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…

Am I living my life as the pharisee or as the tax collector? it is not that important what kind of life these two men lived up to this point. What was important was the condition of their heart and their perspective on who they were in comparison to the glory of God! We do not deserve His love and mercy, and yet He still pours it out upon us. We do not deserve to be in His presence and yet He invites us in. The tax collector had the right position in his heart…humility, and the right perspective on who he was in the presence of God…an impure and soiled sinner. This is where we should always start as we approach our Lord for He is so great, so pure, and so holy. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Psalm 15 (14 LXX)

O Lord, who shall dwell in Your tabernacle?
Who shall live in Your holy mountain?
He who walks blamelessly, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart,
Who does not deceive with his tongue,
Neither does evil to his neighbor;
And does not find fault with those nearest him.
He disdains those who do evil in his presence,
But he holds in honor those who fear the Lord;
He swears an oath to his neighbor and does not set it aside.
He does not lend his money at interest,
And he does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be shaken.

Personal Challenge…

I have often heard the question, “How does God want me to live my life?” Jesus set the standard by telling us to love God and our neighbor. But for some that is too vague. Here is one of those great nougats of information that tells us ways that we can love out this standard. Clearly, living this way does not give us our salvation and rescue us form the grip of death. Only the glorious and merciful work of Jesus can do this. But once we are redeemed this can be clear marching orders for how we should live our lives. Glory be to God!

Isaiah 66:1-2

Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is the footstool of My feet. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or what kind is the place of My rest? For My hand made all these things, and all these things are Mine,” says the Lord; “and upon whom will I show respect, but to the humble and the peaceful and to him who trembles at My words.

Personal Challenge…

There is nothing that I can do for the Lord, or give to Him, that exceeds what He already has. He doesn’t want my stuff, which already belongs to Him anyway. He doesn’t want my actions, which usually become tainted by my pride and sinfulness. He wants my heart. He wants my humility before Him and my neighbor. He wants the core of me and not my peripherals. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Acts 20:29

For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

Personal Challenge…

We must always be diligent to keep our flock, the church, guarded and protected from those who would destroy it. Sometimes that destruction comes in the form of false teachers. More often it comes in out own behaviors, dividing over non-important things, backbiting or gossiping about one another, disagreeing with the leaders of our body because they don’t tickle our ears, and the list goes on. If we focus on the unity of the body that both Jesus and Paul prayed for it is easier to spot those behaviors that attack this unity and deal with it. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Matthew 10:32-33

“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”

Personal Challenge…

I have always read this passage to be focused on my profession of faith, my willingness to proclaim Jesus as my Lord. But could it not also be describing my behavior as I go through life and how it either confesses Christ as my Lord or denies Him? If I do things that are contrary to how God wants me to live (ignore the needs of my neighbor, gossip about others, lie, cheat, you name it) am I not denying that Christ is my Lord to those around me? This is a sobering thought. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Proverbs 8:17

I love those who love me,
And those who seek me shall find me.

Encouraging Words…

Jesus is not some unattainable, elusive mystery. He is real. He lived on this earth fully as a human being. He laughed, He cried, He died. But He was also fully God. He did not sin; He allowed His life to be taken from Him as the Sacrificial Lamb. And then He rose again from that death breaking the bonds of death on every person who ever lived and ever will live. And He promises us that if we love Him He will love us and that if we seek Him we will find Him. Glory be to God!

Psalm 18:46 (17:47 LXX)

The Lord lives, and blessed is my God.
Let the salvation of my God be exalted,

Encouraging Words…

As we celebrate this day of freedom in the United States we must remember that our true freedom, our eternal freedom, comes from our Lord Jesus Christ and His victory over death.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Personal Challenge…

There is always this tension in the life of the Christian…to be fully present here on this earth in this temporal body versus the desire to be in our new bodies with our Lord. In His wisdom He still has us here in this world and we should live our lives confidently for Him, knowing through our faith in Him, that He will be with us until that day we leave this physical realm. We can choose to live for Him in ways that bring us closer to that future reality. This is easier said than done, but indeed a part of our journey to theosis.

Luke 10:2

Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

Personal Challenge…

There are basically three ways that we can get involved in God’s harvest…His mission field. First, we can all be “pray-ers” and pray for the laborers as well as those being witnessed to. Second, we can be “senders” giving of our resources so that more laborers can go out to do God’s work. Finally, we can be “go-ers” and be those laborers in the harvest for God. In our prayers for laborers and the harvest we must listen carefully for the voice of our Lord for we never know when He might start telling us to “send” or to “go”.

Isaiah 33:13-16

“Those afar off will hear what I have done; and those near will know My strength.” The lawless in Zion departed; trembling will seize the ungodly. Who will tell you a fire is burning? Who will tell you about the eternal place? He who walks in righteousness and speaks uprightly, he who hates lawlessness and wrongdoing, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, he who stops his ears from hearing the judgment of blood, and he who shuts his eyes from seeing wrongdoing. He will dwell in a high cave of a mighty rock. Bread will be given him, and his water will be plentiful.

Personal Challenge…

We are called as followers of Christ to live pure and righteous lives in the midst of a fallen, lawless, and ungodly world. God does not expect us to live this way without His help, but He does expect action on our part. We must choose this life and then continue to make choices that lead us to Him and protect us from the influences around us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.