
Instead, Jesus tells the parable of the vine-growers who refused to give the owner His produce. They killed his slaves and also his son. They foolishly thought that they would inherit the vineyard! The owner would come and destroy them and "give the vineyard to others." The scribes and chief priests recognized that this parable was about them. They resolved even more to get rid of Jesus. They did not recognize the lesson that Jesus was giving them. God's kingdom could never be taken by those who were desperately trying to usurp Him. God alone will choose who to give His kingdom to.. and He chose Jesus, His Son. And Jesus has given it to all who will believe and follow Him.
Jesus is asked some questions by those who want Him to incriminate Himself. He answers them with such wisdom and truth that they can not answer and give up asking more questions. But, Jesus has a question of His own. "How is it that they say the Christ is David's son?" David would not call his physical son "Lord". Yet, he wrote, "The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make thine enemies a footstool fo they feet."
The Lord - is more than the son of David, He is the Son of God. The priests and scribes and elders had no idea who Jesus was.. but they could have if they would have stopped their evil ways and really listened.
Perhaps what we need to learn from this passage is that God's plan is so much greater than we can ever truly understand or think about... but when we stop and really listen to His word we will find Him waiting to tell us what we need to know... and it will all be focused on His Son.
Father, teach us Your ways and increase our understanding so that we can know Jesus more. We look to You so that we can find life and hope and rest. For all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus Christ our Lord and He has redeemed us and made us Your children. This is our cornerstone and we stand on this firm foundation forever and ever. Amen.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Luke 19: 28-47 Jesus enters Jerusalem just as the prophets said He would.. on a donkey's back. He did not come as a military man or a power broker.. He came as the Savior, the Lamb of God, who would take away the sins of the world. Many greeted Him with praise and joyful singing.... but the leaders of Israel greeted Him with scorn and accusations.
He came anyway.
Jesus wept over the lost city of Jerusalem.. His city. Where He will reign. But, for now, they would not accept Him.. and "did not recognize the time of [their] visitation."
So many people have remained lost.. they had an opportunity to meet Jesus, but chose instead to question, rebel, mock, and scorn Him. I can never understand the hatred that people of the world have for Christians. It seems so out of proportion... why do they always want to persecute and destroy the people who are the kindest, most loving, most law-abiding, and least violent?
Why do the terrorists target the people of God? The only answer that I can think of is that it is Satan's influence and power at work in them. It is not because of our faith or our character.. it is because Satan has filled them with unreasonable hatred.
And this is what happened to the Pharisees and elders in Jerusalem. They were filled with hatred for Jesus. They would not stop until they destroyed Him. But, they did not know that they were actually destroying themselves and serving Satan. They did not know that God would take what they did to fulfill His own plan for the redemption of mankind.
What a mighty God we have.
Jesus cleansed the temple one last time before He prepared for His death. Oh how He loved them and wanted them to know the Truth.. this place was to be "a House of Prayer"... a place to meet God and to find life and hope in Him. How sad it was to Him that it had become a market place and nothing more.
Father in heaven, let us not miss the opportunities You give to us to meet with You. Let us not allow anything to block our way to be in Your Presence. Draw us nearer and fill our hearts with the joy of knowing You more and more. May Your name be praised and Your honor and glory be proclaimed in all the earth. Our world is in desperate need of You, Lord. We are in need of You. Help us we pray. Amen.
He came anyway.
Jesus wept over the lost city of Jerusalem.. His city. Where He will reign. But, for now, they would not accept Him.. and "did not recognize the time of [their] visitation."
So many people have remained lost.. they had an opportunity to meet Jesus, but chose instead to question, rebel, mock, and scorn Him. I can never understand the hatred that people of the world have for Christians. It seems so out of proportion... why do they always want to persecute and destroy the people who are the kindest, most loving, most law-abiding, and least violent?
Why do the terrorists target the people of God? The only answer that I can think of is that it is Satan's influence and power at work in them. It is not because of our faith or our character.. it is because Satan has filled them with unreasonable hatred.
And this is what happened to the Pharisees and elders in Jerusalem. They were filled with hatred for Jesus. They would not stop until they destroyed Him. But, they did not know that they were actually destroying themselves and serving Satan. They did not know that God would take what they did to fulfill His own plan for the redemption of mankind.
What a mighty God we have.
Jesus cleansed the temple one last time before He prepared for His death. Oh how He loved them and wanted them to know the Truth.. this place was to be "a House of Prayer"... a place to meet God and to find life and hope in Him. How sad it was to Him that it had become a market place and nothing more.
Father in heaven, let us not miss the opportunities You give to us to meet with You. Let us not allow anything to block our way to be in Your Presence. Draw us nearer and fill our hearts with the joy of knowing You more and more. May Your name be praised and Your honor and glory be proclaimed in all the earth. Our world is in desperate need of You, Lord. We are in need of You. Help us we pray. Amen.
Monday, January 6, 2020
Luke 19 : 11-27 Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem for the last time. He is surrounded by great crowds who think that He is going to make the kingdom of God "appear immediately". So, He tells them another parable.
In this story the nobleman goes away to receive another kingdom for himself. He assigns 10 slaves to do business for him and gives them each a mina - a 100 days wages. He goes and comes back and asks the slaves to give account of their progress. The first does great! He doubles the amount of money. The second also does well, but only adds half again to the amount. The third man does nothing. In fear, he hides the mina and only has that amount to give back to the master. We are not told about the other 7 slaves.
The master rewards the first two slaves with great authority. But, the third man loses what he had and receives nothing. Also, there were some citizens who did not want the nobleman to reign at all. These people were brought in and slayed in front of the nobleman.
There is no explanation given about this parable. We can speculate that the slaves are the followers of Jesus and that He will reward those who do well with what He gives them in this life. We reckon that the third slave remains in the kingdom but without reward. And, it is quite apparent that the citizens that rejected the ruler are those who reject Jesus and end up in hell.
So why this parable at this time? What does He want to say to us? to me?
One obvious conclusion is that those who refuse the reign of Jesus will be removed from His presence.. forever. The kingdom belongs to Him and we either accept that or we are removed from it.
The other thing we can say for sure is that He will reward those who serve Him faithfully. There is a variety of rewards; it will be fair to every individual according to their service. It will be more than we could ask or imagine.
It is the third slave that is difficult for me.. He had the same opportunity as the others. But, his understanding of who the master was is different - he sees the master as "an exacting man" who takes "up what [he] did not lay down, and reap what [he] did not sow." The master calls him "worthless".
He could have done something... at least put it in the bank and get some interest. That would have been better than wrapping it up in a handkerchief.
If we see that Jesus is the Master in this parable... then we must examine our perspective of Him - Is He exacting and unrealistic in His expectations for us? Exacting here comes from the greek word - austeros - rough, austere, severe.. mean. Is this true about Jesus? Absolutely not! We must learn to not be afraid but to trust Him with all that He gives us and all that He calls us to do.
All that we are and all that we have comes from our Lord. We have a responsibility to be good and faithful servants, stewards of His gifts.
Father in heaven, I want to be a good and faithful.. and fruitful servant. Fill my life with Your Spirit so that I will be like a fruitful branch which is abiding in the True Vine, Jesus Christ. Do what You desire and help me to trust and obey. Bless my brothers and sisters in Christ, to recognize the gifts that You have provided and to serve You whole-heartedly also.. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
In this story the nobleman goes away to receive another kingdom for himself. He assigns 10 slaves to do business for him and gives them each a mina - a 100 days wages. He goes and comes back and asks the slaves to give account of their progress. The first does great! He doubles the amount of money. The second also does well, but only adds half again to the amount. The third man does nothing. In fear, he hides the mina and only has that amount to give back to the master. We are not told about the other 7 slaves.
The master rewards the first two slaves with great authority. But, the third man loses what he had and receives nothing. Also, there were some citizens who did not want the nobleman to reign at all. These people were brought in and slayed in front of the nobleman.
There is no explanation given about this parable. We can speculate that the slaves are the followers of Jesus and that He will reward those who do well with what He gives them in this life. We reckon that the third slave remains in the kingdom but without reward. And, it is quite apparent that the citizens that rejected the ruler are those who reject Jesus and end up in hell.
So why this parable at this time? What does He want to say to us? to me?
One obvious conclusion is that those who refuse the reign of Jesus will be removed from His presence.. forever. The kingdom belongs to Him and we either accept that or we are removed from it.
The other thing we can say for sure is that He will reward those who serve Him faithfully. There is a variety of rewards; it will be fair to every individual according to their service. It will be more than we could ask or imagine.
It is the third slave that is difficult for me.. He had the same opportunity as the others. But, his understanding of who the master was is different - he sees the master as "an exacting man" who takes "up what [he] did not lay down, and reap what [he] did not sow." The master calls him "worthless".
He could have done something... at least put it in the bank and get some interest. That would have been better than wrapping it up in a handkerchief.
If we see that Jesus is the Master in this parable... then we must examine our perspective of Him - Is He exacting and unrealistic in His expectations for us? Exacting here comes from the greek word - austeros - rough, austere, severe.. mean. Is this true about Jesus? Absolutely not! We must learn to not be afraid but to trust Him with all that He gives us and all that He calls us to do.
All that we are and all that we have comes from our Lord. We have a responsibility to be good and faithful servants, stewards of His gifts.
Father in heaven, I want to be a good and faithful.. and fruitful servant. Fill my life with Your Spirit so that I will be like a fruitful branch which is abiding in the True Vine, Jesus Christ. Do what You desire and help me to trust and obey. Bless my brothers and sisters in Christ, to recognize the gifts that You have provided and to serve You whole-heartedly also.. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Friday, January 3, 2020
Luke 19:1-10
Zaccheus "was a wee little man" - He was also:
A chief tax-man.
A rich man.
A curious man.
A happy man... when Jesus invited Himself to his house.
A changed man... repenting of his sin of "defrauding" others.
And a saved man. "Today salvation has come to this house.. " Jesus says.
What a wonderful proclamation Jesus makes, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Even Zaccheus. Even me. Even you....
The critics grumbled that Jesus would choose Zaccheus to visit. This man was a sinner in their eyes and they gave him no grace.. no mercy.. and no chance to repent. But, Jesus saw his heart and knew that he was "a son of Abraham". A man who needed salvation. A man who knew he needed Jesus and was earnestly seeking Him.
No matter who it is.. no matter how impossible it seems that someone could change... no matter how bad of a sinner he or she might be... God is able to save them!
Thank You Jesus for coming to seek and to save all of us.. for we were lost but now we are found! Amazing Grace.. how sweet it is! Father in heaven, continue that work in us that You have begun. Help us to live for You each and every day. May we draw closer and closer until that day when we see You face to face! O Praise to the King! Amen.
Zaccheus "was a wee little man" - He was also:
A chief tax-man.
A rich man.
A curious man.
A happy man... when Jesus invited Himself to his house.
A changed man... repenting of his sin of "defrauding" others.
And a saved man. "Today salvation has come to this house.. " Jesus says.
What a wonderful proclamation Jesus makes, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Even Zaccheus. Even me. Even you....
The critics grumbled that Jesus would choose Zaccheus to visit. This man was a sinner in their eyes and they gave him no grace.. no mercy.. and no chance to repent. But, Jesus saw his heart and knew that he was "a son of Abraham". A man who needed salvation. A man who knew he needed Jesus and was earnestly seeking Him.
No matter who it is.. no matter how impossible it seems that someone could change... no matter how bad of a sinner he or she might be... God is able to save them!
Thank You Jesus for coming to seek and to save all of us.. for we were lost but now we are found! Amazing Grace.. how sweet it is! Father in heaven, continue that work in us that You have begun. Help us to live for You each and every day. May we draw closer and closer until that day when we see You face to face! O Praise to the King! Amen.
Thursday, January 2, 2020
Luke 18:35-43 Sometimes it just takes a bit for the Word to hit home... The long chapters in Luke, that stack 3,4, or 5 events together sometimes seem incongruent.. but, looking back today, I see something I didn't before...
Jesus spoke about the widow who kept coming to the judge and how her continuous entreaties finally brought her an answer. Then He talked about the 2 men praying and how the tax-gatherer pleaded for mercy and was granted his petition. He also spoke about how we need to be like children to receive the kingdom. Then He encountered the rich young ruler, unwilling to give it all up for the One he called "Good"...
This final encounter is with the blind man on the road near Jericho..
This man called out for mercy... and he kept calling out even when others tried to silence him. He was like the widow who kept trying.. and he was like the tax-gatherer who needed mercy and asked for it.
He was not like the rich young ruler.. for he had nothing he needed or wanted to hold on to. Instead he was like a child, who when asked what he wanted.. answered it humbly and honestly - "Lord, I want to regain my sight!"
Lord, I also want to regain...my sight... to see You clearly, to know You fully, and to grasp the height and depth and width and length of Your love for me. Lord Jesus, Son of David.. Son of God, have mercy on me!
Amen.
Jesus spoke about the widow who kept coming to the judge and how her continuous entreaties finally brought her an answer. Then He talked about the 2 men praying and how the tax-gatherer pleaded for mercy and was granted his petition. He also spoke about how we need to be like children to receive the kingdom. Then He encountered the rich young ruler, unwilling to give it all up for the One he called "Good"...
This final encounter is with the blind man on the road near Jericho..
This man called out for mercy... and he kept calling out even when others tried to silence him. He was like the widow who kept trying.. and he was like the tax-gatherer who needed mercy and asked for it.
He was not like the rich young ruler.. for he had nothing he needed or wanted to hold on to. Instead he was like a child, who when asked what he wanted.. answered it humbly and honestly - "Lord, I want to regain my sight!"
Lord, I also want to regain...my sight... to see You clearly, to know You fully, and to grasp the height and depth and width and length of Your love for me. Lord Jesus, Son of David.. Son of God, have mercy on me!
Amen.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Luke 18:18-34 The young man comes to Jesus with an important.. vital question, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answers with a life-changing question.."Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone." Did the young man truly believe that Jesus was "good"? Did he believe that Jesus was God?
The answer to that question is vital to the discussion to come... And vital to our own lives as well...
Jesus reminds the man that he knew the commandments.. and the man agrees and proclaims that he has obeyed them all..
"And 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."
Here is the bottom line.. the test of true belief in Jesus.. in God... will you surrender it all for Him?
All your wealth, all your family, all your life? Do you believe that Jesus is God and trust Him with all that you possess on this earth?
Do you desire treasure on earth or treasure in heaven?
"How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" Jesus states. And, his disciples.. and everyone else who hears this.. are shocked! How can anyone be saved?
Jesus tells us the complete truth.. "The things impossible with men are possible with God."
No one is saved except for the impossible grace of God. No one.. rich, poor, strong, weak, wise, or foolish.. no one.
Peter has something to say.. "Behold, we have left our own homes, and followed You."
Yes, Jesus answers him.. "... there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal life."
The apostles laid up their treasures in heaven. They had no treasures on earth. But, God would meet every need and bring them into the glory of heaven. Except Judas.. who valued the earthly treasures more than the promise of eternal life.
We must examine our own hearts.. have we left behind the treasures of this world to follow Jesus?
Do we truly believe that He is good and that we can trust Him with our lives here on earth and then for eternity? He requires nothing less...
Father in heaven, I desire to live for You and to store up treasures in heaven and receive the eternal life that is in Christ Jesus alone. Thank You for doing the impossible in my life! Thank You for every loved one who lives for You and seeks You first.. Your kingdom and Your righteousness and trusts You to provide what we need in this world. Be glorified in us, Lord. You are our great Treasure and we want to follow You all the days of our lives. Help us to truly believe and to truly surrender all to You in this new year.. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Jesus answers with a life-changing question.."Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone." Did the young man truly believe that Jesus was "good"? Did he believe that Jesus was God?
The answer to that question is vital to the discussion to come... And vital to our own lives as well...
Jesus reminds the man that he knew the commandments.. and the man agrees and proclaims that he has obeyed them all..
"And 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."
Here is the bottom line.. the test of true belief in Jesus.. in God... will you surrender it all for Him?
All your wealth, all your family, all your life? Do you believe that Jesus is God and trust Him with all that you possess on this earth?
Do you desire treasure on earth or treasure in heaven?
"How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" Jesus states. And, his disciples.. and everyone else who hears this.. are shocked! How can anyone be saved?
Jesus tells us the complete truth.. "The things impossible with men are possible with God."
No one is saved except for the impossible grace of God. No one.. rich, poor, strong, weak, wise, or foolish.. no one.
Peter has something to say.. "Behold, we have left our own homes, and followed You."
Yes, Jesus answers him.. "... there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal life."
The apostles laid up their treasures in heaven. They had no treasures on earth. But, God would meet every need and bring them into the glory of heaven. Except Judas.. who valued the earthly treasures more than the promise of eternal life.
We must examine our own hearts.. have we left behind the treasures of this world to follow Jesus?
Do we truly believe that He is good and that we can trust Him with our lives here on earth and then for eternity? He requires nothing less...
Father in heaven, I desire to live for You and to store up treasures in heaven and receive the eternal life that is in Christ Jesus alone. Thank You for doing the impossible in my life! Thank You for every loved one who lives for You and seeks You first.. Your kingdom and Your righteousness and trusts You to provide what we need in this world. Be glorified in us, Lord. You are our great Treasure and we want to follow You all the days of our lives. Help us to truly believe and to truly surrender all to You in this new year.. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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