Hearing Rightly

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

HEARING RIGHTLY

Luke 8:4-8

4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."

When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." 

NIV

There is no hidden meaning in this parable other than it is a fact about the kingdom of God and peoples responses and relationship to it. Jesus is going to tell his disciples and us the exact meaning as to the four different type individuals who accept the gospel message and how that plays out in their lives. So we should focus on those last few words of Jesus when he admonishes everyone to hear if they have ears. Who does not have ears? Yet it is the ears which hear the truth or hear something other than the truth which he refers to. With so many voices to listen to, we need to focus in on just one voice, that of our Lord. This is a lesson we have learned before. We cannot afford to listen to the voice of the tempter, nor can we allow ourselves to remain shallow in our beliefs. We must always put aside the passions of the world, the desires for material gain driven by those who simply want our money. We must seek first his kingdom, hearing his words, taking them to heart, trying our level best with the help of the Spirit to understand the truth and to incorporate that truth into our lifestyle. If we are hearing rightly, we will not be distracted by other things. Sure we can enjoy the benefit of being children of God. Yes, he blesses us is many aspects of our lives, spiritually as well as physically. He has told us to ask and if we do in his name, he will answer our prayer. He has told us to have faith, to believe, to trust and if we are hearing correctly, we will live as though we actually do have faith. Not just for salvation, but that certainly is important, but our faith must apply to every aspect of our lives. How can we live like the world does, trusting in how much money we can make to afford the things we desire, when we have heard the words of our Lord? We have to be that ground which he planted his words into us and we need to be growing and producing crops. We need to be touching the lives of others for the sake of the kingdom of God. That is if we are hearing rightly. 

Supporting Jesus

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

SUPPORTING JESUS

Luke 8:1-3

8:1 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

NIV

Clearly there were many followers of Jesus, not just the twelve he had designated as apostles. Here we are told about some specific people, woman by name who not only followed him, but were helping support him from their own means. Much has been said of the character of this woman, but there is no proof either way of any type of character, but what we know is that all of them had been healed of some infirmity and they all had some source of substance which that used to help support our Lord and his twelve. The interesting point here which might well sure as a life lesson for us, is the fact the Jesus, the king of kings, the Lord of lords, the divine Son of God who ministered both to the physical and spiritual needs of his people, accepted their support of his physical needs. He had turned water into wine, he multiplied a few fish and some bread into enough to feed thousands, he commanded the waves and the wind, he spoke and fruit trees withered, certainly he could have provided his own food and shelter and yet he allowed these woman to help support his daily needs. Was this for his benefit or theirs? It would seem he needed no benefit from this transaction and so we are left with the opinion he allowed them to do for him for their own benefit, to be able to show their gratitude in a monetary scene, from what they could offer. Certainly no person can ever offer Jesus anything close to what he offers them. This was true of them and it remains true for us. What do we have to offer to our Lord out of the gratitude for his sacrifice for us? Nothing, yet he accepted their offering to meet his daily needs, and he does the same for us. Of course we cannot do as those woman did for we cannot walk along the road in the physical with him as they did. So how do we give to his ministry, of what substance of ours can we support him with? In our postmodern denominationalism we have elected to interpret scripture in a manner which dictates supporting the church as supporting our Lord with our substance. But does the church go from village to village preaching the good news of the kingdom of God, living as a poor person with no place to lay their head? He humbled himself to his creation both at the cross and in his daily living. Does the church do that? They gather the wealth of their congregants to support a multitude of staff, abundance of trappings within the church structure, lighting, sound, music, drama, and whatever else they can add to the extravagant décor of the building and its grounds. Yet where is the ministry to the poor in need? Where are the sick being healed? Who in need hears the good news of the kingdom of God? Has the church lost its way? Has much of our support from our substance been eaten up in administrative costs? It is just a self-perpetuating circle? We give to the church and it gives us what we want, it feeds our self-interest, but what about the preaching to those in need of the good news of the kingdom of God? Are we actually supporting our Lord from our substance? We could see this also as our substance as what he has given to us, the gifts and fruit. This is our true worth, our true substance and of that we can offer to whoever we come in contact with, especially those in need of his grace. We can support his ministry by being his ministry in village after village, going about our neighborhood, our community, our workplace, our daily lives among people in need of the good news of the kingdom of God. After all we are an ambassador, a disciple, a follower, not of some church or denomination, but of Jesus. Let us support Jesus. 

Forgiven and Saved

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

FORGIVEN AND SAVED

Luke 7:48-50

48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  49 The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" 50 Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." 

NIV

Although we dealt with the whole of the narrative it would be beneficial for us to focus on this last portion and the two phrases Jesus spoke directly to this woman who had washed his feet with her tear wiping them with her hair, kissing his feet and then anointing him with expensive perfume. The first thing he told her was that her sins were forgiven. Jesus did not go into detail of how she needed to first admit she was a sinner, repent of her sins, then ask him to forgive her, and ask him to come into her heart. He merely forgave her. Now that being said, perhaps her lavish display of love toward him already show him her heart and that she knew of his divine nature and her need of his favor. This is but supposition, as all we have is the facts of her actions and the words that her sins are forgiven. These are the sweetest words in all the scripture. “Your sins are forgiven” of course the next words he spoke to her are just as sweet. But let us remember well that fact that our sins are forgiven if we have that same kind of heart toward Jesus as she had. If would only make sense that those who refuse to acknowledge his divine nature would not have the forgiveness of their sins. His words are not a blanket statement covering every person’s sins just because. This woman heart for Jesus was expressed in her actions toward him. This is how he knew she loved him, and this is how he knows we love him. It is by our actions toward him which bring us those words that our sins are forgiven. Now that does not mean we have to work for our salvation for that simply is not true,  but it is the action of our heart which matters when we turn to him expressing our belief in him. This is why Jesus told her, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace”. It was not the fact of her actually washing his feet or anointing him with oil that saved her, it was her faith in him, in his divine nature, in who he was. Those blessed words that our sins are forgiven and that our faith has saved us. How sweet it is. Where would we be if we had no forgiveness and we were not saved? What would are fate be? It is almost unimaginable, unthinkable, unbearable to consider, but thanks be to God we do not have to, for because we turned our heart to Jesus, our sins are forgiven and we are saved. 

More

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

MORE

Luke 7:40-50

40 Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. 41 "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"  43 Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.   46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven — for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."  48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  49 The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" 50 Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." 

NIV

Here we have the second part of the narrative between Jesus and the Pharisee who invited him to his home for dinner. There are several issues within this conversation which could be considered as life lessons, but the main issue is course the idea of who loves Jesus more, the person who was an outright sinner, or the one who has lived a rather upright life, at least in their own eyes. The Pharisee though he was a righteous man, but this woman knew in her heart she was a sinner, she has no pretense of being anything but who she was. Without judgment, it might seem at times we who think we live a rather righteous life could be identified with this Pharisee. There are people who have come from the depths of sin who have such a love for God in their hearts because they have been saved. Some of us have come from that lifestyle and the question we must ask ourselves is if our passion for the Lord has become stale or waned from when we first were saved. There is no doubt that it appears, at least, there are those who have been born into Christianity, raised in the church who consider themselves almost without sin, and certainly would be identified with this Pharisee. But for those of us who once lived a more open sinful life, without regard for Jesus at all, and then hearing the voice of the Spirit convicting us of our sin and need of repentance and God proving his power in our lives, forgiving our sin, cleansing us in the blood of Jesus, we must never allow our passion for Jesus to diminish. We have been forgiven of much, and therefore we should always love him much. What does loving him much look like? Was this woman weeping because of her sin? Is that why her tears came? Once she was forgiven did her love for Jesus decease? Jesus explained to this Pharisee the difference how he acted toward Jesus and how she acted toward him. The Pharisee invited him to dinner, but did not host Jesus in the manner or custom of those days, but washing his feet, or even having a servant to such. We can invite Jesus into our heart but not host him in the manner he desires. We should be washing his feet, so to speak. We should be loving him with all our heart, mind, spirit and body, if for no other reason than he forgave and continues to forgive our sin. We can never think ourselves righteous, like that Pharisee, for we are but a sinner saved by the grace of God. If anything, our love for Jesus should be growing more and more. 

No Difference

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

NO DIFFERENCE

Luke 7:36-39

36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37 When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is — that she is a sinner."

NIV

Although this is but the beginning of an exchange between Jesus and this Pharisee as well as a teaching of our Lord, we need to look at it in pieces, as the whole is rather long. Our Lord is going to make a point so we need not get ahead of him. But we can see something here that we should take to heart first. The Pharisee saw a great distinction between himself and this woman. He was a righteous man, abiding by the law and she was nothing but a sinner. How quick it is to judge another’s sinful ways while all the time thinking how righteous we are. Do we forget just how sinful we once were? It is impossible to forget the horrible stain of sin that soaked our life. This Pharisee did not even have that thought of every being a sinner. Was he born a Pharisee? Did he grow up being a Pharisee? Was he ever a sinner? Did he think that his now self-righteous lifestyle wiped away his once unrighteous one? The scripture teaches us that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It any sin greater then another? Jesus is going to teach about the one who is forgiven of much, loves much and the one who is forgiven of little, loves little. So although there is no difference in sin, there must be a difference in the amount of sin one commits. But nevertheless the Pharisee seems to think he has none, but she certainly does. This is where we have to be extremely careful to be ever mindful of our own life, both past and present. We cannot afford to have any thoughts that resemble that of this Pharisee. If anything we are the chief of sinners, and have been forgiven of them all, thus we are in fact as this women, loving our Lord much. How could we ever think there is anything within us that resembles righteousness? Even now, after repenting of much sin, and accepting Jesus, we still struggle we temptation and on too many occasions fail to withstand those temptations. Yet if anything, that realization drive our love for Jesus even more, knowing and understanding he still loves us, and covered all our sin with his blood. As we will see, we need to be like this woman, weeping over Jesus because of our sin. But this point here, for now, has to do with not judging anyone to be a sinner, while thinking we are righteous. How foolish that would be. There is no difference. 

To be like Jesus

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

TO BE LIKE JESUS

Luke 7:31-35

31  "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.' 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." '  35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children." 

NIV

Jesus has been talking about John the Baptist after John’s disciples came to him with that question from John. He was comparing the old order and the new order of things. That John was the greatest of prophets because he was the last before Jesus. But that John also represented the past and Jesus represents the future. John represents the law and Jesus represents grace. He now declares what that and all future generations, although he only said this generation, were like. Yet some scholars are not sure about if he actually said that, as it is not in the earliest of copies. The point however that Jesus was making is the difference between what John and he represents. They called John a devil and Jesus a glutton and drunkard. John was sort of an anti-social being and Jesus was a very social being. John was living an austere life living alone under the law, but Jesus was anything but austere, he dined with tax collectors and sinners, he attended their parties, weddings, funerals, even stopped a few of them by raising the dead person. We could spend many words in the comparison of these two lifestyles but in that is our life lesson. We could be like John, living an austere life under the rules and regulations of the church, living alone within its walls, staying or keeping our distance from tax collectors and sinners, only appearing occasionally to declare their guilt and need of repentance. But we also could take our lead from Jesus, in fact we should take our lead from him since he is the new, the present and the future and John is past. We should be living among the sinners, eating and yes, even drinking with them, being involved in their lives, but at the same time showing them the love and grace of God as Jesus did. We should not hold back the truth, but as with Christ many sinners accepted his words because of his graciousness of behavior. Yes, people, those still wanting to live that life of John, may well criticize us for being gluttons and drunkards, but so what, Jesus did not care about that as he was more concerned about reaching those who had need of his grace. We can be either those stiff-necked, tight-laced rule shackled believers or we can be like Jesus. Either way some people will find something to judge us on.  Yet it seems it is far better to be like Jesus.  To be like Jesus, all I want is to be like him. All through life’s journey from here to glory, all I want is to be like him. 

Old and New

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

OLD AND NEW

Luke 7:24-30

24 After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written:

"'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'   

28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  29(All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John. 30 But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

NIV

Jesus spends some time here with the people talking about John the Baptist and who he was in relationship to the people and to Jesus himself. Matthews account includes a statement about John which Luke does not but the message is the same. Before John there were many other prophets of God, in fact the people may have misunderstood some of them, because they thought it would be Elijah himself that would return before the Christ appeared. But the point Jesus was making is that John was the last prophet which means Jesus is the Christ. John was the last of the old and he ushered in the new. This is what Jesus was telling them. If they accepted the message of John and were baptized by John, repenting of their sin, they were part of the new. They were no longer condemned by the law, but were being a part of the new covenant God has made with his creation, through Christ Jesus. As far as being greater than John, it is all about the old and the new. John was by far the greatest of the prophets because he was the one who came just before Jesus and in fact baptized Jesus, proclaiming him to be the Lamb of God. Yet John died before the Sacrifice was made, so in fact he was still the old, but all of us who followed after John and accepted the act of repentance are in fact part of this new covenant with God. We acknowledge that God’s way is right. We acknowledge that the law was to show us our need for Jesus. We know that once we have been freed from that bondage under the law, we should not put ourselves back under it, burden ourselves with the law which has been perverted by men. The Pharisees had done just that and could not accept neither John nor Christ, as they were imprisoned by their own choosing to the law. We have to remember this lesson. We who have accepted the message of John the Baptist and repented of our sin, acknowledging that God’s way is right, which was to redeem us, to satisfy his own need for justice, but sending Jesus to be the one and last sacrifice for all our sin. When we try to live under the law, any law, which includes all those rules and regulations set forth by various denominations rather than by the covenant God made with us through Jesus, we are in fact more like the Pharisees then those who acknowledge God’s way is right. No, we should not continue to sin, that God’s grace can abound. But we have to acknowledge we do continue to sin, perhaps not on purpose, but because we are human, and no law, no rule or regulation can justify us, make us holy and righteous in the sight of God. Repentance and acceptance of Jesus as our Savior is our only path to God. We are not a part of the old, we are in the new. 

No Losing Heart

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

NO LOSING HEART

Luke 7:18-23

18 John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'" 21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 23 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." 

NIV

Although Luke does not tell us, we know at this time in John’s life he was in prison after saying what he did to king Herod and his wife. Herod had not yet been forced by his wife and her daughter to behead John, but nevertheless here he was in a cell, perhaps a dungeon cell in the palace. He was allowed visitors as we see he did send two of his disciples to ask this question of Jesus. Was the question for the purpose of his disciples learning that Jesus was the one? By the response of Jesus, most likely not. Although John knew Jesus even while he was still in the womb, and most likely knew him as a boy, they were cousins. But more importantly John declared to the people when he was baptizing in the wilderness and Jesus approached, “Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world”. Was there any doubt at that moment in John’s heart that Jesus was the Christ, the anointed one, the long awaited Messiah? So then why this question now? It would appear John was losing heart in this, his most difficult days. This is our life lesson. We might be full of all sorts of faith, praising God, telling others of how he has blessed our life and knowing full well of his Lordship in our life. But then there may be times when things get tough, and we are going through difficult times, it seems all the blessings are vanishing. It appears we are not getting answers to prayer, heaven’s ears seem closed to us, and our life is getting worse instead of better. Are we like John, losing heart, if not just a little? Are we losing hope? Do we wonder if this is really all true? Is Jesus really there? Is he really the one? Surely we would not admit that on the outside, but would we send a message, in prayer, to Jesus and ask him, “Are you the one?” If our life becomes difficult do we allow that doubt to creep in? The answer Jesus gave John’s disciples was one to encourage John, to booster his faith, to assure him everything is in the hands of God. Do not worry about your life, John, you will be with me in glory. Do not fall away because it is not happening as fast as you think it should. This is also our encouragement. Jesus has our life under control, he knows our every need, and he assures us he will care for us, and we will be in glory with him someday. What is our life, we should not worry about it, see the sparrows and the flowers in the field. It does not matter about the difficult times, Jesus is still with us. It is easy to praise him when everything is going well, when we have great health and wealth, but if our health and wealth wane, and life begins to take a turn for the worse, this is the time we need to have faith more than ever before. We cannot afford to lose heart. We cannot afford to question, as John did. We must know deep within that Jesus has our life in his hands. Nothing really matters except our relationship with him. John was impatient, wanting the kingdom of God to be right now, perhaps then he would be freed from that cell, and get about doing more for the kingdom. We also must not be impatient with Jesus, looking for our freedom to do something for the kingdom. God’s timing is the only one that counts. So no matter if we are doing great or not doing great, if we have faith in Jesus we are doing truly great. Therefore no losing heart. 

Compassion

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

COMPASSION

Luke 7:11-17

11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out — the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."  14 Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!"  15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

NIV

A moment in time when Jesus raises a boy from the dead. We always remember his great moment before the tomb of his friend Lazarus, but how often do we point to this moment? Certainly we know Jesus has the power to raise people from the dead. We know the point with his raising Lazarus was to show his friends his authority, to demonstrate they need to have faith in him, as well of course he felt a compassion for Mary and Martha. That is the lesson here, as he did not know either the boy or his mother, as he did with Lazarus and his sisters. Jesus had not sat in this woman’s home and fellowshipped. This was an act of pure compassion for a grieving mother. Yes the town’s people were amazed and he was regarded as a great prophet. This was not his motive, as he would rather they had seen him for who he was. His motive was nothing more than to have compassion on this mother. Here is our life lesson. It is about understanding the compassion of Jesus. Nothing was said about this woman being his disciple or follower, in fact we are to understand she had never seen or heard about Jesus before this day. He has compassion for all mankind, not just believers. We may be too quick to judge rather than to demonstrate his compassion on those who do not believe yet. Surely as a result of his compassion on her, she believed, perhaps only that he was a great prophet, but as the rest of his life unfolded, her faith in him for salvation may well have become the foundation of her life. The point is he had compassion on her, and as his followers we should have that kind of compassion on people who have yet to believe, as well, of course, on each other. Compassion is certainly different than empathy. Rather than feeling as she did, his heart went out to her, he felt sympathy or pity for her situation, and he did not feel as she was feeling, most likely because he knew he had the power to change her situation. This compassion is a difficult characteristic to incorporate into our being. Although his compassion only required his speaking to the dead boy, telling him to get up, our compassion might require a little more than a few words, although perhaps that is all it might take. Yet showing or having compassion for someone might require some time and effort. Nevertheless this is a trait or characteristic we need to have the Spirit help us develop more. When we see someone hurting, either physically or emotionally, we need to show compassion. How that looks, it may not be clear right now, but if we are open to the Spirit it will be at that moment. We need to be able to have compassion on whoever is in need of it. Then they just might see Jesus. 

Speak it and it is So

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

SPEAK IT AND IT IS SO

Luke 7:1-10

7:1 When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.   8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."  10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

NIV

A rather long narrative about a sick and dying servant of a centurion being healed simply because of the understanding of the authority of Jesus by that centurion, which Jesus saw as faith. But that is the truth of this lesson. Faith is a result of understanding the authority of Jesus. If we believe Jesus is God in the flesh, then we have no other course of action then to submit to his authority, to trust his authority, to obey his authority. The centurion understood that he was not worthy to have Jesus in his home, yet he also knew Jesus had authority over matters even if he was not at his home. Jesus does not need to stand in front of us to heal us, or as so many ask for him to touch a sick person to heal them. He merely needs to say the words and we will be healed. We should also note the servant was of great value to the centurion and see this could also being showing us of how Christ regards us as servants of great value. But the lesson is about faith, about believing so much in the authority of Jesus we need only ask him to say the words and we will be healed. We know that in the temptation of Jesus by the devil to turn stones into bread, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy, telling the devil, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Here is that truth in action, the servant was healed by the words from the mouth of God. Our lives are under the authority of God, and he speaks our very life into existence, first our natural one, and second our new spiritual one. It is his authority that tells us, his words that give us life, and new birth, and the right to be called children of the most high God. Nothing we can say or do could ever match, or even come close to matching, the words that come from the mouth of God. We could not live if it were not for his words. Many people might disagree and say their lives are full and they have no regard for God at all, in fact, they do not even believe in God that he exists. But they will not have life eternal, even in hell, they will perish, cease to exist, both in body and soul. Our life, our life eternal is completely dependent on the words of God, in his authority. He only needs to speak it and it is so. 

Foundation

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

FOUNDATION

Luke 6:46-49

46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." 

NIV

We do need to remember he is talking to his disciples, which included the twelve he had designated apostles. He was with a large crowd of disciples or followers as he said all the words we have been going through. Putting the words of Jesus into practice is his point here. Yet he uses an example of what that looks like compared to one who may hear his words but does not put them into practice. The idea is a simple one. What do we base our life on? What do we use as our moral compass? When the struggles of life come, and they will, how do we respond? If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, and call him Lord, in truth, then we will be able to withstand any adversity. But first we must know that calling him Lord means we actually mean he is the Lord of us. He has complete authority over our life, which then means we do not have any authority over our own life. Once we make the choice, the decision to follow Jesus, we give him that authority and start the foundation upon which our life is built. We read and study his words listening to the Spirit lead us into the truth and we make every effort to live by those principles Jesus teaches us. Do we fail? It seems obvious we do. But the fact is we do have the correct foundation and therefor ultimately our life will stand, it will not crumble under hardship or adversity for we can rely on our foundation being strong, being true. Being a doer of what Jesus says, is not a list we can check off, done that, done this, doing that, doing this or starting on that. Being a doer of his words is a lifestyle of trusting him completely, believing in him with our whole being, and sensing his presence in our life. It also does mean we make it our goal to live in accordance with the pattern he set for us, a life of actions and reactions based on love. Love for our Lord, love for ourselves and love for our neighbors and yes even our enemies, those who either dislike or hate us because of our faith in Jesus. If we use his words as the foundation of our life, it will certainly look like it.  

Within and Without

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

WITHIN AND WITHOUT

Luke 6:43-45

43 "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

NIV

Although Jesus talks about trees and fruit this truth has everything to do with the condition of our heart and the resulting words we speak. Of course we can also focus in on the fruit portion, but that is our heart as well. The only way we can bear love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control is if that is what is in our heart. Who we are within our being is who we will be on the outside and what others will experience in our presence. We might think we can build a façade so that people think we are someone we truly are not, but the truth is, it cannot last, for our heart will betray us. We have to live in a manner so that what people see is what people get, our true self, the overflow that comes from our heart. If we have Jesus in our heart than there should be only good fruit which people may enjoy from us. This is a truth which has been revealed to us before. The fruit we bear is not for us, but so that people may pick that fruit from our tree, our heart. It is the other people who benefit from the good fruit our heart bears, and therefore resides in the words of our mouth. It is not who we say we are, but it is who we are. People, who in include those who do not believe yet, see the fruit of our lives, our heart. They can tell we are believers in Jesus Christ by our life, by the words we use, by the manner in which we express ourselves. This is not to say that all non-believers express themselves in an evil manner, as well as believers may express some evil manner from time to time, but if we are truly believers in Christ than we will show it in our lives. Evil will always rear its ugly head in those who do not know Christ at some time, for they too cannot hide completely within a façade. But we must live, allowing Jesus to prune our heart, nourishing it, and producing that good fruit so that is who we are within and without. 

Lovingly

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

LOVINGLY

Luke 6:41-42

41 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

The truth as plain as it gets. Surely neither we nor our brothers have anything even remotely like a speck or plank in our eyes, but sin on the other hand we both most likely abound with. The truth here is a simple one, but yet difficult to master. We can easily see everyone else’s offenses, their wrong doing, or attitudes, especially by their words or deeds. We can quickly know the other person is a gossip, for example, and we just have to tell someone about it. There is that truth. How can we be so quick to judge others and yet not able to judge ourselves? Jesus is telling us that we need to be spending the time in self-examination rather in brother examination. Will we ever be completely rid of that plank in our own eye? Jesus tells us that in order to remove, or help our brother overcome his sin, we must first overcome ours, and in this example Jesus is using, ours is far greater than our brothers, because we are judging them. Is it judgmental if our desire is to show them the errors of their ways because we love them and want them to be the best they can be? Once again, the point Jesus is making is that the reasons for our helping our brother seems not to matter, as long as we have that plank in our eye. So how do we deal with the scripture which tells us about a brother caught or overtaken in sin, we should gently and humbly restore him, but carefully so that we are not taken in by that sin. Jesus also tells us that if a brother sins against us we are to go to him privately and if he listens we have won him over, but if he doesn’t then take a witness and then if he still refuses to listen, tell the whole church. So how do we justify that truth with this truth? Which are we to do? Both. Again the point here is to be truthful with ourselves first, not thinking we are free of all offenses or sin. This spiritual pride is the greater of sins. This hypocritical attitude of thinking we do not sin in thought, word or deed is so very dangerous to our own walk with the Lord. Yes, we can help others see their sin, but knowing and admitting our sin in the process keeps us humble and gentle, as well as non-judgmental in our helping our brother. That whole truth Mathew records of Jesus teaching about going to a brother, is for the point of restoring them, rather than punishing them. Love must be the first motivation for all action. Whatever we do we must do it lovingly.

Leading

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

LEADING

Luke 6:39-40

39 He also told them this parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

NIV

Although some men might appear to have some form of knowledge of the scriptures, unless they have an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ, they are in fact blind. They may have intellectual insight but lack any spiritual insight and therefore are not fit to lead others in spiritual matters. However Jesus goes on to say that anyone who becomes his student, that is become his disciple, learning at his feet, certainly can never be divine as Jesus is, but will be thoroughly trained in spiritual matters and will be able to lead others as Jesus does. Our life lesson is twofold here. First we need to see and be extremely careful as to who we follow or take advice from concerning spiritual matters. A blind man can only lead others into a pit. It would appear easy enough to see those who are blind in true spiritual matters, especially when they use their followers for their own personal gain. We are warned about false teachers and prophets elsewhere in the scriptures, and we should also have the gift of discernment at our disposal, should we care to ask. Yes, that is right, perhaps we should be asking for the gifts, rather than trying to determine which one God has gifted us with. He gifts them all. This leads to the second lesson, in that as we have a personal relationship with Jesus, we have been trained in spiritual matters and therefor are not blind. This then leaves us with the task of leading others in the truth of scripture. We need to be a guide to the truth, just as our teacher is.  When we are indwelled by the Spirit he in fact does give us that kind of spiritual insight, spiritual training, so that we are fully equipped to lead others. Man certainly has devised methods, denominational indoctrination centers, only they called them bible colleges or theological seminaries. But these places only sell their degrees for profit, and may or may not bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but seemingly train the brain, more than the spirit. Successful achievement through these institutions does not qualify one to be a spiritual guide to others. Only this personal one on one intimate relationship with Jesus Christ can do that. He is the teacher, we are the student. We listen to his voice, his guidance and learn from him. Then and only then can we attain the right to lead others in spiritual matters. The one true spiritual truth that matters, is that which Jesus brought, himself. We who follow Jesus can lead others to Jesus. If a person does not follow Jesus, he can only lead others to the pit of hell. Who will we lead to Jesus? 

Terms

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

TERMS

Luke 6:37-38

37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." 

NIV

Four behaviors, two which we should not do, and two we should do. We should not make decisions about people and thus pronounce them guilty. It would appear Jesus is not discussing the enactment of civil law and the ramifications of breaking it, but rather about our looking upon people who have yet to accept him as their Savior and determining them to be sinners, not like us, and condemned to hell. He could also be talking about not having a judgmental attitude toward any person, which in fact would seem to make us feel better about ourselves, possibly even superior to those we judge as doing something wrong. Certainly we cannot ever think we have the ability to condemn anyone, to declare them guilty. Yet what Jesus says here is right after he tells us to love our enemies. Should we not see that all mankind is the same, we are all sinners who are saved by the grace of God. Each person has the same choice as all others and just because we made one choice, to accept Jesus, does not mean we should consider them any different, able to make their own choice. As to the other two commands of Jesus, to forgive and give, these we are definitely supposed to do. Somehow it appears, the forgiveness should be aimed toward others, and the giving aimed toward God. How can a person return in good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over as it is poured into our laps? Yet cannot God reward us with all this for our giving to one another? In his Sovereignty, he has the complete right to render to us an abundance for our generosity to those who have a need. This might be in contrast to those who store up everything for their own abundance. Forgiveness is one of the most difficult behaviors. It is very easy to remember all the offenses a person has committed against us. Our long term memory records and recounts these each time a person does something we deem to be an offense. Surely God declared not only would he blot out our sins but that he would not remember them, he would not mark them down, or ever mention them again. Jesus tells us we should do the same, which is if we want him to forgive us, which of course we do. Who in their right mind would want God to not forgive them? So then we are to forgive all offenses, which means we need to somehow either remove those offenses from our memory, or make a clear choice to never think, or mention them to a person again and live, loving them as if they have never offended us. This may be the true sense of giving. No Judging, no condemning, forgiving and giving, all social interactions of a true believer. In doing so we certainly receive no judgment and condemnation from God, and we receive forgiveness and giving from God. Can we be agreeable and obedient to those terms? 

Living Up

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

LIVING UP

Luke 6:32-36

32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that.   34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

NIV

We are to live as children of God rather than children of men. These sinners, or the original language implies pagans, live well with each other. This pagan word carries the implication of people with no religion, which in this case, Jesus means those who are not his followers, who have not accepted him as the Lord. He is telling us we need to live differently than those who live according to the law of men. Surely he says even the sinners, do this and that. Men who do not know him as Savior still live according to some a semblance of rightness, loving those who love them, doing good to each other and lending for repayment. All that is not bad in itself, that is the way most people may live, but Jesus is calling his followers to a higher standard. This is the gospel of love. What does Jesus expect? For God so loved the world he gave Jesus. Men hate God, yet he came as a man to die for them. This is how we are to behave toward all people, even the ones we don’t like. There is the rub. There are some people which just rub us the wrong way, so how are we supposed to love them? But if we are only nice or love each other, than what credit is that to us? If we just hang out with other believers, all the time condemning the ways of the world, we might well take on the attitude of judgment, thinking better of ourselves than we should. Why can’t they see the truth, they are so closed-minded, or just plain dumb. We are so smart, we see the truth. When we start to separate ourselves from them, dividing the saved from the lost, we may be in danger of not loving them, even those who call us closed, or weak minded for believing in Jesus. Here is where the rubber meets the road, for we are to be kind to them, love them, and be merciful to those who are not believers in Jesus. Do we do that in the face of death? It appears that is the standard Jesus set. Do we live up to that? 

Show them Jesus

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

SHOW THEM JESUS

Luke 6:27-31

27 "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

NIV

Here it that golden rule we have heard about for years, do onto others as you would have others do onto you. That does, in some sense, seem introspective, being concerned so much about others treat us that is motivates us to certain behavior toward them. But here it is. Jesus tells us if people hate us because of him, we should love them instead of hating them back. If they insult us, that is strike our cheek, we should not insult them back, but let it go and smile at them, as if it meant nothing. If anyone takes anything of ours, we should not repay that same action, but offer more. That is not easy, as it seems to oppose the human nature. But that is just it, we should not be controlled by our human nature, we should be controlled by our spirit, which is born again, a new creature, like Christ. Of course that is easier said than done. How exactly do we love an enemy? Which enemy is he referring to? Does he mean those who would wage war on us as a country, or those who hate us, therefore are against us, so then being an enemy, because we are believers? That word enemy is defined as an adversary and that would certainly apply to those who refuse to accept Jesus, therefore we should not judge or condemn them, but love them, show them kindness, goodness, mercy and compassion. The fact is when we treat them as we would like to be treated we treat them well. There is no division among us, we are the same people, the same as everyone else. The only difference is we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, and they have not, at least yet. What caused us to accept Jesus? Did we find him all by ourselves, or did someone love us enough to tell us about him? Surely the Spirit is the one who convicts men of their sin, it is not us. Yet the reason for the actions of the Spirit are motivated by God’s love for them, just as he sent Jesus for that reason. So of we want to be accepted and loved, so we accept and love them. Show them Jesus. 

Rejoice or Woe

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

REJOICE OR WOE

Luke 6:23-26

23 "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. 24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

NIV

Here is the whole of the truth. Although we can parse each of the individual aspects, poor, hungry, weep and hated, and as we can see the opposites, rich, well fed, laugh, and well loved, the truth is actually in the comparisons. Jesus is making the point there is a difference between the life of a believer and that of an unbeliever. As we looked act all the aspects of the believer which is focused on Jesus, and that in doing so our reward is heaven, eternal life and that is cause enough to rejoice and leap for joy, we also see what happens to those who focus on self, woe. The opposite of heaven is woe. It surely would seem the right course of action is to look to Jesus. Who in their right mind would choose woe? Yet it appears some would rather focus on being rich, well fed, and self-comforting, laugh at their sin, and seek the praise of men. Jesus says all of that is their only reward and when their life is finished, woe. He makes is very clear that we believers should not get distracted by all that and put ourselves in jeopardy by becoming just as the unbeliever in our seeking after those things. We have been told to seek first his kingdom and righteousness and he will provide for us that which we need. Be the believer and receive his reward, or be like the unbeliever and get his woe. The choice is clear. But we still have all the temptations to want all the stuff, to be rich, to eat well, to enjoy life, and have people like us. Can we have a little of both worlds? Certainly some people do speak well of us, even unbelievers. Some churches focus on doing so much in the community the unbelieving community will speak well of the church, and maybe just maybe, some of them might visit the church. But if we were to tell them they are sinners who are condemning themselves to hell, they may not speak so well of us. So where is the line? How far do we become like them in hopes they will see Jesus? If we try too hard, we might forget our own focus and begin to see things as the world does, looking for riches, great food, nice clothes, new homes and cars, accepting of our failures, our sins, without remorse, thinking we have none, and enjoying the praise of men. What is our goal? This life or the one which follows? If we say we what to be more like Jesus, then we should start being more like Jesus, telling people the truth, the difference between being able to rejoice or getting the woe. 

Hated and Blessed

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

HATED AND BLESSED

Luke 6:22

22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

NIV

It does seem rather odd to be hated because we are disciples of Jesus in today’s world, but in fact it may be truer than we realize. During the early church, those who were disciples of Jesus were in fact thought of as men of sedition. They were considered as men who stirred up trouble among the Jews. Paul was accused of that very thing. James tells the believers that it is the rich who drag them into courts, the rich who slander the name of who those disciples belong to. The name Christian or Nazarene were names of reproof, not of noble ideals. Today is a little different in that we are considered by some as a Christian nation, but that is not really the way it is. We may have started out that way, but that is not how we are now. Those of us who are believers have been set aside from society in some sense. Men want laws to prohibit symbols of Christianity from the public square. Others use the name of Jesus Christ but give him a middle initial with no respect for him at all. If we say too much about Jesus or our faith, we might find ourselves being shunned by many. Others think we are foolish to believe, that their concepts of the world are far better than ours. If we look around we can see many ways in which men hate us, exclude us and insult us because we belong to Jesus. Being a born again believer in Jesus Christ is not the normal lifestyle of the average American, we are in fact a very small group in the whole of society. There may be many who think themselves as Christians, but still think otherwise about us who are born again. That is fine, we cannot bend to the thinking of the average American, or for that manner the average so called Christian. We must remain true to Jesus, to the truth of the word of God. If we do not allow the thinking of the world to infiltrate our thoughts, Jesus tells us we will be blessed. 

Weeping and Laughing

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

WEEPING AND LAUGHING

Luke 6:20-22

20 Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

NIV

As we now examine being blessed because we weep for we will laugh, we cannot help to compare that in some sense to being poor in Spirit and having the kingdom. Although that deals with the spiritual aspect of life, this weeping seems to deal with more of the intellectual aspect of life. When we take the time to consider life itself, and it’s temporal state which concludes with death, if we have no hope of eternal life, the hereafter, we should in fact weep, mourn or lament, for there then is no purpose for our life at all, other than to simply try to satisfy our own desires for a brief moment. But if we do in fact lament over the fact we are lost, then we will, not spiritually at first, but intellectually decide to follow Jesus and we will laugh, or as Matthew says, be comforted. Someone who is dead in their sin, dead in their spirit cannot make a spiritual choice but they must see the end of their life intellectually and understand it ends with nothing, this should cause anyone to mourn, to weep, to lament. How good does life get when we come to that realization? We can laugh, we are comforted by the fact Jesus will come back for us and take us to where he is. Life just doesn’t get any better than that. Knowing this and combining this fact with all the rest of scripture, especially about not worrying about this life, what we will wear, eat, or whatever, we can have a whole different perspective on all the happenings within our daily life. Once we were weeping over life, but that was before meeting Jesus, now being comforted. What can life bring us that will stop us from this comfort? Nothing! What can life do to destroy our laughter? Nothing!  Some may remember a saying about the wealthy, laughter all the way to the bank, but we can laugh all the way to heaven. 

Hunger and Satisfied

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

HUNGER AND SATISFIED

Luke 6:20-22

20 Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

NIV

Having looked at the poor we now turn our attention to the hungry. Once again Matthews’s record of these words include righteousness. That is those who hunger after righteousness will be filled. Luke leaves what it is we should hunger for to our imaginations except Jesus was in fact speaking about himself. The crowds were hungry for his words, his healing, his power, as they followed after him with such veracity. A person who is at the brink of starvation will hunt down food with that same mindset. These people had been spiritually at the brink of starvation under the authoritative administration of the law by the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the teachers of the law, so when Jesus came along with his love, compassionate healing and his power and authority with which he spoke, they were being spiritually satisfied, filled. Some of us today could be in the same situation which those people were. We could be in church, but yet starving to death spiritually, remaining in hunger for what Jesus has for us, love, compassionate healing and power, not to mention his righteousness. If we hunger for Jesus, we will find all of him. But if we hunger after the things of the world we will remain at the brink of starvation. If we feed on the world, we might be fat, but we will still be starving. We need to hunger after Jesus and if we do that we will never go hungry, for we will be satisfied.