September 7, 2024

Luke 7.33, 34 (NIV)
“For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard.’”

If we try to please everyone, and follow anyone, we’re sure to upset someone, and satisfy no one.*

Some of us are “people-pleasers.” We want everyone to like us so we try to become who we think others will like. The problem is, not all people like all the same kinds of people! It puzzles me how someone who is my friend can dislike another person who is also my friend. If they have me in common, shouldn’t they be able to get along?

John the Baptist lived in the desert, his attire was less than fashionable, and he probably had taken a vow concerning what he ate and drank, and the critics said he was demon-possessed. Jesus ate, drank, and dressed like everyone else - and they said he was a glutton and a drunk. Go figure!

Jesus showed us how to live in a world where you can’t please everyone. He understood human nature in all its fickle glory. He cared about people but he didn’t care what they thought of him. He wasn’t concerned about pleasing people; he was concerned about saving them. He didn’t try to make them happy; he introduced them to joyful living.

When we look closely at Jesus’ ministry, we see occasions when he offered the crowd exactly what they were seeking, whether it was healing, clarity, or lunch. . .  . His words were refreshing, encouraging, affirming. But then there were days he told them things so true they hurt. There were days he refused to answer their questions. . .  . There were moments he saw through their requests for healing and went right to their need for forgiveness.*

September 6, 2024

Luke 5.31, 32 (NIV)

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

How on earth can you and I stand in the pulpit, in a Sunday school class, or in a small group and tell people how to reach a lost world when we refuse to step outside our little bubble of isolation?*

The Pharisees probably wanted to get into a discussion about who was righteous, but Jesus was not concerned about that.* Jesus’ point in this passage was that righteous people don’t need to repent and that’s why he was hanging out with sinners. As Paul reminds us in Romans 3.10 (quoting Psalm 14.3), no one is righteous, so who is in any position to criticize Jesus for the people he associates with? 

Think of the church as a hospital and each individual church member as an employee of the hospital. A hospital has a lot more than just doctors on staff. A well-run hospital has nurses, technicians, janitors, cooks, and office-workers. Some people drive the ambulance that brings in the badly injured patients; others pick up sick people at their homes and drive them to the hospital for treatment or surgery.

 

The hospital exists to treat and prevent illness and injury – not so that doctors and nurses and technicians can encourage each other and have meetings to discuss the latest treatment theories. Yes, just like a hospital, the church needs to train and encourage its employees but it is a useless institution if it never comes into contact with the sin-diseased world.

Consider who Jesus spent his time with while on earth. He spent time with, worked with, and changed the lives of those who were broken and lost.*

September 5, 2024

Luke 5.16 (NIV)
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

The shortening of prayer will be the weakening of our power.*

If Jesus needed to withdraw from the crowds and pray frequently, then we certainly underestimate the importance of prayer. Jesus was God and he was the Word so it seems to go without saying that he prayed without ceasing. But apparently, just being in an “attitude of prayer” throughout the day is not enough. Time spent alone with God is critical or Jesus wouldn’t have bothered to set the example for his disciples – and for us.

Don’t have time to pray? Do you think you’re busier than Jesus was? He could have told himself, “These people need me. It would be selfish to go off by myself and pray.” But,the demands of life pushed Jesus to prayer, not from it.* 

We aren’t always told what Jesus prayed for. In the garden, we know he prayed for deliverance from the suffering ahead - a very human prayer. In his humanity, surely he asked God for human things – direction, comfort, safety. But in his time alone with God, he communed with the Father and transcended his humanity. You don’t get to know God just by asking for stuff.

We have much more business with God in prayer than Christ had; he had no sins to be humbled for, nor beg pardon of; no need to pray for any sanctifying habits of grace, the Holy Spirit being given to him without measure.*

September 4, 2024

Luke 5.4, 14, 24, 27; 6.10 (NIV)

“Put out into deep water, and let down the nets . . . show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices . . . take up your mat and go home. . . Follow me . . . Stretch out your hand.” 

If and when God speaks to us, there will be no doubt who is talking, or what he is saying.*

In these verses, people are asked to do some seemingly illogical, or perhaps, merely unremarkable, things. They obeyed because Jesus said so. And some of them wouldn’t have known to do these things, logical or otherwise, until Jesus told them.

There have been times in my life when God directed me down a path for unknown reasons. Sometimes the reason was revealed later but many remain a mystery. Most of the occasions were probably to test my obedience. Other instances may have had eternal significance that he has chosen not to reveal to me.

Not only does God speak in unexplained ways, he also speaks in unexpected ways. From the person at a party who noted my hypocrisy; to reminders from my children (when they were small and now that they are adults); to a clear, small voice inside my own head, God has spoken to me. But do not forget that however else God might direct us, he will never contradict his written Word.*

If we let the Spirit . . . bring us face to face with God, we . . . shall hear . . . the still small voice of God.*

September 3, 2024

Luke 3.8 (NIV)

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

There is a great deal of sorrow over sin . . . that is not repentance.*

In other translations, this verse tells us to produce fruit worthy of repentance. I believe Jesus is exhorting us to match the fruit with the sin. For instance, if lying is your sin, then you should repent and stop lying; so, what would the fruit of repentance look like? Begin telling the truth. Apologize. Make other restitution as needed. Continue to be honest.

Many a sinner has repented – but not for long enough to bear fruit. (We could argue that it wasn’t true repentance if he turned back to his sin so quickly but we will leave that determination up to the Lord.)  The verb translated “produce” implies instant effort – as in, “Produce at once.”* or, “Do it now!” Perhaps if we began our fruit production immediately, there would be less inclination to turn back. As someone has said, “The call to repent is a call to action."*

Repent. Do it now!

If a person’s actions are evil, it’s not enough to change habits; you have to go deeper. You have to go to the heart of the problem, which is the problem of the heart.*

September 2, 2024

Luke 1.45 (NIV)

“Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

The creator of the universe entrusts his plan to save sinful humankind to a teenaged girl of simple yet powerful faith.*

Of all the women who have ever lived, Mary was the most special. God chose her to be the mother of his Son, so her character had to be more than exemplary: faithful, obedient, humble.

Consider, then, how paradoxical it is that Mary believed what she was hearing. A faithful, obedient, and humble young woman is told that she is going to be the virgin mother of the Son of God. Would a woman of humility believe that she could be chosen for such an honor? Would a faithful Jewish peasant girl believe that she was going to be the mother of the Messiah? She knew that she could be stoned for her ostensible adultery – a very big reason to turn down the offer presented to her.

Does this mean that Mary was perfect? The Bible says no. I began by saying that Mary was “the most special” – but she was not chosen because she was special; she was special because she was chosen. She was in the right place at the right time – and she was ready. Ready to be faithful, humble, and obedient.

To be used by God, we need to ready ourselves. Are we faithful, humble, and ready to obey?

Mary has the one requirement that God needs to make his plan work: faith. She is blessed because she believes.*

September 1, 2024

Mark 16.7 (NIV)

“But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

Your past doesn’t have to be a picture of your future.*

Matthew’s version of the event described in this passage doesn’t make any special mention of Peter, but Mark thought it was important to include this little detail. And while the other disciples had also abandoned Jesus when things got ugly, Peter’s denial scene got “special” recognition. Perhaps the angel’s referral to Peter in this verse was meant to reassure him that he had been forgiven for his earlier public denial of Jesus; but I think there’s more to it – after all, Peter wasn’t the only disciple in need of forgiveness or reassurance so why single him out?

What is special/significant about Peter? I think Jesus was establishing Peter’s credentials as the leader of the band, putting in motion the transition plan to be implemented when he left. Peter had blundered and stumbled and, being the public figure that he was, everyone knew it. Natural leadership skills aside, without Jesus’ unmistakable blessing, Peter would have had trouble getting anyone to listen to him. It is not necessary for servants of God to be smooth and eloquent, only that they have the Savior’s seal of approval. The message is the star, not the messenger.

He sees beyond what we are to what we can become, beyond our sins to the service we can offer.*