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.