Day 30: Luke 17-18

Luke 18:18-23

I would like to keep this simple this morning. Jesus hit me hard today as I read these words of His. He was asking me these questions and I would like to pass them along to you.

Wes, are you willing to sell all you have to follow Me? Are you willing to give up the DishNetwork? Are you willing to give up your highspeed internet? Are you willing to give up your fancy iPhone? Are you willing to surrender your home you just bought last fall? Are you willing to sell your 48' flat panel? Are you willing to give it all up for Me with joy and gladness?

Or, will you walk away sorrowful like the rich ruler? Will you ignore this call and justify in your own heart why you should keep them?

May God lead us to a place where we must give it up to follow Him!!

Day 29: Luke 14-16

As usual, I am nearly overwhelmed by all of the things stated in these three chapters. I'm torn in two directions this morning, between the story of the prodigal son and that of the shrewd manager. My thoughts on each don't really tie together neatly, but I think I will comment on both.

First off is the unusual story of the shrew manager found at the beginning of chapter 16. I'm always intrigued when a "bad" example is given to make a positive point (such as God being compared to the unjust judge in Luke 18). I think the point of the story is this: the shrewd manager took what was in front of him and leveraged it for what would be best down the road. He knew the situation he was in was fleeting and would soon be gone. He couldn't keep what he had, but he could translate it into future blessings.

While the cheating methods of the manager are not commendable, the idea behind them is. In the same way, we live in a world that is fleeting and will not last. We also manage someone else's resources and would be wise to use them in a way that is most beneficial for eternity. So rather than seeing how all that I have could be used for my own benefit, I should seek God's will and ask how they can best be used for His eternal plans! I once read that everything we own is either an idol or a tool. I pray you view everything in your possession as a tool to be used for God's Kingdom and glory. As Jim Elliot is oft quoted as saying, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."

Switching gears, I've been blessed many times by the story of the prodigal son. I personally find it to be the best picture of repentance in the Bible. After living a life of sin, the son "comes to his senses" and sees the folly of his ways. He owns up to what he has done rather than lay the blame at anyone else's feet. He realizes he must get up and leave that lifestyle and so he sets his face toward his father. He knows he has no right to demand anything from his father but can only confess his sin and throw himself at his father's mercy.

In the same way, we all must come to God in this manner. There is an owning up to our sin and a turning away from it. We come to God not in our own merits but rather relying on His mercy. And when we come in this repentant, heart-broken manner, look at how God responds! He doesn't throw it in our faces but rather throws His arms around us! He is scandalously ready to forgive!

I am so thankful that God has received me in this manner!! That I can come to Him on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus rather than my own, which is nothing more than filthy rags. What a glorious God we serve! I pray that you bask in the glory of that forgiveness today and that it motivates you to live a life of thanksgiving unto Him!

Day 28: Luke 12-13

If we're captured by greed, or her second cousin, worry, we will miss out on real life. That's the inescapable conclusion I reach when I read Jesus' familiar words once again.

"A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (12:15b)
"Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes." (12:23)
"But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom." (12:32)

Provide ... a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted ... for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (12:33-34)

The Kingdom of God is the most wonderful gift of all; food, clothing, fortune, fame all pale before it. There is nothing to compare with it. God's children are free to rejoice and exalt in the Kingdom, our gift. But first we must put food and clothing, storing up and giving to the poor in proper perspective or we'll miss the point entirely.

If you're like me, you're most familiar with this teaching in the context of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25-34). The meaning is essentially the same. Perhaps because it's so familiar you think you know what it means. But Luke's rendering of Jesus' core teaching is just enough different (it was probably delivered on a different occasion) that it forces us to look again, this time more closely. I encourage you to explore this passage with new eyes.

Day 27: Luke 10-11

Well, it's 11:20pm and the Lord roused me from slumber and said, "Go! Write your blog."

Chapters 10 and 11 of Luke are filled with some of the most beloved passages of truth, it is hard to focus in on any one passage.

May I give some exegetical/interpretational notes that may aid in our understanding.

1. Luke 10:2-3 And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

• Do you really think the harvest is plentiful? We often think that there is not anyone really interested in the gospel - that people in America are hard hearted and inoculated to the gospel. Christ's words here should speak to that...THE HARVEST IS PLENTIFUL. That is, there is a harvest out there waiting to be reaped. The problem is that there are too few laborers willing to go and be eaten by the wolves.

2. Luke 10:38-42 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." 41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

• I think one of the problems we overlook here in this account is not what Martha was doing or not doing, but rather HOW she was doing it. I don't think her serving was all wrong, but rather 2 mannerisms of her serving fall short. First, her serving left out time at the feet of Jesus hearing his words. Service apart from intimate fellowship with the one you are serving is misguided zeal at best, and man centered effort that will never have God's blessing at worst. Second, her service for her Lord was with regard to others rather than singly focused on Christ. Listen to her criticisms and hear her heart. "Look at poor me. I am the only one that truly loves Jesus because I am the only one working." She measured her love by her busyness. Her eyes were diverted and her labor was corrupt. I love the Lord's kind and caring response. "Martha, Martha." Do you hear the loving gentleness behind his rebuke. May we learn to rebuke this way.

3. Luke 11:2 And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.

• When you pray, is your praying heaven saturated? As you pray for the health of a loved one or some benefit you desire to see Christ perform for you or a member of your church, is the request heavenward or "you"ward. All praying and all requests must be so that God's name might be hallowed as it ought to be. That his kingdom might be established in the hearts of men on earth as it is in heaven. Let your praying be transformed into Christ exalting requests that sound less like this: "Lord, I need a job - would you give me a job." and more like this: "Lord, I need a job, but I want the job that will allow your name to be magnified in my life the most. Would you direct me to the employment where you may be glorified in my daily bread winning - where your kingdom's advancement might increase because of this job?"

May your study of Luke 10 and 11 increase your walk with the Savior.