STRANGELY WARMED

 

STRANGELY WARMED

Luke 24:32 They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts feel strangely warm as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” NLT

Often when I read this verse, I pause. The two disciples walking on the road to Emmaeus did not know at the moment that Jesus was with them. They were walking along talking with a stranger about the events that had just happened over the past three days in Jerusalem. They were still trying to figure out what had happened and why. There were many things to sort through.

As they walked with this stranger, He showed them through the Scriptures what had just happened. He talked with them clearly about what had to happen and how He had fulfilled the Scriptures. They arrived at a house and as they did, Jesus opened their eyes and they recognized Him as the Messiah. And then, He was gone.

I wonder how often we are strangely warmed when we read the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit reveals things to us that we had not seen before about our Lord. If we are honest, most of us would probably have to admit that we haven't had many experiences like that, if any. Most of us aren't in a position in life where we are that sensitive to the Spirit's leading.

I wonder what would happen in our lives if we were to actually understand the Scriptures the way we should and then live them out. I suspect that a lot of changes would take place in us, our churches, and the lives we live. Let our prayer be always that we would linger in the Word and let the Holy Spirit guide us and teach us what God has for us. Let us not be in such a hurry that we miss out on the great truths of God that we so desperately need.

May the Lord give us understanding that we may always see Jesus.

BETRAYAL

 

BETRAYAL

Luke 22:48 But Jesus said, “Judas, how can you betray me, the Son of man, with a kiss?” NLT

We often look at Judas and shake our heads. We wonder how he could have betrayed the Lord. He had lived with the Lord for the past three years. He was an eyewitness to all that Jesus had done and had heard Him teach about the things of God. He was included in all of the things that Jesus had done for the disciples by themselves. He belonged. Yet, Judas was not on the same page as Jesus and the rest of the disciples. He was with them and one of them, yet he was on the outside looking in. However, before we are too hard on Judas, we need to look at ourselves.

Are we guilty of betraying the Lord? Let's take an honest look at ourselves before we answer this question. There are many different ways that we can betray the Lord. We betray Him when we are given opportunities to be a witness for Him and we pass them up. We betray Him when we use His name flippantly as if He were no one special. We betray Him when we give Him only lip service. We betray Him when we treat His children with contempt. We betray Him when we withhold from Him our tithes and offerings. We betray Him when we put people before Him. We betray Him when we put other things before Him in our lives. We betray Him when we ignore our sins. We betray Him when we ignore the sins of others when we have the voice to say something but don’t.

If Jesus is not the influencer of all we do in life, then we need to recommit ourselves to Him. There is room in the heart for only one Lord. God is a jealous god. He will not share His rightful place in our hearts. If He is not Lord of all, He really is not Lord at all. Is Jesus really your Lord?

If we really love Him, we will not betray Him.

TEMPTATION AND PRAYER

 

TEMPTATION AND PRAYER

Luke 22:39,40 Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not be overcome by temptation.” NLT

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what it would be like for Him and for the disciples. He knew that He was ready for what was about to happen, but the disciples weren't. They had yet to learn just how weak faith is without God's help to make it strong.

Jesus knew that He had to pray as well. Although He was willing and ready to face the horrors of the cross, He had to overcome the flesh's desire to avoid it. He was just like us in that regard; He did not want to have to endure the sufferings of the flesh He was about to go through. He had to pray so that He would be strong enough in spirit to resist the temptation to call for the angels of heaven to come and take Him home to heaven without the cross.

We need to follow Jesus' example. We need to pray much that we might not be overcome by temptation. Sometimes we know ahead of time the situation we will be in. We know that it will be very tempting for us to let down our guard and participate in the sinful behavior that awaits us. Our greatest need is to pray beforehand. We can't expect God to help us resist temptation when we don't pray and ask Him to before we encounter it. Praying beforehand indicates the true desire of our hearts to stay pure before God.

We dare not overestimate our willpower. We, like the disciples, are weak in faith when faced with overwhelming temptation. We, too, will stumble and fall without God's help. The Spirit will give us the willpower and strength to resist temptation if we ask Him to. Never take for granted what you can do; ask the Lord to help you, and you will live in victory.

SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

 

SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

Luke 18:11-12 The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don’t sin, I don’t commit adultery, I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ ” NLT

Pride in one’s spirituality is an awful thing to have. Pride comes when we play the comparison game. We look around us and find a lot of people who aren’t as good as we are. We see ourselves as having an inside track to God because of what we have learned or what we are doing. We want to lord it over others because our pride convinces us we deserve to do it. We see ourselves as being wise and deserving of praise. Spiritual pride is the enemy of our souls.

I believe that we need to understand where we are at in our journey with Christ. We need to know how far the Lord has brought us. We need to know who we are in Christ. We need to know the trust the Lord has placed in us to do His work. We need to know these things so that our gratitude and devotion to Christ may increase. We need to know how much we owe to Him and be humbled by it. We will never understand what true grace is until we learn to appreciate what has happened in us because of Christ in us.

Be careful of what you think about yourself. You are nothing without Christ. You don’t deserve anything but God’s disdain and wrath. You are who you are because of what Christ has done and not you. You are no better than anyone else, no matter how much you have grown spiritually. You will never outgrow your need for Christ to change you. Pride in who you have become will take you down if you let it rule your heart.

Don’t ever think for a moment that you have not sinned. You have and do, just like everyone else. Thinking of your self-righteousness will destroy your soul. We all need to see ourselves in light of God’s holiness, not our goodness. We need Jesus constantly to work in us to make us more holy before God. We cannot be holy without His constant lordship over our lives.

LIVING OR LIFE?

 

LIVING OR LIFE?

Luke 17:26-29 "When the Son of Man returns, the world will be like the people were in Noah's day. In those days before the flood, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came to destroy them all." NLT

What these verses speak to me about is attachments. People get attached to a way of life. We develop a certain way of living and devote ourselves to it. It's not hard to keep busy with all the stuff we can do in life. It is so easy to become consumed by living that we fail to learn how to live. We get so busy doing life that we miss out on life.

In Noah's day people totally missed the witness God had given them that their way of life had to stop. No one caught up in the flood could claim while they were drowning that God was not fair or that they didn't deserve to die. Who could miss seeing the ark being built? Who could have missed knowing that Noah was up to something big? I am quite sure that everyone knew from Noah's witness that judgment was coming to earth. They dismissed it as being the ways of a foolish old man, but they nevertheless had to know that something was going on.

Today, God is likewise giving the world ample warning of impending disaster. People are for the most part ignoring His warnings and going on about their merry ways. A lot of living is going on, but few have truly found life.

Don't be among those who are too busy living to find life. Life is not about the activity we fill our days with; it is about our relationship with God. Unless we truly repent and give ourselves wholly over to God, we will die in our sins and miss the life God gives. There is no hope for those who are too busy living to live.

TEMPTING OTHERS TO SIN

 

TEMPTING OTHERS TO SIN

Luke 17:1 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but how terrible it will be for the person who does the tempting.” NLT

Let us pause here for a moment. Think about what the Lord is saying and how that applies to our living. We live in a constant sin-infested world. People everywhere are exploiting their sinfulness. Consider the things you watch on TV or in the movies. Have you given much thought to the judgment the people who glamorize sin will be under for exploiting it before others?

God holds everyone accountable for their actions and if their actions cause others to sin, how terrible their judgment will be! The same principle holds true for what you read and listen to. We will always be tempted to sin, but for those who do the tempting, God will hold them accountable for it.

What about you? Are you causing others to sin by your actions or conversation? Are you a help or hindrance to others? The Lord will not ignore how you live and its effect on others.

Live out your faith carefully before man. Take responsibility for the way you influence others. If you are not helping to strengthen and build up the faith in others, you are tearing it down. You alone determine how you live. The Lord holds you accountable. All of us are either tempting others to sin or we are helping them to not sin.

Ask the Lord today to help you live a godly life at all times so that the world will see Christ through you. Ask Him to keep you from being the reason why others fall into sin. Ask Him to help you build others up instead of tearing them down.

LIFE AFTER DEATH

 

LIFE AFTER DEATH

Luke 16:22-23 "Finally the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in the far distance with Abraham."  NLT

Death is real. Everyone will die a physical death unless the Lord comes to take him home without it. The Scriptures only tell us of two people who were taken by the Lord without death, Enoch and Elijah. The probability of your dying is very high. We don't usually dwell on dying until we are confronted by it directly. Death does not care who you are or what you have accomplished in life.

In our text today the rich man was a man who lived in luxury. We are not told how he got his wealth; all we are told is that he had it and was enjoying it. He was not concerned about being ready to die; all he cared about was his living in the moment. When he died, he went to hell, where the spiritually dead souls dwell. He was in great torment, and when he caught a glimpse of Abraham, he called out to him in order to get some kind of relief. But, there was no relief to be had. He had made his life choice and now was paying the price for it eternally.

Lazarus, the beggar, on the other hand had prepared himself for death. We don't know why he was so poor, but he was. He ate off the crumbs of the rich man's table. He understood that there was more to life than the moment, and he lived a humble life before God. When he died, he went to heaven where Abraham was. His faith was now real life. He lived amongst the saints in the presence of God.

Like so many, the rich man missed his opportunity to prepare for death. He squandered his life on the things of this world and his soul was in eternal torment because of it. Perhaps he had had many opportunities and thought he would have one more, but he didn't. Don't be like this man; seize the opportunity the Lord gives you to be saved while you can. You don't know when you will die; it could be today. Are you ready? Are you living for Christ today so that you will live with Him for all of eternity? Always remember; death is but one breath away for any of us.

LOOKING GOOD TO GOD

 

LOOKING GOOD TO GOD

Luke 16:14-15 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, naturally scoffed at all this. Then he said to them, "You like to look good in public, but God knows your evil hearts. What this world honors is an abomination in the sight of God." NLT

We live in a world where looking good often leads to popularity and money. Multi-billions of dollars are spent trying to make one look good to others and compared to others. The mindset is that if one looks good then he will automatically feel good about himself. However, we know that it's just not so. No matter how pretty the outside is, if the inside is in a mess, the person will be a real mess. Appearances can only get a person so far. They can never fix what is wrong with the soul.

There are a lot of people in the Church who work really hard at making good impressions on others. The mindset is that the more accepted they are by the majority, the more secure their place in the church is. And when the person is being supported by the church, appearances become very important to them.

It's easy to come across as being spiritual beings. We can easily fool one another about our relationship with God. We may be scholars of the Bible, good preachers or teachers, have persuasive personalities, be popular in the church, or be powerful and influential, and still be far from the heart of God.

God isn't concerned about the things we see. He sees the heart. He judges the heart and when it is corrupt with evil, He rejects it. God does not mess around. If the heart is not right with Him, all the fluff that surrounds it is worth nothing and the soul will be condemned. Be sure your heart is right with God. Appearances and the things of the world all fade away, but the righteous heart endures forever.

FAITHFUL IN SMALL THINGS

 

FAITHFUL IN SMALL THINGS

Luke 16:10 “Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” NLT

How important is it that we obey God even in the little things of life? Jesus says that how we handle the small things determines how we handle the big things. A little white lie becomes a big lie so don’t do it. A little thievery becomes a big thievery so don’t get started. A little moral failure becomes a big failure so be careful not to even get started. Gazing on a little sinful behavior grows into an addiction. Boasting on one’s accomplishments turns into sinful pride. We cannot get away with compromise. Little sins turn into big sins. Never let down your guard when it comes to doing what is right before God.

If the Lord finds you faithful in the little things, He will give you bigger things to do. If you want to make a difference in the world for Christ, you must first let Him make a difference in you. You cannot overlook this basic principle of faith. Trust is earned. The Lord will trust you with more when He knows He can trust you with little.

Pay attention to details. Do what is right before God in the little things of life and you will do what is right in the big things. The size of the responsibilities does not matter. What matters is the integrity of the heart that moves us to do what we do. Great is the reward for those the Lord finds to be faithful in the little things of life.

TRUE REPENTANCE

 

TRUE REPENTANCE

Luke 15:31-32 His father said to him, "˜Look, dear son, you and I are very close, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!" NLT

This is the story of the prodigal son. This is a wonderful picture of what the Gospel is all about: true repentance, righteousness, recognition, and remorse. In order for the heart to be right with God, true repentance must take place. There is a lot of what passes as repentance that is no real repentance at all. True repentance involves a recognition of one's sinfulness, sincere remorse for the sins committed, and righteous behavior that follows. Until we come to the awareness that we have indeed sinned against God, we will never have a relationship with Him. "I did it. I am a sinner. I am guilty as charged by God. I have no one to blame but myself. I chose to do it and I did it."

Remorse is true sorrow for what we have done. It is not lip service, but a heart grief over our sins. It is being ashamed of ourselves and sincerely falling at Jesus' feet and pleading for mercy. It is a sincere desire of the heart to not do it again.

Righteousness is what follows true repentance. It is acting and thinking in a right way before God. It is turning away from sinful habits and thinking and striving to be holy in all we do. It is a mindset that enables us to change and become godly before man. It is the natural outcome of true repentance. Unless there is an obvious indication that change has happened, the heart is still in sin. Everyone changes in different ways and at different paces, but everyone who truly repents changes.

ARE YOU READY?

 

ARE YOU READY?

Luke 12:35-36 “Be dressed for service and well prepared, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.” NLT

Are you ready? Have you taken care of your soul so that at any given moment you would be ready to stand before God in judgment? Have you opened up your heart to the Lord and invited Him to come in? Are you careful how you live? Or, is there a sense of uncertainty about it all and you are afraid what it would be like to face God if you were to do it today?

It is very important that we ask ourselves these questions because we don’t know when it will be our turn to face God. No one knows if he will live beyond the moment. No one can be assured he will live a certain number of days. No one knows for sure when the Lord will return. The way things are looking, I believe the Lord is coming very soon.

In order to know for sure that you are ready to stand before God, you must live in readiness today. You must confess any sin in your heart that you have been letting lie there. You must seek the Lord out in His Word and in your prayer closet. You must be involved in Christian fellowship for the nurturing of your soul. You must be using your time and energy to serve the Lord and not yourself. You must live compassionately amongst men and strive to help others know Him too.

You must stand guard over your soul and resist the lures of temptation. You must take responsibility for your mind and heart and fill them with godly and not ungodly things. The more you do these things, the readier you will be for the Lord to come for you. You can look for that day with confidence or fear. Are you ready?

GREED

 

GREED

Luke 12:15.21 Then he said, “Beware! Don’t be greedy for what you don’t have. Real life is not measured by how much we own.” “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” NLT

One of the hardest things most of us have to deal with is greed. We live in a very materialistic world. We are bombarded daily by the things we don’t have. We have to constantly stand guard over our souls so we don’t confuse our wants with our needs. We see things we don’t have and begin to think that we can’t live without them. We measure our worth by things rather than relationships. It’s a constant battle that we all fight. Greed often determines the course of our lives.

Jesus reminds us that there is much more to life than things. Real life is measured by relationships, especially our relationship with Him. There is nothing to gain by pursuing things and everything to lose. If we are consumed by the things of the world, we will lose out on a relationship with the Lord. The only thing in life that matters is the state of our souls before God. God measures our worth by Christ not the things we own or do.

It is utter foolishness to let things become more important to us than our relationship with Christ. Examine yourself and determine what you are living for. Are you longing for what you don’t have more than you are Christ? How much time are you investing in the pursuit of earthly things compared to godly things? If you must be driven by greed, let your greed be directed towards God and not the things of earth.

REAL LIFE,

 

REAL LIFE

Luke 12:15 Then he said, "Beware! Don't be greedy for what you don't have. Real life is not measured by how much we own." NLT

This truth cannot be proclaimed enough, especially in our day when so much importance is placed on materialism. We live in a world that is driven first by self-gratification. We are led to believe that it is ours to have and that we must have it. We excel in things that don't matter and care very little about the things that do. Greed drives us and causes us to disregard God. He becomes nothing more than window dressing on our lives. We use Him to serve our needs. We want Him around to give our lives a semblance of respectability. We want Him more in the sense of fire insurance than we do anything else. We live for the things we can have and drag the Lord along with us. Is it any wonder why God is such a problem for so many of us?

We can't have it our way. The Lord will not live with us like that. He will only live with those who understand that our real need in life is Him and Him alone. Only those who know that God is Spirit and must be sought and worshiped in the spirit will have a personal relationship with Him. Real life is measured by our relationship with God. All that really matters is how we are connected to God. All that is not of the spirit is going to vanish away someday. The spirit of man is eternal, and we determine what kind of a life our spirits are going to live, both now and for all eternity.

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and He will give you all that you need for life and eternity.

KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT KNOWING

 

KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT KNOWING

Luke 11:52 "How terrible it will be for you experts in religious law! For you hide the key to knowledge from the people. You don't enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering." NLT

I fear for many who "represent" God before man. So many hide themselves behind Biblical "knowledge" and have very little compassion for others. Many pride themselves in their knowledge or position in life. Many are driven to excel in how they are portrayed before others instead of before God. Many strive for academic knowledge at the expense of spiritual knowledge. Many seemingly know the Scriptures well; yet, they barely know He who is the author of the Scriptures. It is so easy to hide ourselves behind the Scriptures and lose sight of how to live them.

If that's not bad enough, these "leaders" in the church influence others and keep them away from God. Many hold the Scriptures in low esteem and offer people the wisdom of man instead of the wisdom of God. They confuse the minds of their people to the point where they don't know the truth and as a result, they don't know Jesus as Savior and Lord. They create religious people, but not a people with a relationship with God.

The Lord holds each of us accountable for how we handle the Word. We are to be learners of it, but more importantly, we are to be livers of it. What we know about God won't get us to heaven, knowing God will. Knowledge without the relationship is valueless and vanity. There is nothing more tragic than to get wrapped up in what we know and lose grip on Who we should know.

The Lord desires a relationship with us, not a people who are religious fools. Religion will not get you to heaven, a life-changing relationship with Christ will. Don't let your religious thoughts keep you from Christ. Get to know Him well and He will teach you all you need to know. He is the way, truth, and life. He alone can get you to heaven.

GATEWAY TO YOUR SOUL

 

GATEWAY TO YOUR SOUL

Luke 11: 33-36 "No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, it is put on a lamp stand to give light to all who enter the room. Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not really darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight is shining on you." NLT

A couple of things jump out at me from this text. The eye is the gateway to the soul. What we choose to gaze upon determines the condition of our souls. It does matter what we gaze upon. It does affect us whether we think it does or not. Imagery is captured in the brain and often comes back to haunt us later on. It is important that we protect our eyes from what we watch and read.

We have to be careful about the quality of light we use to guide us. We determine how pure our light is. If we allow sin to hang around it will dim our light. Sin is sin and any sin will affect the quality of light within us. The less sin we harbor, the more radiant our light will be. The more we radiate the Light, the more light we will shed on our world. The more Light we have, the more we will enjoy dwelling in the Light.

A dim light may get us where we are going, but it won't keep us from falling into some of the pitfalls along the way. We can easily stumble and fall and even lose our way sometimes. Protect your soul and stay connected to the Light without any obstructions so that your light may shine brightly and be a floodlight on all around you.

One other thing, make sure the light you think you have is not really darkness. Sin is deceptive and often masquerades itself as light. Get into and stay into the Word of God so that you will be guided by truth and not lies. The Holy Spirit will never lead you astray if you keep your eyes focused on Christ who is our light, and stay in the Word which speaks to us of Christ and His way.

Let Christ shine in your heart and let Him have access to every part of it. Do not try to hide anything from Him. The more you let Him shine in you, the more you will radiant Him through your life.

KEEP ON ASKING

 

KEEP ON ASKING

Luke 11:9-10 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.” NLT

Don’t give up asking. Our tendency is to give up on God way too easily. We pray for a while over people and things and when we don’t see the results we want to see, we give up. We think God’s lack of response to honor our requests is a no. We seldom have the determination to keep on praying over that which is not given to us right away.

Yet, Jesus tells us to keep on praying, to not give up. Persistence in prayer is a must. We don’t know how often we should pray for something, so we keep on praying. We don’t know what the Lord is doing in heaven in response to our praying, so we keep on praying. We don’t know the things that have to fall into place on earth in order for our prayers to be answered, so we keep on praying. We don’t know how our praying will affect us, so we keep on praying. We don’t know when the timing is right for our prayers to be answered, so we keep on praying.

One thing that does happen when we persevere in praying is that we draw closer to the Lord. The more time we spend with Him, the more precious He becomes to us and the more likely we are to pray submissively to His will.

Don’t give up praying for people or over the circumstances of life. God answers our praying at just the right time and in the right way. Our prayers never fall on deaf ears. Our Father knows just how to respond to our prayers, and He always does so out of the goodness of His heart. His answers may be immediate, delayed for a while, or a denial, but don’t give up praying. It is the best medicine for the soul you will ever find.

THE IMPORTANT THING

 

THE IMPORTANT THING

Luke 10:41-42 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it--and I won’t take it away from her.” NLT

Do details bother you? Are you one to be busy making sure everything gets done on time and in the right way? Some of us just cannot let things go. Paying attention to the details matter a great deal and determines how we respond. If this is you, listen carefully to what Jesus is saying to Martha.

It is easy to get caught up in activities and miss the important things in life. While there are many things that are essential to do, we cannot let them keep us from our relationship with God. Mary’s number one priority was to greet and worship Christ. She directed her focus on Jesus rather than the busyness of the moment. Lazarus had just died and company was coming. People would shortly be arriving to pay their respects. There was last minute cleaning to be down and food to prepare. It was unthinkable to Martha to just drop things and entertain Jesus. He was a dear friend and surely He would understand.

It’s interesting to note that Martha dealt with her grief by keeping busy while Mary spent her time with the Lord. Mary understood things better than Martha did. Jesus reminded her that the most important thing in her life was not the busyness, but her worship. He did not say her concerns weren’t important, but He did say that they weren’t the most important thing she should be concerned with. Our worship of the Lord is far more important than anything else we may have to do, no matter how important we pay perceive it to be.

If we miss out on our worship of Christ, all of our other labors are in vain. Our relationship with the Lord must take priority over everything else in our lives. What if we were to work hard and gain the whole world and lose out on our souls? Would it be worth it?

DETAILS, DETAILS

 

DETAILS, DETAILS

Luke 10:41-42 But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it--and I won't take it away from her." NLT

Details, Details. Many of us are very concerned about the details of things. We get so wrapped up in them that we lose sight of the bigger picture and often fail to do well what we set out to do. Details are important, but when they become more important than the whole, we get into trouble.

What I believe Jesus is saying here to us is that we need to strive to be more a people of grace than perfection. When we insist that everything has to be done "just so", we are limiting what God wants to do in and through us. We must strive to do things right before God while still allowing for the fact that we are not perfect and never will be. We need to give ourselves, and others, permission to mess up.

Martha was so caught up in the doing that she missed the being. Mary was more concerned about Jesus and His presence. She understood that being with Jesus was all that mattered at the moment. Martha wanted to make sure that everything was done before she worshiped and all that mattered at the moment to Mary was Jesus.

Jesus made it very clear that Mary's way was the better way. We must learn to keep our eyes focused on the Lord. He is far more important than anything else we may think we have to do. The whole purpose of serving is to honor and glorify Christ. Don't get so caught up in the doing that you forget why you are doing it.

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

 

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

Luke 10:29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?” NLT

An expert in religious law wanted to test Jesus so he asked Him what he had to do to receive eternal life. Jesus asked him what he understood the Law of Moses to say he had to do. The man's reply was to love God with all the heart, soul and strength he had and to love his neighbor as himself. The man knew that he was not measuring up so he tried to justify his actions under the guise of not knowing who his neighbor was.

And so it is. It is one thing to know what the Scriptures teach, it's quite another thing to live them. Because we know we fail to live up to God's standards, we often try to justify ourselves before God. We convince ourselves that because we are "good people" we are good enough for God.

The expert of the Law knew the does and don'ts of how to live for God. He was a devout follower of the Law and thought he had it made. He just knew that God was pleased with his efforts and would accept him into heaven. Imagine his surprise when Jesus knocked the props right out from underneath him. Jesus went way beyond where this man was in his understanding and living.

It isn't what we think we know that matters; it's how we are living out what we know that matters to God. If we are not applying to life the Word of God, we are no better off than this religious "expert." Saving faith is a life-changing faith and not just a mind-changing faith. Faith without works will certainly keep us out of heaven as well as works without faith. It's either God's way or no way.

PRAY FOR THE HARVEST

 

PRAY FOR THE HARVEST

Luke 10:2 These were his instructions to them, "The harvest is so great, but the workers are few. Pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest, and ask him to send out more workers for his field." NLT

Are you praying for the lost? Do you know anyone who is not a Christian? Are you concerned about their soul? Do you care enough to take the time to pray?

We need to pray for those who need a Savior. If you are not able for any reason to share with them the Gospel message, pray that the Lord will send someone their way who can and will. Pray that the Lord will raise up workers and send them into the harvest field. The need for workers far exceeds those who are laboring in the field. Pray. Pray for those already working in the field that they won't get discouraged or too tired to carry on. Pray for them that they will remain faithful and not be swayed or overcome by sin. Pray that they will be encouraged and be bright lights where they are planted. Pray for those whom the Lord has given gifts for service that they will use their gifts and not be discouraged in doing so. Pray.

The harvest is so great, but the workers are few. If you can't join in the harvesting yourself, pray for those who can and pray that their numbers will increase. The souls that are saved may very well include those whom you are most concerned about.

The harvest is great, the workers are few, and I fear, so are those who pray for the harvest workers. Nothing of significance is going to change until we change and return to our knees before God. The day of salvation is now. Jesus is coming soon and then it will be too late. Pray and go into the harvest field now. Maybe the lost ones you have been praying for will be amongst those who will be saved.

DON'T LOOK BACK

DON’T LOOK BACK

Luke 9:62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” NLT

We must live in Christ with no regrets. Anyone who looks back on the life he had without Christ and longs to relive it is not really living in Christ. Jesus wants a total heart commitment to Him. There can be no returning to the life once lived. There can be no longing for the things that once captured the soul. There can be no returning to the days in which living for Christ didn’t matter. There can be no going back and undoing the changes Christ has made in you. There can be no hesitation about letting Christ have His way with you.

We cannot live in Christ in the present and still live in the past. We cannot be fit for the Kingdom of God without putting our old self behind us and letting the Lord create a new self in us. There are only two options for us if we want to spend eternity with Jesus: we must never return to the life we once lived and we must keep our eyes focused solely on Christ so He can change us into citizens worthy of heaven.

Have you let go of all that would hinder you from being fit for the Kingdom of God? Are you completely committed to living in Christ? Are you straining to obtain that which is before you? Are you keeping your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your salvation?

If you are not focused on Christ and His Kingdom, you are not fit for the Kingdom of God.

PLOWING AHEAD

 

PLOWING AHEAD

Luke 9:62 But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God." NLT

I have never walked behind a plow in a field. While for most of us those days are a thing of the past, most of us understand what it means to plow a field with a plow. It is not an easy way to farm a field. The going could be really tough. If the ground was hard, it would make the task even harder. In order to make progress, one would have to keep moving forward regardless of how hard it was. One would have to look at the bigger picture and be willing to sacrifice momentary comforts for the bigger picture. Plowing a field is always tough and sometimes the reward for the labor was not very big. Plowing a field was a necessary part of producing a crop. Yet, there was no guarantee that one would see the fruit of his labors.

When plowing a field, one must constantly be looking forward all the time. If you look back at where you have been, you would most likely get off track. Instead of accomplishing one's goal, a mess is usually created. Things might be so messed up that one may have to do things all over again. Looking behind you prevents you from seeing what is ahead of you. Looking behind you can give you a false sense of what you have achieved. Looking behind you can cause you to be less diligent in your pursuit of what is ahead of you.

The Kingdom of God is for those who keep their eyes fixed on Jesus. It is for those who are pressing on no matter how rough it may get. It is for those who never lose sight of where they are going and who are doing all they can do to finish life strong. It is for those who persevere and do not give up when they are tired or when the going gets tough.

Forget what is behind you. Don't look back at where you have been. Don't pine for whatever is back there. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus, the author and finisher of salvation and you will not only see God, you will be rewarded with much fruit for your labors.

A PRICE TO PAY

 

A PRICE TO PAY

Luke 9:51 As the time drew near for his return to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. NLT

I have always been struck by Jesus' determination to do God's will. He knew what awaited Him in Jerusalem. He knew better than what we do what price He was going to have to pay for our sins. He knew that this was something that no one could do for Him. He knew the full extent of the physical, and more importantly, spiritual suffering He would have to endure. He had counted the cost of His obedience to God's will and determined that He would let nothing keep Him from carrying it out.

Submission and obedience to God's will often come with a price. The Lord does not promise us an easy road to heaven. It is not a pathway to heaven that many can travel successfully. It is filled with a lot of trials and tribulations. There are many obstacles that must be overcome along the way. Satan will throw everything he can at us to hinder us or get us off the road. Many of us will suffer greatly for getting on board. Those who claim that accepting Jesus as their Savior will have an easy road to heaven filled with nothing but the blessings of earthly life do not understand properly Biblical truth. Those blessings may come our way, but then they may not. We don't get on board with Jesus for the "good life."

If we were more honest with people in our teaching and preaching, perhaps, there would be less people abandoning the faith along the way. We need to warn others that there is a price to pay and that we need to count the cost before we surrender our lives over to the Lord. It is the loving and merciful thing to do. We do well in telling people about the price to pay for continuing to live in sin, but rarely talk about the price to pay for living in faith.

ONE IN CHRIST

 

ONE IN CHRIST

Luke 9:49-50 John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons. We tried to stop him because he isn’t in our group.” But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.” NLT

We who are in Christ are all one, no matter the details of how we chose to live in Him or express our faith. There is a wide diversity of faith expressions in the church. Some of our differences are large. We tend to look down on those amongst us who are different than us. We tend to judge those who think and act differently than we do.

What we must realize is that God cannot be put into the box of any particular church body. He moves amongst men in ways we may not think possible. He acts differently than what we think He should. We must not hinder God in our minds and just accept what He is doing amongst men. As God moves in His mysterious ways, we ought to rejoice over every victory won.

Everyone who is part of the family of God is united equally in Christ. All those outside of our circle of believers are brothers and sisters in Christ. Every church fellowship where Christ is exalted is part of our family. Every believer is one of us, regardless of what church they may be a part of. We don’t have to agree with everyone on how we interpret Scripture and endeavor to live it out. But, we do have to embrace in love all who are in our family.

Let us be a people who love each other unconditionally. Let us unite together for the glory of Christ in the world. Let us be a people who rally together at the foot of the cross and keep the main thing in the church Christ and His mission to reach those who are lost until He comes.

FOR OR AGAINST CHRIST?

 

FOR OR AGAINST CHRIST?

Luke 9:49-50 John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons. We tried to stop him because he isn’t in our group.” But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.” NLT

We can be very fickle in our thinking sometimes. We somehow get the idea that we are the only ones that get it right. We want others to do things our way. We want others to know that we know what we are doing. We want to think that if others are not on the same page we are on that they are on the outside looking in.

Jesus makes it clear that we are not all the same. We don't all do things the same way. We don't have to belong to a particular church or group in order to serve the Lord. God blesses the ministries of all who are rooted in Him. What matters is not how we go about serving the Lord. We serve Him the best way we can in the best way we know how. There is no one way to effectively serve the Him.

We should embrace all who are genuinely ministering in Jesus' name. If we don't think that what they are doing is right, let the Lord handle it. If Jesus is receiving the honor and glory, rejoice in what others are doing. It should never be about us or our particular church family. As long as Christ is being lifted up, we are on the same team and what is being done is good.

Do not discourage anyone who is genuinely serving the Lord. Encourage them and don't undermine their work. Support them with love and in your prayers. Don't envy their work for the Kingdom. Don't hinder them in any way. Give God the praise and glory for all that is being done in Jesus' name to reach the lost for Him.

The Lord puts us all to work where we fit best. We do what He has given and gifted us to do. We cannot do some things others can do and vice versa. Rejoice for what is being done in Jesus’ name to redeem souls, no matter who it is or how it’s being done.

WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?

 

WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?

Luke 8:24-25a The disciples woke him up, shouting, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" So Jesus rebuked the winds and the raging waves. The storm stopped and all was calm! Then he asked them, "Where is your faith?" NLT

Where is your faith? It's easy to find your faith when everything is calm and going your way. It's easy to find your faith when you are surrounded by like-minded believers. It's easy to find your faith when you are excited by something new the Lord has done for you. It's easy to find your faith when you are in your comfort zone. But, where is your faith when things aren't going your way, when life gets stormy and scary?

There are times in life like it was for the disciples out on the stormy sea when everything seems like you are drowning. You may find yourself in over your head financially and there doesn't seem to be any way out of your storm. Maybe things are really bad at home and they are falling apart at the seams. Maybe your job is on very shaky ground. Maybe your storm is health issues. Or, perhaps you find yourself in way over your head due to sinful choices and you are hanging on by a thread.

When life's storms overwhelm and overpower you, do like the disciples did. They went to the Lord and cried out to Him for help. They knew that without His help they had no hope. They didn't know what He could do, but they believed He could do something to help them. Jesus heard their cry and quickly rebuked their storm and immediately there was a calmness, a peace. Jesus may not calm your storm, but He will calm you if you cry out to Him. He may not make your storm go away, but He will show you a way through it. He may not do just what you want Him to do, but He will work things out for your good in a way that glorifies Him.

Where is your faith? Do you believe Jesus can help you through your stormy life? Do you have enough faith in the Lord to trust Him to help you? Call out to Him today and you will find the peace of the Lord to see you through. Call out to Him and He will calm you and it will be good.

Where is your faith? Is it only good for you during the good times, or is the Lord able to help you through the bad times? Do you have faith in God’s ability to help you in the times you can’t figure out what is going on or why?

Where is your faith? Is it rooted in your abilities to handle what is going on, or is it rooted in God’s ability to help you do all things through Christ our Lord?

NO HIDDEN SECRETS

NO HIDDEN SECRETS

Luke 8:17-18 “For everything that is hidden or secret will eventually be brought to light and made plain to all. So be sure to pay attention to what you hear. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they think they have will be taken away from them.” NLT

There was a TV program that was on when I was growing up that our family liked to watch called, “I’ve Got A Secret.” The object of the show was for the panel to ask questions of a guest to try and figure out what the guest’s secret was. Today’s text reminds us that in reality there are no secrets. We may be able to hide some things from others, but in the end, everything will be known.

Do you have some things in your life that you just as soon no one knows about? If they are not dealt with before Christ, there is coming a day in which everyone will know. The only way we can prevent others from finding out things about us is to let Christ wash them clean with His blood. The promise of God is that when Jesus forgives us of any sin, they are wiped away completely from God’s sight and will never be remembered again. It’s as if they never happened. There will not be anything to bring up for everyone to see.

Jesus reminds us of the importance of paying attention to His teachings. If we have ears tuned into Him we will be given understanding of the ways and thoughts of God. We will be given all the information we need in order to live a godly life. The closer we pay attention to God’s Word, the more we will understand. And the more we understand, the more we will grow in Christ. We will grow in our desire for Christ and our understanding of His Word.

However, if we quit listening to God, we are in danger of losing what we think we have in Him. This is a somber warning to us. If we shut God out, we cut off the flow of the Living Water in us. We will soon dry up and wither away. A living soul needs constant nourishment in order to continue to live. We need to constantly be in touch with the Lord. We must have an insatiable hunger and thirst for Christ. We must long for more and more of Christ and His Word in us.

Don’t put your soul in danger. Feed your soul daily with God’s Word. Feed daily on the riches of His grace. Tune into Him and you will hear His life-giving voice.

A LIT LAMP

 

A LIT LAMP

Luke 8:16-18 "No one would light a lamp and then cover it up or put it under a bed. No, lamps are mounted in the open, where they can be seen by those entering the house. For everything that is hidden or secret will eventually be brought to the light and made plain to all. So, be sure to pay attention to what you hear. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they think they have will be taken away from them." NLT

A lit lamp lights up the area all around it. There is no question about what kind of lamp it is and what surrounds it. I wonder as to whether or not we can be easily identified as a lamp and whether or not we light up the world around us. Do we display clearly to those in our world who we are and what we stand for?

A lamp cannot do any good if it is not kept lit. The moment we let our lights go out, darkness takes over. We lose our way. We lose our sense of security and comfort. We lose our perspective of what surrounds us. We lose our sense of why we even exist. In the dark, we can be easily harmed. It is our responsibility to keep our lamps lit, and it is always in our best interest to keep them lit.

In the dark, we cannot read. We cannot stay informed as to what the Lord desires to teach us and tell us. We are left to our own understanding that is shrouded in sinfulness. In the darkness, we can never know the ways of the Lord. In the light, there is no confusion as to where you need to be going.

It is our responsibility to keep our lamps lit. No one can do it for us. We must put forth the effort to stay connected to our power source. The Lord is the fuel that keeps our lamps burning. As long as we stay connected to the Lord, we will shine brightly and we will gain more and more understanding of Him and His ways.

Are you working hard at keeping your light turned on? The brightness of your light is directly related to the amount of effort you put into staying connected to Christ.

LIGHT IT UP

 

LIGHT IT UP

Luke 8:16-18 "No one would light a lamp and then cover it up or put it under a bed. No, lamps are mounted in the open where they can be seen by those entering the house. For everything that is hidden or secret will eventually be brought to light and made plain to all. So be sure to pay attention to what you hear. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they think they have will be taken away from them." NLT

The purpose of lamps is to dispel darkness. They are there to guide through the darkness. They are there to protect us from getting hurt by things we might not otherwise see. They give understanding of those things which are around us. Lamps that are not functioning as lamps are not useful as lamps.

Lamps illuminate and applied spiritually means that what is in the soul will be revealed. For some, their day of revealing is going to be much sooner than expected. For others it won't happen until Jesus comes back to earth to take those who have a pure heart home to heaven with Him.

God illuminates the soul through Christ and His Word. We must pay attention to them so that we will have proper understanding of God and His ways. No one can understand spiritual truths apart from the illumination of the Holy Spirit on the soul. All who listen and believe will be given much understanding. For all who don't listen what they think they have will be taken away from them. This means that sin darkens the soul and what little understanding one may have will be squelched by sin and taken away from the listener.

Keep your light lit and shining brightly for all to see and never let it go out.

THE SOLID ROCK

THE SOLID ROCK

Luke 6:47-48 "I will show you what it is like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then obeys me. It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation upon the underlying rock. When the floodwaters rise, and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built." NLT

Solid rock does not give. If a house is built on solid rock, you know that the foundation under it is not going anywhere. You know that when storms come, the house will not crumble. It would take an extra strong storm to harm a house built on a rock. Even if the house would crumble, the rock would not be moved.

Spiritually, Jesus is the Solid Rock. A life firmly built on Christ will not be moved or crumble when the storms of life hit. The way to make sure that we do not crumble is to flee to Jesus, listen to what He tells us to do, and then just do it. The reason why so many of us have so much trouble is that we don't flee to Jesus. Or, if we do flee to Him, we don't listen too well to what He is telling us, let alone obeying Him.

Jesus does not give out bad advice. If we listen to Him and obey Him, all things will work out for our good and He will be honored and glorified because of it. We tend to stay too busy to really listen to Him. We don't stay connected to Him well enough to hear what He has to say to us. We don't read the Word like we should so we can understand what He is saying. We don't pray much so we don't hear Him speak to our souls. We approach Him with an agenda instead of being still before Him and waiting in His presence like we should and need to.

We are our own worst enemy. We can avoid many of the pitfalls of our lives if we were to simply pause to listen to the Lord and then do what He asks us to do.

GOOD ONLY FROM GOOD

 

GOOD ONLY FROM GOOD

Luke 6:45 “A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” NLT

Not a lot needs to be said about this verse. The Lord made it very plain and easy to understand. We are the product of what is in our hearts. Our living does not lie. We do what our hearts compel us to do. If we are living godly lives, it is because God lives in us and is controlling us. If we are living in sin it’s because God is not in us and Satan is controlling us.

What is in our hearts determines what comes out of our mouths. I cannot stress this important truth enough. Listen to what comes out of your mouth. If you speak harshly to people, negatively about all that goes on around you, use God’s name loosely, use vulgar language, tell vulgar jokes, etc., it is because you are out of fellowship with God. You cannot be right with God and speak wrongly in the world.

Granted, there are times in which we must speak out. There are times in which we have been wronged and the wrongs need to be brought to light. Sometimes our words are driven by our emotions, and we simply react in less than honorable ways. But, we can express ourselves with words that do not damage others. We can be more careful with the words we speak. We must guard our hearts and put into them good things so that what comes out are good and not evil.

If you were to carry a tape recorder around with you on any given day and were able to replay it and hear every word you spoke that day, would you be pleased with yourself? Better yet, would God be pleased with you? The Lord does hear every word you speak and will hold you accountable for them.

What goes in will come out. What are you putting into your heart?