Category: Uncategorized

Luke 19:45-46

Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”

Personal challenge

Is it possible that part of the problem with the modern church is that we have brought so much of the world into it that it has become a “den of thieves”? We are supposed to be set apart from the world as Christians and it only makes sense that our houses of worships, our temples, should also be set apart. The more that we try to make our churches operate like everything else in the world, the further we move away from God and give up our salt and light in the world. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Luke 18:40-41

So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”

Personal Challenge

Doesn’t it seem odd that Jesus would ask a person who is obviously blind, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Surely Jesus knew that the man would want his sight back. Jesus will often wait for us to acknowledge what our needs are and for us to ask for Him to touch our lives in those areas of needs. Often this is a process for us to work through determining the differences between what we want and what we need. There can be significant differences. The closer we are to Jesus the clearer these differences become. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Luke 18:27

But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Personal Challenge

Why do we go through life saying that we believe in the almighty God and yet act as if there are things that He cannot do? If we take our eyes off of Him and start looking at everything that is going on in the world around us, we will quickly begin to believe what the world wants us to believe, which is that God has no power or meaning. It is our lack of believe that causes us to doubt that all things are possible with God. It is our unwillingness to give our lives fully over to Him that prevents His possibilities from being manifested in our lives. Glory be to God!

Luke 18:15-17

Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

Personal Challenge

Children are so awesome. They take on life with so much openness and gusto. They are clean slates that can absorb new things and address them with simplicity. They are trusting, loving, and refreshing. This is how Jesus wants us to be as we come to Him and our Father. It has nothing to do with how much I know or how many rubrics I practice. He wants us to come to Him with simple, open minds and hearts so that He can fill us with His Kingdom. We can grow in Him, yet we must maintain this childlike love for Him. Glory be to God!

Luke 18:13

And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’

Personal Challenge

I challenge us all to observe ourselves the next time we approach God in our prayers and worship. Do we approach Him with our heads held up high as the Pharisee in this parable or with our heads down in respect as the tax collector? God is not our equal or our lessor. We owe Him everything and if we explore this in the depths of our hearts, we will find that we too should be coming before Him as the tax collector with our heads and eyes down, beating our breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Luke 17:20-21

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Encouraging Words

So many well meaning Christians have spent their entire life looking forward to the Kingdom of God arriving. Jesus tells us, however, that His Kingdom will not be something that is out there some day in the future. He tells us that His Kingdom is within us today. We are to live our lives in such a way that His Kingdom is materialized here and now. He still promises that we will someday enter into His heavenly Kingdom, to live out eternity, but since we are already citizens of that Kingdom, we can be living like those citizens today. Glory be to God!

Luke 17:15-16

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

Personal challenge

Am I like this Samaritan or more like the other 9? If we keep our eyes and hearts open to see the work that God is doing in our lives every minute of every day, then we truly will see God performing miracles. When He performs those miracles in our lives do we run back to Him, fall at His feet, and give Him thanks or do we go on our merry way taking His miracle for granted? I know that I do not thank Him enough. I do not drop everything and run back to Him to show my appreciation as often as I should. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner and thank you for the miracles that You perform in my life.

Luke 16:10

He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

Personal Challenge

What does it mean to be faithful or unjust in little or much? Each of us are given things from God in our lives. Sometimes it may be stuff. Sometimes it may be spiritual gifts or responsibilities in our churches. What is expected from us is that we use that which is given to us for God’s glory. God will usually give us a little to see what we do with it. If we use it effectively for Him He will give us more. The cycle continues as long as we use His gifts faithfully. He also knows that if we use His gifts unwisely, or unjustly, that we will most likely do it even more so with greater gifts. If we view life as if everything that we receive from God is still His and that we are His stewards of these things, then it is easier to use it faithfully. Glory be to God!