Luke 13-A “Do You Think They’re Worse Sinners?”

S = 13:1-2 “There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

O = The world-view of the Jews was prone to see direct cause and effect of the spiritual condition being played out in a person’s circumstances. In the common view, if you were blind it was because of your parents’ sin, if disaster struck it most likely would have been some personal sin that triggered it. Job is a wonderful example of God debunking this theology—but it seems to be in our nature to point the finger of blame when disaster happens. But this involves a wrong view of our own sin (that we are somehow less sinful than others) and a wrong view of God. As one of my professors, Dr. Paul Metzger, says, “God is not a Judge who loves when he can, but a Lover who judges when he has to.” The real question here is not, “What did they do?” but “What should I do?” The answer Jesus gives is, “Repent.”

A = Am I prone to thinking I am better or less deserving of judgment than others? That is self-deception. Do I see the mercy and love of God as holding us all back from judgment today (Luke 13:6-9)? I should. He doesn’t want any to perish, but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He sent Jesus not to condemn the world, but that we might be saved. I recognize that we all, apart from the work of Christ, are on a trajectory of judgment. I need to repent of that trajectory and all its trappings and follow Jesus as he seeks and saves the lost. As He, in compassion enters into their suffering in order to bring healing and wholeness.

P = O Lord, let me not look at others judgmentally, but in compassion. May I live in repentance and manifest the mercy I have received to the hurting people around me. Amen.

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Luke 12-B “Nothing is Hidden... Forever”

S = 12:1b-3 “…he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.”

O = God sees what is going on inside. We can’t fool him. He wants us all to come to repentance so that we can be forgiven and healed. The only way for that to happen is through confession—so he tells us that it is pointless to keep secrets.

A = In Genesis 27 Jacob got a blessing by deceit and then he was himself the victim of deception at the hands of Laban his father-in-law. Secrets and lies will bite us in the end. Am I different in private than in public? Or am I sold out to God in my heart? Do I love myself more or God more? It cannot be hidden forever.

P = O Lord, I pray that I may be a person of integrity and not bring shame to you or to my family. Please help me to be sincere and upright this week. Amen.

Luke 11-12 “Scrub the Inside too!”

S = 11:39-41 “And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.”

O = They were astonished that Jesus didn’t wash his hands before eating. This was done to remove ceremonial uncleanness one might have picked up from contact with the Gentiles, etc. not for hygiene purposes. Jesus used this as an object lesson…they invested all their time keeping the outside ritually pure while the inside (their heart) was full of crud. It reminds me of washing the outside of a seldom used travel mug and filling it with coffee without cleaning out the crusty mold from last month’s mocha. If we regularly give out of the inside—love and justice to others—then there will be no greedy wicked build-up in our hearts. Much like a running stream compared to a stagnant pond.

A = Do I regularly expose my heart to the cleansing flow of God’s word and the scrubbing of the Holy Spirit? Do I share what god has given me with others or do I store it up until it spoils?

P = O Lord, wash my heart, show me what I need to confess to you…so it doesn’t have to go on the big screen of judgment for all to see. Let there be no hidden sin in me. I desire greatly to not displease you—because you love me and I want to live into that love! Amen.

Luke 12-A “What shall I do? …I will…”

S = 12:16-18 “And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.”

O = When I read this I am struck by the intense self-focus of the rich man. He was faced with the kind of problem many of us wish we faced. He had a huge surplus in crops from the land. He was drowning in profits. It would have been normal in that culture to discuss important decisions with close friends and advisors. But this man only speaks with himself. His whole train of thought is “I will…I will…I will…” and predictably enough his decision is a disaster. There was no consideration of God’s will when processing the decision, no consideration of the poor as a solution to the food surplus, and no thought to relationship at all.

A = When I am blessed do I think that it is for me to keep for myself or to share with others? As I face the decisions I have to make every day do I take time to ask God what I should do? Or do I live as though I know best? Am I about building bigger barns or giving more away? Do I desire a life of play, plenty, and party, or a life of meaning, sharing God’s blessings in relationship with others, and a part of God’s work in the world? I choose a life of meaning…now how should I put that plan in motion? I will start by recognizing that what I have comes from God and is still his and I will ask him for direction that I might be a better steward.

P = O Lord, I am so glad that I am not thinking to myself or talking to myself right now. I am thankful that not only are you real, you are near, and you are actively involved in my life. May I use your resources wisely and generously as you fill my barns, and may my trust in your ability to fill them overshadow my fear of emptying them. Lord, should my soul be required of me suddenly, may I not be ashamed of how I was spending the life you loaned me! May you be glorified in word and in deed this week! Amen.

Luke 11-C “The Danger of Emptiness”

S = Luke 11:24-26 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

O = his passage potentially teaches us a number of things about demons—but I doubt that is the point. Rather it teaches us about ourselves and the danger of emptiness. We are to be inhabited, like the land that God made in Genesis 1-2. But who is the one who inhabits? Who swept the house and put all things in order? Jesus is the One…so why does he not live in the house? Because they reject him, test him, demonize him, and overestimate their own ability to protect their own “house.”

A = Who will I allow to live in me? Will my spiritual eye be good? Will I put the Light of Christ on the stand in my life or will I be empty and dark until I am no longer empty…but darker than I could have ever imagined? Will I respond to Jesus—hearing and keeping his word? If so then I am blessed, filled with light! Will I repent at his teaching? Yes I will. I repent of the inner darkness and outward violence like the Ninevites. Yes I seek the wisdom he gives like the Queen of the South sought long ago. Yes I need Jesus to sweep out my life and put things, relationships, and priorities in order. But even more I welcome him to drive out the darkness and fill me with the enduring light that can reach out to help and encourage others. I invite Jesus to remain, to dwell in me by the Holy Spirit, that I might never be the den of demons that, left to myself, I would surely become.

P = O Lord, invade my life this week with the light and loving power of the kingdom of God. Make my eye good to see and appreciate your light, your truth, your holiness, your wisdom, and your love for me. May I not be able to hide your presence in my life today. Amen.

Luke 11-B “But some of them…”

S = Luke 11:15-18a “But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?”

O = While the people marveled, “Some of the people” either wanted more signs to tickle their appetite for good epic entertainment or were scoffers that demonized Jesus’ ministry (literally). Honestly, if I recognize that a sign is truly from heaven, how many do I need before I repent? Signs are meant to be applied to our hearts, not to be watched like a magic show. Secondly, there were the scoffers—calling Jesus’ work demonic as a way of avoiding the necessary personal response. This reveals an interesting principle about unity. A kingdom divided will fall, it will be laid waste, the principle is so profound that this Biblical saying is a part of our English vernacular. Conversely, can it be said that the kingdom united stands firm? The people who heard Jesus were divided, Satan’s kingdom is in fact divided, but the Kingdom of God is not divided because God is not divided. Why do people so often apply divided thinking to the Trinity? Why do people imagine that there is disagreement or development within the Trinity? Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are not divided. They are not a good cop, a bad cop, and a psychologist putting up with each other in order to get the job done. They are united in character, purpose, and bound together in love. Jesus is the complete revelation of the God-head bodily (Col. 2:9). His kingdom will not fall! My kingdom…that is another story.

A = Do I rejoice at the delivering, redeeming work of Jesus, agreeing that his plan is right and good? Or am I counted with the “some of them” that fail to apply the message to their own heart, or with the “other others” that deny the holy character of Jesus and his ministry in the lives of hurting people? Now as a professing Christ-follower, I would never do the “some of them” thing on the surface, but are there things Jesus wants to do in my heart to which I say, “No! That’s a bad idea”? If so I am no different than those who looked on long ago. What ways is God telling me to repent this week? What do I need to allow God to empty me of so that He can fill me with life overflowing? Where am I resisting his work? Is my personal kingdom divided and destined to fall or have I surrendered my broken kingdom to a United Person—where I might finally be complete, clean, and full in Him?

P = O Lord, speak to me today and may I not refuse your message. May I have grace to repent of my kingdom and receive of your kingdom…not as one who needs to be in control, but as one who daily yields control to you my loving Savior. Amen.

An Independence Day Devotional

We are off our normal series this week and will return next week.

Read: Hebrews 4:12

                                        The Word That Liberates

                                         "Everyone...is a slave to sin..." (John 8:34)

              "Then you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." (John 8:32)

We are all slaves to sin until we become Christians. As slaves we have no part in the kingdom of God. But when the Son sets us free from our sins, we are no longer slaves. As we begin to know the Truth through worship, prayer and Bible study, we are set free from our chains.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are born again (John 3:3‑21) and our spirit is given life, yet our spirit may still be restricted by our soul or intellectual mind. Our mind has been filled with lies and worldly philosophies which serve to chain and perhaps even strangle our newborn spirit, as thorns would a good plant. How then can we liberate our spirit from the control of our soul so that we might cast down all philosophies and thoughts that are contrary to the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5)? We read in Hebrews 4:12 that the Word (the Bible) is sharper than any two‑edged sword, it can even divide soul and spirit. As we apply the Word of God to our life, it will separate our spirit from the restrictive control of the mind—the truth will set us free.

Once the Spirit has been liberated (released) from the control of the mind it is free to flow out into every area of our life. Because our spirit is no longer confined, we, by the Holy Spirit, can open up to the release that comes through the manifestations of our spiritual gifts and prayer language. As our spirit is in control of our thoughts and actions, we are released to bring life to our body and mind in a whole new way, by the blood of Christ. The Word of God is mighty indeed. As we study to know more of the truth, as revealed in God's Word, we will be set free, as we allow Him to liberate our spirit from all the fallen ideas and habits that entangle it (Heb. 12:1-2).

Action Points:

• What aspect of your mind has the most binding effect upon your spirit and your faith (e.g., fear, intellectualism, greed, pride/arrogance)?
• Ask God to set you free. If necessary, agree together in prayer with another Christian for your deliverance.
• Remember, being set free does not necessarily mean the removal of temptation, but the removal of the compulsion to sin. Now we can say “No!” in order to say “Yes!” to something better (Romans 6:12-13).