Bible Chapter: Luke 18
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
Why is it so hard to consistently pray and develop a powerful prayer life? I think that many Christians battle this. I believe the answer lies somewhere near the fact that prayer is so powerful and there is great temptation to put it off till a more convenient time. Teaching such as this parable comes from Jesus’ desire that we all understand the importance and power of prayer. The woman had a need and wasn’t going to give up. Perseverance in prayer is one of the keys to winning the battle. Never give up. We have an adversary who is mean. We have a Savior who is all powerful. Some have said that we shouldn’t persist in prayer, just pray once and forget it. That is not what Jesus taught. Keep focus on eternity and it will help keep focus on prayer.
The stronger our prayer life, the more we will be drawn close to Jesus. This will help us gain the victory necessary that we see through the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. One of the problems Jesus addressed was spiritual pride. “I’m really good and God is lucky to have me.” We must humbly acknowledge our need of forgiveness and actively pursue God’s power living through our lives.
Again Jesus talked about the importance of children. It is important to reach children with the message of the love of Jesus. We also see that children are a pawn in the enemy’s spiritual battle against God. More than ever children are being attacked and hurt. Jesus said we are to let the children come to Him, we are to encourage the children to come to Him. Make every effort to bring children to where they will know Jesus. Children need to grow up going to Sunday School, etc. If we don’t train them, the world will.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
There was a certain rich young ruler who came to Jesus asking Him the key question of life: what must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus started His response with the reminder to obey God’s law. Then He challenged the man about his love for material gain. We all need to settle the question of priorities. Will we let anything become more important than God? The fact that this man was wealthy was not a problem. The problem was that his wealth was more important than accepting Jesus’ answer to his question.
Sadly, this man couldn’t put Jesus first. This section ends with an encouraging message from Jesus. With God, anything is possible. Put Jesus first. Strive to grow in Him and learn what He has for me to do. Then He will make possible what needs to be made possible. If necessary, God will allow the camel to go through the eye of the needle.
3. How can I help someone?
The world needs to see Christians who have the humility that honors God. They don’t need to see spiritual pride that makes me look good and them look bad. This doesn’t mean that I endorse sinful lifestyles. It means that I let Jesus shine through me that He gets the honor, and people are drawn to HIM.
Bible Chapter: Luke 17
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
A very interesting thought at the beginning, “Things that cause people to sin . . .” Jesus went on to say that it would be better to be drowned in the sea than to cause a child to sin. Sadly, our world today has a endless stream of examples of promoting the so-called pleasures of sin and denying any consequences. Sin will bring punishment, but the warning here is that there will be worse punishment for those who set an example that encourages others to sin.
Later in the chapter Jesus talked about what it will be like in the last days. He compares them to the times of Noah and Lot. People were actively pursuing their sinful pleasures and completely ignoring the impact of their actions and the coming judgement. Sudden judgement came and the people received the consequences of their actions. We live in days that reflect the wantonness of the days of Noah and Lot. Those who stand for biblical morality are attacked and vilified as ignorant. We need to follow the commands of Jesus no matter what anyone says.
Another part of this chapter talks about forgiving. This is one of the most important spiritual disciplines we can develop. Unforgiveness causes strife. It turns people against each other and they miss out on the blessings of their relationships. To forgive does not mean that we condone sin. We don’t continue to forgive to enable habitual sin. The purpose of forgiving is not to allow someone to continue to sin (repentance must include a desire to not repeat the sin), but to help the offender be set free. Sincere repentance must be involved so we can forgive. The purpose of offering forgiveness is not to allow someone to get away with something. If their repentance is fake, they will stand before God and give an account.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
I need to think about influence and example. It is a scary concept to think of causing someone to sin. The human nature is always looking for permission to sin, always looking for an excuse or justification. A common statement is “But, look at _____________. They call themselves a Christian and look at what they do.” The tempter convinces people to look at life from a sliding scale, as if God grades on a curve. As long as someone else is worse than I am, I’m fine. That is simply not true. Each believer must be careful to be a good example.
Jesus also talked about being a good servant. We are called to serve. Serving often takes more effort than is comfortable. Jesus called that doing our duty. I need to continue to serve in every way possible.
3. How can I help someone?
Look for ways to be a servant. These opportunities can be small or large. Make an effort to help, remembering that they can sometimes be inconvenient. I can also help by being a good example so no one gets the idea that sinning is permissible.
Bible Chapter: Luke 16
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
Verse 10 jumps out to me with a very interesting insight. If you can be trusted with a little, you can be trusted with lots. And, the opposite is true. There are some people who simply can’t be trusted. I see the confused thinking of our world today in something called compartmentalization. People see their lives as compartments. They can cheat and be dishonest here, while they think they can be honest and upright in other places. There are politicians who want us to believe they can be dishonest in their personal/marital relationships and yet we can trust them to do what is right in their political office. Many businesses have failed because someone thought they could cheat in their private life and they wouldn’t cheat in business.
A major factor in whether a person can be trusted is their opinion of money. Do they love it? It is not money, but the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil. A person in love with money has character issues. Jesus said we cannot serve both God and money. It is one or the other. These two are mutually exclusive. It is simple to get caught up with a love of money (material possessions). A person doesn’t have to be wealthy to be in love with things. A person in love with money loses the understanding of the value of human life. Money is temporary, for when a person dies it is all left behind.
This is all illustrated in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. This man lived in luxury and for luxury. He had no compassion on those with need. Lazarus lived a hard life but loved God. The rich man wouldn’t listen to those who spoke for God and his need to serve God. He only loved his excess and comfort. When he ended up in torment in hell, he begged for relief. Sadly, it was too late and it was his own fault.
This story ends up with a powerful insight. The rich man said that if someone came back from the dead and warn his brothers, they would believe and be spared the torment of hell. The response was that if they didn’t believe, they wouldn’t believe even if one came back from the dead. The free will of the human race can be very stubborn. Sadly, people use it to think they are smarter than God and they have to live life their own way.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
I must continue to learn what honesty and integrity are, and strive to practice them more and more. This might sound like I have failed in this area. No, I have not. But, there is a necessary continual growth in life and in all good areas we must continue to grow. I must go forward and be careful to not be in love with money. God gives us resources to use them for good. He blesses those who use them for good. God wants us to use our resources to help people and advance His kingdom.
Never forget that it is in this lifetime that the decision to serve God must be made. There is a large chasm between heaven and hell and it cannot be crossed.
3. How can I help someone?
Ask God to guide in how to use my resources to impact eternity. There are more resources available than people think. If Christians would use them as God directs, we can work together and impact need.
Bible Chapter: Luke 15
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
What is the worth of one soul? How does God look at the eternal beings He created? He loves them with an amazing love and His deepest desire is that they will recognize their need of forgiveness and turn to Him. Here Jesus used three stories to teach the lesson of God’s perspective of the value of a soul.
When the lost is found there is great rejoicing. The word lost has some powerful implications when applied to a child missing from home. Large groups of strangers will volunteer their time to look for the lost one. Then, when the child is found safe and sound, they celebrate. It seems the church doesn’t use the word lost any more regarding people who don’t know Jesus, but, they really are lost in their journey through life. Terms are important. People without Jesus are lost.
In the parable of the lost son, commonly known as the Prodigal Son, we see part of the deception of sin. He took his resources and went away. Sin gives the deceptive idea that the best, most fun is always somewhere else. And, that the most fun always includes the things the Bible calls sin. “Real living” shows no restraint or care for God’s law. We can see a truth when we observe that the lost son lost all his wealth. Sin often leads to squandering what we have. Sin always costs more than we think it will, then there is nothing left.
God’s love is overwhelming. We see it in the father welcoming home the lost son. Yes, he wasted much, but he had come home. Jesus is anxious for us all to come home. He already bought the ticket.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
What is God’s attitude towards people lost in sin? He wants them to return. That needs to be my attitude, as well. God rejoices when one person repents. I need to rejoice as well. I need to find ways to spread the message of the love and joy found in Jesus.
3. How can I help someone?
Spread the message for all.
Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:13 NKJV
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
Bible Chapter: Luke 14
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
Pride. It is a tricky thing to deal with. In some way we all deal with pride. We are not junk, so God doesn’t want us to consider ourselves worthless. At the same time we must be careful to not exalt ourselves. We need to get the right balance of doing all for God’s glory as we recognize what God has given us. Jesus showed here that we should be humble and serve Him and let Him take care of the recognition.
We are all called to be disciples of Jesus. We are to be learners and followers of what Jesus taught. A disciple is a learner. There is a cost to do this. It means that Jesus must be first and foremost in our lives. Our love and loyalty to Jesus must mean more than any human relationship. We need to take up the cross and follow Jesus. Since the cross is a symbol of death, that says something powerful. Jesus took up His cross and it brought Him to His death. We need to consider the cost and then pay it. Are we willing to give up all to follow Jesus? These are important and difficult questions, but Jesus posed them for us to consider and then make the decision. This is an ongoing decision to continue to follow and pay the price. Our Christian life is a journey.
We are called to be salt in the world. If salt doesn’t have the effect on food it is supposed to have it is worthless. Jesus said that unsalty salt is good only for the manure pile. Salt influences what is around it. Salt is worthless until it gets put to use. Salt creates thirst. There are many illustrations of what salt does. They must cause us to think of how we can apply the illustrations of salt to our Christian life.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
This chapter talks about serving. It talks about not striving to be the “big cheese”. It talks about humility. I need to balance serving and recognition. More is accomplished for eternity when people find places of service. I need to continually seek places of service.
This leads to the thought of counting the cost. After a person has sacrificed and counted the cost for a long time it is possible to say, “I’ve done this long enough. It’s time for me to get something in return.” I must be careful to not get caught in this trap, but continue to serve and let God take care of the details.
This chapter ends with a quotation of Jesus, “He who has hears to hear, let him hear”. So, I need to really hear what Jesus is saying. There is a difference between hearing and hearing (listening). I can hear sound and it can process through my brain. Or, I can hear sound and think about it to see how I can apply it. Jesus is saying is that I need to really hear what He said so it makes a difference.
3. How can I help someone?
There are some recurring themes in the Bible. One of them is being a servant. Another is paying the cost to follow Jesus. These are prominent in this chapter. The more I apply them the more I can help people.
Bible Chapter: Luke 13
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
Jesus talked about an unproductive fig tree. My study Bible footnote says part of this application is to “all individuals who profess to believe in Jesus, yet fail to turn from sin. . . He will not tolerate sin forever”. God’s gift of salvation is free and available to all. We cannot earn forgiveness. We can not work to overcome the impact of sin. However, when we receive the gift, we must grow in our relationship with Jesus and learn to apply biblical truth to daily life. This includes rejecting compromise mixing truth and error. The goal needs to be “how close can I get to Jesus?”. We must turn from sin, we must make specific daily choices to reject anything against the Bible, whatever anyone might say. There is an outright attack against God’s truth these days. I must not get caught up in it and support sin.
Jesus also talked about the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast. We see the picture of something small making a major impact. The smallest seed turns into the largest plant. The yeast permeates every part of the dough. God’s work must be an influence that affects everything around it. It appears that the modern church is being influenced by the world instead of the church influencing the world. We need a continual flow of God’s power to make an impact. God’s power flowing through believers will make an impact to change the world.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
The way to follow Jesus is narrow and unpopular. There is only one way to enter and that is God’s way. The majority of people are rejecting God’s path to life. They don’t like the commitment Jesus requires. No one can be “sort of” a Christian. As I continue in my commitment to Jesus to live a righteous life and put my own desires in the background I will receive the promises of God. The road that leads to destruction is wide and popular. It appears to be an easy road to follow because there is so much company. But, when the real issues of life come to challenge, it is lonely in the crowd, for they will abandon you. Having God’s power in life makes all the difference in the world.
3. How can I help someone?
Always remember that Jesus is the way to life. Help people see that. Pray that God’s power will saturate and impact the hearts of people so they will submit to Jesus and receive His eternal gift.
Bible Chapter: Luke 12
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
The hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They acted like they were something that they weren’t. The were fakes. To see them would make one believe they were very close to God. In reality they were only playing a game. Jesus warned that everything will some day be revealed. That concept might have been difficult to grasp 2,000 years ago. Today we can easily understand how the things that we think are secret will be shown to all. We are used to having someone somewhere with a video camera capturing events for all to see. This is an important warning. The lies of the tempter tell us that we will get away with it and no one will know. God’s video recording system sees in the dark.
This leads to a warning of who we really are to fear. It has nothing to do with the conveniences of life here on earth, but the One who can punish our sins for all eternity.
This chapter contains the well-known parable of the rich fool who thought he had enough money to live for a long time so he could party. God told him that night he would stand before God, and then who would get all his stuff? Priorities. What is most important? We have lived in a very materialistic world that is impressed with the biggest collection of stuff. Jesus taught that the spiritual and eternal preparation is most important. Those who neglect getting their heart right with God will lose it all. Verse 20, “You fool”. Verse 21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” Putting our own desires first always brings problems. Priorities, put God first.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
Don’t let worry control me. Put my trust in God. I must continually recognize that I am totally dependent on God for everything. I can easily look at my own resources, but I must realize that nothing is permanent and God is the only dependable source.
Verse 35 says we are to “Be dressed and ready for service . . .” We are to be prepared to serve God and go with Him when He returns. When Jesus left this earth the angels said that He would return to take His followers to be with Him. It has been 2,000 years and many scoff at the concept. In God’s perspective, 2,000 years is nothing. We are to still be actively serving the Lord and ready for His coming. The signs of His coming are more and more evident. Jesus said some servants would be faithful, some unfaithful. I must be one of the faithful ones. Especially with how crazy the world is getting these days, heaven is looking better and better.
3. How can I help someone?
I can help people by being the real thing regarding being a Christian. The fakes are standing out more and more. The world needs to see that there are real people who actually live the life. People need to see that it is possible to live Godly in this crazy world. This is why I like Philippians 4:9. “Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me, everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” NLT
Paul said they could know how to live for Jesus by looking at him. It is not conceit to say the same. We all should be able to say that, look at me to know how to live as a Christian.
I also can help people by learning from the rich fool. I can help people see that “he who dies with the most toys wins” is not correct. That should be said, “he who dies with the most toys, still dies”. It is not the accumulation of wealth that makes the difference, but the connection with Jesus. Actually the winner is, “He/she who dies with Jesus in his/her heart”.
