Counting the Cost

It looks like the people in Jesus' time, Luke 14:25 - 15:7, were no different. He seemed to be the newest excitement on the scene and huge crowds were following. But have you ever heard a popular leader ever say ,"Wait a minute. Following me is going to cost you everything."?  Jesus said you will need to give up your family, life, possessions (including money), and pick up a rough heavy cross to be His true follower. Not really a way to win friends and followers. 

But the truth is Jesus wants disciples, not followers. Verse 33 says, "So then none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions." He wants people ready to learn from Him as a disciple, instead of those just going along with the crowd.

Am I ready to give up in my heart whatever might be distracting me from hearing Him? As verse 33 says, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear". It is the only way to really live free!

Who's Coming To Dinner

In today's reading (Luke 14:7-24), Jesus is speaking plainly at another dinner party put on by a Pharisee leader. He looks at the host and gives him wonderfully helpful advice on what his guest list should look like. This advice is so against our natural way of doing things that we need to listen too."When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Can we even imagine the difference in getting repaid by a comfortable meal with friends and getting repaid eternally by our loving very very rich Heavenly Father. Now that is something to think about before we make our next guest list! Who are the poor, the handicapped, the needy that we could invite over? Who's coming to dinner?

Into the Heart of Jesus

What an honor we have today to have a chance to peek into the heart of our Lord as we get to the middle of our reading (Luke 13:18-14:6). In verse 34 we read: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!" Do you hear the mother heart in these words? Don't we know the solid comfort of having all the family get safely home before a cold stormy night sets in? Just to have everyone warm and dry and secure seems to make all the difference.

But sadly that doesn't always happen. Hurt and rejection can leave members out wandering in the night. Most all have experienced that scratching anxiety that comes from wondering, "Where are they?". The good news is that Jesus knows how we are feeling. In Luke 19:41-42, Jesus actually weeps over the city with grief.  He intimately knows the rejection we feel when our love and desire to help is spurned. This understanding gives us an open door to come to Him with our hurt and pour it out in prayer. His hug and comfort is our true security in stormy times.

Thank you Lord for revealing your heart to us.

Settling out of Court

The reading today, Luke 12:57-!3:17, starts with such important good news if we will heed the warning.  It seems like our Lord is reminding us to try hard to settle any fights we are having with others early (readily ask for or give forgiveness) before we can be judged as obstinate and suffer the consequences of resentment and bitterness prison. This prison comes with much torment (Matthew 18:34), and we will not get out of there until we have paid the last cent of our debt. Really we can not get out of there at all without God's grace. So let's all take the forgiveness route today and enjoy the freedom of our Lord.

Who is the servant?

Our reading today, Luke 12:35-56, is all about being a faithful and wise servant. That is so great because I see women thriving as they serve others. The part I like is the sense of anticipation in verses 35-36 of the master's arrival. It is like an excitement to be properly prepared in every way for his knock. Of course, this is how we are to anticipate Jesus' presence in our lives.

The surprising thing is that the master turns the tables, puts on his apron, and has the servants sit down to eat. He then waits on these "blessed" faithful ones. I keep finding that to be the surprising thing about God. I get to thinking I am doing so much, and come to find out that it was really Him all the time that was working. It was absolutely all His doing. You got to love that kind of Master.

Everybody else does it!

My, the reading today (Luke 12:22-34) sinks way down in my need and maybe yours. It is wonderful how our Lord does not beat around the bush. Take in verse 29; "And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. "

So what is the remedy for our fear laden "will we have enough" thinking? After all everybody else is doing it ("all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek"). And what does "seeking His kingdom" mean anyway?

Well, part of the search just turns us inside out. It is not how hard we can work to accumulate and earn this kingdom. (He has already chosen to gladly give it to us.) We see that verse 34 is the jewel, the tip off to true treasure. It tell us that as we give (even if nobody appreciates it), we accumulate the real security, because generosity frees our heart to go back to its Source, it's true desire in heaven. Generosity is a Christian's free ticket into the kingdom of heavenly living. We can afford to be very generous, because we are abandoned to the Source and Provider of very need. 

                     

When He says our name!

It is another fascinating and rich reading today (Luke 12:4-21). I've especially been thinking about verse eight. What will it be like to have our wonderful Lord Jesus acknowledge us before the angels of God? Talk about getting a thrill! Seems like it would be good enough just to see Him and to see His smile of greeting, but then have Him go on and talk about His love for us and appreciation for our relationship.....  Oh My!

It looks like we can take this as a promise as we are obedient to acknowledging Him before people.  "I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God."

Lord, show us how to acknowledge You before others. We know it has to be more than just words. Make our lives a testimony of Your grace and love.

Help for Hypocrisy

Oh my! What do we do with the reading today Luke 11:37-12:3 ? Jesus goes to have lunch with some of the "church" leaders, gets comfortable, notices a critical spirit, and starts "insulting" them all. This goes on for 14 verses!  And when Jesus left, the leaders were totally hostile and intent on tripping him up. This surely does not seem like the way to win friends.

When you take another look, you can see that these Pharisees had been listening to Jesus (and even some to John) and had not evidently been convicted to turn from their sin. So Jesus puts it to them straight. The big lesson to the disciples is, "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." (Not having your teaching and words line up with the way you are living.)

Oh this is such a crucial word to us. We all are teaching and leading as younger ones and others are watching. I like this reminder from John Owens.
"If a man teach uprightly and walk crookedly, more will fall down in the night of his life than he built in the day of his doctrine."

Oh Lord, help us to be transparent, and free from the deceitfulness of appearances. Make us Your clear pure light.

Clear Eyes?

The reading today, Luke 11:14-36,reminds me of the variety and richness of our Chocolate Angel experience on Saturday. Toward the end of it, we can learn Jesus' prescription for ageless beauty. Jesus has mentioned the vital need for lamps shining out in the open so people can see where to go. Then in verse 34 He says, "The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear your whole body also is full of light: but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness." I know we have all seen people who are beautiful because of an ageless inner glow and that is most recognizable in their eyes. The fact is that their eyes, the windows to their souls, are clear.

So how do we keep our eyes clear instead of getting "spiritual cataracts". I think it has a lot to do with what we look at and focus on. Out eyes can get glazed and calloused (sort of what we hide behind) if we focus on fears, worries, lies from the enemy. "Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness." However, a focus on truth, love, and our dear Lord brings freedom and clarity and joy that just shines.

Father give us clear eyes so that we can glow more and more with Your beauty.

Shameless prayer

In our reading today (Luke 10:38-11:13), the Lord seems to go out of His way to expand our idea of prayer. The eleventh chapter start with the familiar Lord's Prayer, and we are reminded to seek the expansion of God's Kingdom and then our needs. But then He adds on the fascinating story of man who had company come in late and needed food. So he goes to a friend's house at midnight and yells through the door that he needs not one, not two, but three loaves of bread. The "friend" does not want to get up and help out, but the man keeps yelling at the door. Finally, the "friend" gets out of bed, opens up the house (possibly calming down the now awake children), and gives the persistent (or shameless) man what he is asking for. Can you believe our Lord is saying that we should pray like this persistent or shameless man is asking for help? Jesus goes on to say it will be given to everyone who asks, seeks, and knocks. "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit (the best gift) to those who ask Him?"

Lord, help us to be persistent even shameless as we seek you for help.

How to be a "Good Samaritan"

How fun is it to see our Lord excited about what the "babies" (maybe us) are learning in today's reading, Luke 10:21-37. 'That "rejoiced greatly" (verse 21) in Greek indicates jump for joy or leap or dance. Can you see Him dancing over us as we learn and put His truth into action?

The teaching today is an answer to the lawyer's "who is my neighbor". We all know it was the Good Samaritan who showed the kind of love that Jesus encouraged. But how was he different from the religious leaders who had detoured around half dead man.

1. The Good Samaritan was definitely not in the Jewish "in crowd". In fact he was an outcast who had probably experienced rejection.
2. Since he "felt compassion" for the hurting, he had been freed of any controlling bitterness resulting from being an outcast.
3. He was free to put effort into a likely messy business. (Anointing and bandaging bloody wounds)
4. He was free to give what was valuable to him. (The oil and the wine brought for the journey, the beast he could have ridden on, the money that seems always helpful and the time that is irreplaceable. In fact the Samaritan gave without reserve to the innkeeper, "Take care of him" - the wounded- "and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.")

Jesus' parting comment to the lawyer was "Go and do the same."

Lord, give us a freely generous spirit to help those on our path today who are in need.

Wonderful Adventures

The passage for today, Luke 10:1-20, starts out with such an intriguing verse (2). Jesus is explaining the next adventure to quite a group (35 pairs) who are to go prepare the way for Him to come to the cities down the road. He says,"The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." One version says "beseech" the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers. It opened my eyes to the need to:

1. Not just casually ask but beseech God for more laborers to share the Good News with others.
2. Also to remember that this job is "labor" not a vacation
3. That it is exciting possibly dangerous work "lambs in the midst of wolves"
4. That we can depend on God for every need (took no money, bag or shoes)
5. And we should not get distracted (greet no one on the way)
6. That it will be rewarding (the Seventy returned with joy)
7. That God will be pleased (Jesus said He saw Satan fall from heaven)

Wow, what an opportunity! Also, however our adventures turn out, we can rejoice that our names are recorded in heaven. It is a win-win.

Just passing through

The word I noticed today in Luke 9:44-62 is such a wonderful reminder to all of us, and the passage takes about three minutes to read! Our amazing Lord has started on His way to Jerusalem determined to carry out His final mission there despite knowing the cost. As they were walking, someone says,""I will follow you wherever you go." But Jesus replies, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."  I guess we theoretically know that we are on the same trip to eternal glory, just passing through this life. And I think as you get older, it starts becoming more real. But it is surely easy to concentrate on fixing up and investing in and worrying about the places we are "laying our heads" now.

Lord, help us to concentrate on where we are going and those we can love on the trip with us today.

Who is in charge?

What a dramatic hands-on lesson the disciples, and all of us get today (Luke 9:23-43)! The week before Jesus had given a great teaching on denying yourself to follow Him. It is just eight days later that He takes the inner circle of three up on a mountain to pray. Well, they fall asleep (sound familiar?) and as they are waking up they see a changed and dazzling Jesus. The Amplified Bible says the clothes of Jesus were "flashing with the brilliance of lightening". To top it off, He is actually standing there talking to Elijah and Moses! I bet the guys thought they were still dreaming.

Well as the guests were leaving, Peter comes out with, "Master, it's good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"....Whoa!  Who is following whom? As Peter is babbling, a cloud comes and envelopes them with a voice that says,"This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.'

You know, not many people get that direct a rebuke from the Creator Himself. It is no wonder that they "kept this to themselves".

Lord, help us to remember that we are following You today. May we look to You for the best ideas. 

Dinner Is On

I see our dear Jesus today opening wide the door and saying, "Come on in, you are so welcome. Dinner is on the table."

I hope you have read Luke 9:7-22. Jesus gives us such an amazing example of hospitality. You see He had sent the guys out on an adventure with absolutely no provisions (not even a change of clothes or any money), and they had come back excited to tell Him all they had been able to do. So He had them come with Him to Bethsaida so they could enjoy talking about it all.  But the ever- needy crowds followed them. And it says, "welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing."

Then when it got late and the possibly impatient guys were saying to Jesus to send the crowds away so they could eat and sleep, He says "You give them (5,000+) something to eat!"  Whoa!  We find out that Jesus wants not only the crowds but also the disciples to experience what hospitality truly is. It turns out to be giving what you have and trusting God to bless - possibly amazingly!

What Jesus has to give is life. He is truly the gracious host, and we are always welcome. Dinner is on. Let's come and get it!

He REALLY Means It!

This is so interesting. Yesterday's message has returned but more forcefully. I'm thinking God really wants us to get it.

In today's passage (Luke 8:40-9:6), you just cannot escape the agony and concern of Jairus. He fell down at Jesus' feet and implored Him to come heal his daughter. But before they got to the house, a messenger came to say that she has died so no use bothering Jesus. You can imagine how Jairus' heart fell since his worst fears were being realized ( maybe thinking, "anyway why did we have to stop for that woman who had just been bleeding for a while?").

However, now it comes - the amazing reply by our Lord. "Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well." (verse 50). What?  Isn't it a bit too late?  But on they trudge, just to find out that when Jesus says,"Child, arise!", the twelve year old does and is even hungry.

So I keep hearing that, "Do not be afraid any longer, only believe...." What could we fear that would top the drama in this scene. I'm thinking Jesus really means it.

Gripped With Great Fear

What a wonder we see in today's reading in Luke 8:26-39. Can you just imagine the drama of Jesus casting out so many demons that they cause hundreds of pigs to stampede and drown? What a commotion! It says the herdsmen ran away and told the whole city and countryside. So, of course, the people come out to see what is going on.

But the people miss the real miracle. The real wonder is the former wild demoniac, dressed, and sitting listening to Jesus. It looks like the reason they miss it is that they are "gripped with great fear". They actually ask the Lord and Savior to leave. This was all just too upsetting.

I'm wondering if sometimes when hearing all the commotion around us (in the News and lives of others) if we are not tempted to be "gripped with great fear". It we don't turn to  our Lord and Savior, it will seem like He has left. 

Lord, help us to be more like the former wild man, dressed, in our right mind, and sitting listening to you.

Where Is Your Faith?

What an adventure we get to have with the Prince of Peace today! In verse 22 of Luke 8:16-25, Jesus simply says,"let us go over to the other side of the lake." So they set out. Well, they are sailing along just fine and He falls asleep. And wouldn't you know that this is when a fierce windstorm descends on the lake, the boat starts filling with water, and they "were in danger". What do you do? 

They crawl over to this sound sleeper and cry out, " Master, Master, we're going to die!" So He gets up, rebukes the raging wind and waves, they cease, and all is calm. Actually, all except for the seasoned sailors in shock. And what do they hear next but, "Where is your faith?" 

I'm wondering if Jesus is not so much giving them a rebuke about having such little faith, as stirring them to think about in what they are placing their faith. Is it in their years of experience sailing, knowledge of that lake, and how to do that job or is it in Him and Who He is? 

When we are sailing along with Jesus, it is important to remember who we are trusting.

Bearing Fruit With Perseverance

It tickles me that God is revealing secrets to us, as it says in verse 10 of our passage today (Luke 8:1-15). One of them that I noticed was that the value of the crop that Jesus is describing comes as the fruit matures (verse 14). The next verse describes the good fruit bearers as holding it fast and bearing with perseverance. I think God knows we need continual reminders that just getting a good crop going is not our goal. It is hanging in there for the long haul. It is mentoring and blessing not only our own children, but their children and their children and the heritage after them. It is encouraging and blessing spiritual children and grandchildren and the heritage after them. It is knowing that our trusting God and persevering in difficult times (even if no one seems to be watching) will have long term - even eternal effects. 

Father give us grace to persevere.  

Rather Uncomfortable With The Emotion

Are you able to sit at dinner with the Lord today and experience the depth of Luke 7:36-50? What a happening! This ill-reputed woman is courageous or desperate enough to brave the Pharisaical condemnation, walk in to the dinner, and kneel down at the Savior's feet. Then it starts to get messy. You have to remember there are no tissues or napkins as she is crying on, kissing, and pouring oil on His feet. She is using her hair. I'm afraid I am too reserved not to get rather uncomfortable at this emotional outburst. I bet the men around were also. But not Jesus. What He sees is love. Much love. And He actually says, "Her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little". Whoa - so that is the key. I really don't know what a sinner I am. 

Lord, I really do want to love You with much love. In this month when we focus so much on love, I am desperate enough to ask You to reveal the sin that is in the way so that I can be forgiven and love you with my whole heart. Thank You for first loving beyond anything imaginable.