How to Know God's Chosen Ones - I Thessalonians 1:4-5

"For we know, brothers, loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction." The Apostle Paul opens his first letter to the Thessalonians by commending them for their continuing faith and hope in Christ. Then he affirms that he knows they have been chosen by God because He observed the power of the Holy Spirit among them. He saw something happen to the Thessalonians when he presented the gospel to them in words. The transforming power of the Holy Spirit was at work among them convicting and convincing them of the truth of the gospel of Christ apparently in ways that Paul could observe. If Paul knew the Thessalonians were God's chosen ones because the power of the Holy Spirit impacted their lives in noticeable ways, then will others notice the same thing about us?

Open My Understanding - Luke 24:45

"Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." You can read and study the Bible and appreciate its literary or historical value. However, true understanding of the Scriptures comes by Jesus revealing His Word by the Holy Spirit. Because God's Word is spiritual - "and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17) - you must be spiritual (filled with the Holy Spirit) to truly understand its message of redemption: "And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual" (1 Corinthians 2:13). Each time you read and study the Bible, always pray Luke 24:45: "Lord, please open my understanding as I read your Word today." Then you will be prepared for God to reveal His truth to you through His Word.

What Is Your Reaction to the Cross? - Luke 23:44-49

Jesus had just been crucified and though crucifixion is meant to be a slow form of death, Jesus died after just three hours. At the point of His death He called out, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (vs. 46). Reactions to Jesus death by three groups present at the crucifixion are recorded by Luke. A Roman centurion who had witnessed the whole event proclaimed Jesus' must truly be the Son of God (vs. 47; cf Matthew 27:54). The crowds of Jews that had gathered to watch His crucifixion left feeling sorrow over His death (vs. 48). Jesus' friends just watched helplessly from a distance (vs. 49). What is your reaction to Jesus' death? Are you just watching from a distance, feeling sympathetic but going on with your life, or are you embracing its significance for your life--the Son of God died for you so you can live eternally with God?

Be a Volunteer Not a Recruit - Isaiah 6:8

"And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”  Isaiah had a vision of being in the presence of God in His heavenly temple. Isaiah became fearful because he was a sinful person standing in the presence of a Holy God. An angel took tongs from the altar of the heavenly temple, picked up a coal, and flew to Isaiah and touched his mouth to atone for his sin so he could stand holy before God. God then began to question who would take His message to Israel. Isaiah eargerly volunteered to be the one to carry God's message even though the message was bad news that Israel would be conquered and its people taken into captivity. Be a volunteer, not a recruit in proclaiming the message of the gospel to the world. Here am I, Lord, send me!

A Tolerance for Evil- Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! There are those who are trying to tell us what we know is evil is good and what we know is good is evil. Sometimes they do it openly but more often than not they do it secretly, slowly, politely, and before you know it, we develop a tolerance for evil. We begin to accept as good what once we believed was evil. Once this tolerance for evil becomes embedded in our personal lives or our society, then we become the evil that we used to hate. We no longer can distinguish between good and evil. You may think that it could never happen to you, but it happened to the religious leaders of Jesus' day! Repeatedly they tried to find reasons to have Jesus arrested and killed and He confronted them: "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires" (John 8:44). This tolerance for evil happens "because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false" (II Thessalonians 2:10-11). Develop a love for the Truth you won't develop a tolerance for evil.

Sharing the Gospel the Hard Way - Luke 22:35-36

"And he said to them, 'When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?' They said, 'Nothing.' He said to them, 'But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.'" This commission to His disciples just prior to His arrest and crucufixion is in direct contrast to His directive when Jesus sent out the twelve and then the seventy-two on their first mission trip early in His ministry: "And he said to them, 'Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart'" (Luke 9:3-4; 10:4-5). In the times in which we live, sharing the gospel is often no easy matter and people may not receive you and the gospel with open arms.The charge to share the gospel has not changed; the circumstances under which you do it has. Since you may not always be well received, do not depend on the hospitality and goodwill of others to share the gospel; do it using your own resources if necessary but still do it. And there may be a few bad guys along the way so be prepared to defend yourself!

The Rest of the Story - Joshua 6:25

But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. Joshua sent spies to conduct reconnaissance on Jericho, the first city Israel would conquer in the promised land. Rahab was a prostitute who lived in the city of Jericho at that time. The king of Jericho learned that spies had infiltrated the city and sent men to take them into custody. Rahab hid the spies in her house and then helped the Israeli spies escape the city. They promised her that when Israel came to capture the city, the lives of Rahab and all her family would be spared (Joshua 2:14). When Jericho was captured and destroyed by Israel, Joshua allowed the two spies to bring Rahab and all her family out of her house before Israel burned the city. Rahab apparently lived in Israel from then on. But that's not the end of Rahab's appearance in the biblical record. In the words of Paul Harvey, "And now, the rest of the story." God had big plans for Rahab the prostitute. In Matthew's genealogical record of Jesus, he writes that Rahab was the mother of Boaz (apparently she married a Jew named Salmon) and Boaz married Ruth and they were the parents of Obed and Obed was the father of Jesse and Jesse was the father of David (Matthew 1:5; see also Ruth 4:17). So Rahab the prostitute became one of God's redeemed and played a role in the genealogy of King David and ultimately in the ancestry that was to culminate in the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. God purposefully uses the most unlikely people to accomplish His will and to show His omnipotence and boundless love for the human beings He created.

A Coffee Break With God - Isaiah 1:18

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." This sounds like a person inviting a friend to sit down and have an intellectual discussion over a cup of coffee. In fact, another way to translate the world "reason" is with the word "dispute." So God wants to engage in a lively debate with you. This invitation indicates that God wants to be your close friend. God is beseeching you to have a friendly relationship with Him. In order to have this personal conversation with God, He needs to clean you up because He is too holy for you to approach Him. What is holy cannot be intimate or personal with what is not holy. So God  wipes away or blots out all your sinfulness to the extent that He cannot even tell that you were once sinful. Now go have that cup of coffee with God!

The Lure of Prosperity - Hosea 13:4-6

In the days that Hosea prophesied, Israel had grown economically prosperous, Israel was in chaos through failures in international diplomacy and political in-fighting and intrigue and its apostasy--the worship of God had turned into religious idolatry. Hosea tried to remind Israel how God had freed them from slavery in Egypt: "But I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior" (vs. 4). One of the factors that Hosea identified as having turned Israel away from God was its prosperity: "It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought; but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me" (vs. 5-6). If there is anything that has proven to turn people's attentions from God in the days in which we live it is surely our prosperity. Prosperity creates false hope--hope in the economies of this world, hope in our own abilities to accumulate wealth, and hope that it will give us a better or happier life. But anything that creates false hope is idolatry. Our hope is for eternal life with God and anything that replaces hope in God is idolatry. So we must not let our wealth turn our attention from God by being occupied with its accumulation, but let us be occupied with how better to use our wealth to express and proclaim the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Give God His Due - Luke 20:9-19

Jesus told a parable of a man who planted a vineyard and then leased it to tenants to work it for him. After a while the owner of the vineyard sent servants to the tenants to collect a portion of the fruit in payment on the lease, but the tenants beat the servants and sent them away without payment. Finally, the owner sent his son thinking the tenants would respect him. Instead, they killed him because he was the heir and they wanted to inherit the vineyard for themselves. Jesus asked how the owner should resolve his problem and then answered His own question: "He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others" (vs 16). The meaning of the parable was obvious to those who heard it--the owner of the vineyard was God and the tenants were the priests and scribes, the spiritual leaders of the Jews (vs. 19). The meaning of the parable, however, should not be lost on those of us today who are stewards of God's grace--individually or collectively. When we get so focused on our own good works and neglect Who we are working for, we are like the wicked tenants who laid claim to ownership of the vineyard and all they produced from it. Just because we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ does not make us its proprietor. We are just the tenants who work the vineyard and the fruits of our labor belong to God. It  is still God's vineyard no matter how hard you work or how much you think you deserve or are entitled to. Your inheritance is eternal life and your reward awaits you in the new heaven and new earth

Be Strong and Courageous - Joshua 1:1-9

God commissioned Joshua to take leadership and military command over Israel after Moses died. In the beginning verses of the book of Joshua, God tells Joshua to lead Israel into the promised land. God assures Joshua of success in conquering the land for Israel because He will remain with Joshua and never abandon him. Three times in this passage God tells Joshua to "be strong and courageous" (vs. 6, 7, 9) and if he is then he will be prosperous and successful wherever he goes (vs. 7,8). These assurances have nothing to do with worldly wealth or success but with the hope for accomplishing God's plans and purposes no matter what circumstance presents itself. Joshua's strength and courage should be conditioned upon learning (vs. 8a) and obeying God's law (vs. 7, 8b) and upon God's enabling power that abides with Joshua (vs. 5). God's admonition to Joshua to be strong and courageous is relevant to your circumstances today. God is telling you just as He told Joshua: Be faithful to God's Will and His Word and then be confident in the fact that He will act accordingly.

Indifference: The Product of Unbelief - Luke 19:26

"I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." Jesus told a parable about a prince who went to a far country to receive a kingdom. Before he left he gave a significant sum of money to several servants and ordered them to engage in business with the money until he returns. Upon his return he ordered each servant to give an accounting of his business activities. One servant profitted ten times as much with the money and he given authority over ten cities in the prince's new kingdom; another five times as much was given authoriy over five cities. The third said he held the money without investing it because he was afraid of the prince's fury if he did not make a profit. So the prince condemned the complacent servant and took the money he had given him and gave it to the one who had earned ten times over. The lack of productivity by the servant revealed his unbelief which led to his indifference. Thus, indifference or complacency is the product of unbelief. The lack of productivity--or indifference--for God's Kingdom may actually indicate a lack of belief in the reality of His Kingdom!

For the Children's Sake, Know God - Hosea 4:6

God indicted Israel for not being faithful to Him even to the point of having no knowledge of God. Israel's failure to know God will ultimately result in their destruction: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (vs 6a). The priests had the primary responsibility for teaching the people about God and His laws, but they had failed miserably, and the result was that Israel lacked any knowledge of God's laws and His ways. God placed the blame squarely on the spiritual leaders--the priests: "Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me" (vs 6b). The consequences of this neglect of God's Word would be seen in the lives of what was most precious to the priests: "And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children" (vs 6c). The great privilege of knowing God was in danger of being forfeited, even for the next generation. Let us not allow God to forget our children by forgetting about Him during our generation. For the sake of our children, let our knowledge of God be deep and our faith rich so that our children may learn to know God and, thus, be known by Him.

The End is Near - Luke 17:20-37

Jesus was once asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come. Jesus replied that the Kingdom of God was imminent--it was so near to them that it was within their grasp because the coming of Jesus was the coming of the Kingdom of God. The first coming of the Kingdom was not visible and came to receive redeemed people. Jesus then explained to His disciples that a day will come when the present, invisible Kingdom culminates into the coming of a future, visible Kingdom at the second coming or return of Jesus. The Kingdom's future coming will be visible and it will come to render judgment on earth and to receive redeemed people into eternal life. In the same way that God suddenly destroyed the inhabitants of the earth with a flood in the days of Noah and destroyed the inhabitants of Sodom by fire in the days of Lot, so will it be with the future coming of Jesus and His visible Kingdom. Therefore, Kingdom citizens should be ready or prepared to leave behind their way of life without prior notification because whoever seeks to preserve his way of life in the day of Jesus' second coming will lose it, but whoever is willing to lose his way life for the coming Kingdom will preserve it (vs. 33). Desire God's Kingdom more than your life in this world so that you won't be left behind when it all ends. After all, the end is near!

Competent Christians - Luke 17:7-10

When your job performance is annually reviewed where I work, there are five ratings for each of the performance criteria. The rating in the middle, No. 3, is called Competent. Competency is the minimum expected of every employee on every performance criteria. In this parable Jesus explains that when we obey God's commands, we are just doing what is expected--the minimum. Like the competent employee or the obedient servant in the parable, we are just doing our job when we obey God. Living the way God commands is your duty and not a virtue, so you are not entitled to a reward because you obey God's commands. Obeying God only makes you at best a "competent" Christian. When you obey God, you have only done what is your duty and that doesn't make you worthy or entitled to God's mercy, grace, or redemption. In this parable Jesus reminds us to acknowledge that as God's people we are unworthy servants and we should glorify God for the unmerited favor He gives us. God owes us nothing and we owe Him everything!

The Key to Developing Spiritual Maturity - Luke 16:1-9

Although difficult to interpret, the parable of the dishonest manager can teach us a valuable lesson in developing spiritual maturity. The dishonest manager possessed a capability best described as acumen. Acumen is insightfulness--the keen insight one uses for making quick and accurate judgments. The dishonest manager mishandled the business affairs of his boss and knew he was about to be fired. Although the manager had careless disregard for the boss's business, the manager used his business acumen in preparing for his forced retirement and the boss commended the manager for it.  Jesus complained that worldly people use acumen to build wealth and goodwill to benefit themselves better than God's people do (vs 8). Jesus then suggested that God's people should use acumen in preparing for eternal life in the same way the dishonest manager used it to prepare for his impending unemployment (vs. 9). So Jesus seemed to think acumen was a capability evident among worldly people but lacking among God's people. But shouldn't the converse be true? God's people should be the ones with insight more than the people of the world because they have the indwelling Holy Spirit! The key to developing spiritual maturity is to exercise the spiritual acumen God has given each of us. Instead of jumping to our own conclusions, let us ask God for insight in making judgments and decisions about every aspect of our lives to better prepare ourselves for eternal life. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him" (James 1:5).

God's Lost and Found Department - Luke 15

Jesus told three lost-and-found parables in response to complaints from the Pharisees and scribes that He consorts with sinners even to the extent of eating with them. To the Jews tax collectors were turncoats and, consequently, the worst kind of sinners because they worked for the Roman government to extract taxes from their Jewish brothers. In the parable of the lost sheep the owner leaves the flock behind to search for one sheep that has become separated from the flock. In the parable of the lost coin a woman loses one of her ten silver coins and searches her house until she finds it. Both the man and woman report the good news to friends and neighbors so they can share in the joy of their search and recovery efforts. Both parables demonstrate God's attitude toward the wayward and disobedient and seem to contrast God's joy at the admission of sinners into heaven against the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. The familiar parable of the lost or prodigal son is a powerful story whose details clearly delineate the great extent of the son's "lostness" and of God's love for sinners. Imagine feeling so unworthy or so far removed from God, and then your Heavenly Father, filled with compassion, runs to you and throws His arms around you and welcomes you back to Him. That is exactly how Jesus depicts God in this parable! God's lost-and-found department keeps track of the lost souls of men and women. The sign on the window says open and He is waiting at the counter for you to come and claim the destiny that you have with Him.

The Jesus School of Discipleship - Luke 14:25-33

Jesus had great crowds of people accompanying Him wherever He went (vs. 23). So He told the crowds who presumed to be His followers that to be His student or disciple they must love Him more than their own family even to the point of giving their lives for Him (vs. 27-28). Jesus then made a plea for them to consider what the personal cost of discipleship actually was. Jesus didn't try to hide anything. He told them the cost and then asked them to consider if they could afford it! Jesus used two parabolic illustrations--one involving building (vs. 28–30) and one about going to war (vs. 31–32) to teach them about calculating the cost of discipleship. Jesus asked who would start construction of a structure and first not calculate how much it would cost to complete construction. Jesus then asked who would take an army to war against a larger army and not calculate how many lives would be lost on the battlefield. Both illustrations warned against making a hasty decision to follow Jesus. The crowds that were following Jesus--those potential disciples--must first count the cost of discipleship to see if they will persevere in their faith. Jesus doesn't just want disciples, He wants faithful disciples. In the Jesus School of Discipleship, what matters is not that you enroll but that you graduate!

The Principle of Kingdom Humility - Luke 14:7-11

It was commonplace for Jesus to tell a story and then conclude it by stating a principle for living in His present and future Kingdom. Jesus was at the home of one of the leaders of the Pharisees who had invited Him over to eat the Sabbath meal when He told the parable of the wedding feast and concluded by stating a Kingdom principle. Jesus told the dinner party that when invited to a wedding feast don't sit at the place of honor because someone more important than you may come along and you could get bumped from your seat in favor of another. However, if you sit in the least honored position, then the host may come and ask you to move to a place of honor. Then Jesus concludes: "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (vs. 11; seel also Luke 18:14). One's success in this world is often measured by how much recognition is bestowed upon him, but success in the Kingdom of God is measured by showing humility. This principle seems to indicate these honors are mutually exclusive. So if you can't get both, then you receive honor from this world or from God. You indicate to God you want to be exalted in His Kingdom by showing humility in this world.

God's Treasured Possessions - Deuteronomy 26:17-19

Moses reminded the people of Israel as they were about to enter the promised land what they had pledged to God: "You have declared today that the Lord is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice (vs. 17). Then Moses reiterated to the people of Israel what God had promised them: "And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession. (vs 18). The promise is to all God's people through all the ages--if you make God your Lord and live in obedience to Him, then you will be His "treasured possession."  You probably have a possession you prize for its beauty and monetary value such as jewelry, coins, or artwork or for its sentimental value such as a family heirloom. You probably have that prized possession stored in a safe place or displayed in an attractive setting for you and possibly others to admire. God has promised that if He is your God, then He will care for you and watch over you in exactly the same way that you care for your highly-valued possessions because God's people are His treasured possessions.

The Principle of Kingdom Growth - Luke 13:18-21

Jesus used two figures of speech to demonstrate the internal and external growth of the Kingdom of God. Jesus first compared the Kingdom to a mustard seed. A mustard seed is a very small seed that when planted rapidly develops into a garden plant with tree-like proportions—large enough for birds to perch on its branches (vs. 19). Jesus then compares the Kingdom to yeast that is mixed into dough and causes the dough to rise (vs 21). While the mustard seed comparison indicates external growth or expansion, the yeast comparison indicates internal growth through permeation or infusion. The Kingdom of God infiltrates and pervades this world like yeast and grows and expands like a mustard tree. According to Jesus, God's Kingdom expands within our individual and collective lives in the same way that the mustard seed grows and the yeast permeates. The Kingdom of God is a living organism whose nature is one of dynamic growth and continual reproduction. God's Kingdom cannot remain static--it wants to grow both within you and in this world.

More Responsibility, Greater Accountability - Luke 12:48

"Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more." Jesus told His disciples two parables about the end of the age in Luke 12:35-48. Jesus told the second parable in response to a question from Peter asking to whom these parables are applicable. In this second parable Jesus contrasts the actions of a servant who was manager over a household and is conscientious about fulfilling His duties whether the master is there or not--Jesus called him "faithful and wise" (vs. 42)--and another manager who acts irresponsibly in the master's absence--Jesus called him "unfaithful" (vs 46). The answer to Peter's question was that more accountability is required from those who are delegated more responsibility. As we grow more competent in performing God's will, then He assigns us more opportunities and responsibility for service, but a higher standard of behavior is required. Simply stated, those with a higher level of authority and/or responsibility in God's Kingdom are held to a higher standard of accountability. And what is true for the Kingdom of God holds true in every aspect of our lives--family, job, business, civic, etc.--more responsibility demands greater accountability.

Don't Worry, Be Happy - Luke 12:31

Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you." Having security and achieving happiness are important priorities in life for almost any human being. In a short discourse in Luke 12:22-31 that appears in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus addresses the co-dependent issues of finding happiness and security in life. Since God is the ultimate source of life, He is also the ultimate provider of all our needs as well, and all our human energy and action should be directed toward knowing Him and becoming like Him rather than trying to accumulate needed possessions. Simply stated, we should not take the things we possess too seriously nor should we be anxious about accumulating them. If we take too much pride in possessions (or the accumulation of possessions) or worry too much about how we are going to obtain possessions, then we cannot fully participate in God's Kingdom because "where your treasure is, there will your heart will be also" (Luke 6:34; Matthew 6:21). So Jesus is telling His disciples, and us, to depend on God to meet your material needs and then invest your time and energy in what God is doing. I think this is God's way of saying, "Don't worry, be happy."

The Spirit-Filled Life - Joel 2:28-29

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit." On the day of Pentecost when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, Peter stood up and declared to all the Jews in Jerusalem who witnessed the event that this Spirit-filling was the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy (Acts 2:16-21). The day of Pentecost was the beginning of the time--the last days--in which God pours out His Spirit on all His people. Prior to this time God only filled certain people with His Spirit--prophets, priests, and kings--who heard from God and spoke His Word to the people. Now the promise is that God will fill all his people with His Spirit and this outpouring of the Spirit will be so widespread and extensive that even sons and daughters prophesy, young men see visions, old men have dreams from God, and servants are filled with the Spirit. The outpouring of the Spirit will be so ubiquitous, says Joel, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (vs. 32). The Holy Spirit makes God personal to each of us and all God's people can live Spirit-filled lives in which we personally hear from God and boldly proclaim His message that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ can be saved.

When God Speaks, People Should Listen - Deuteronomy 18:15-19

Moses tells Israel that God  promises prophets who will speak to Israel on His behalf. Prophets became the instrument of communicating God's Word to Israel in the Old Testament. In contrast to the nations that Israel was about to dispossess from the promised land who used pagan means of revelation and guidance such as fortune-telling (see vs. 18:14), Israel was to listen to God's prophets.While these verses focus on the role of the prophetic ministry in ancient Israel and possibly provide a Messianic prediction, the important operating variable is listening (vs. 15, 19). While a prophet may speak the Word of the Lord, if the people do not listen, then God will call them into account. There was a TV commercial many years ago advertising a certain stock brokerage firm. The commercial showed busy people stopping whatever they were doing as if to listen to the advice of this brokerage firm with the byline that when this brokerage firm talks then people listen. Today, the prophetic ministry of God speaking to His people comes though His Word, the Bible, and by the revelation of the Holy Spirit who dwells in each of us and guides us. God is speaking; are you listening?

You're Gonna Have to Serve Somebody - Luke 11:23

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." Jesus had just cast out an evil spirit that made a man mute. When the formerly mute man spoke, the people were amazed, but some tried to explain it by saying Jesus cast out demons by the power of Satan. Jesus offered the simple explanation that a house divided against itself falls; therefore, how will the evil kingdom stand if it is working against itself. Jesus told the scoffers that if He casts out demons by the power of God, then that is evidence that the Kingdom of God has come. So Jesus says in this verse that if you don't believe He comes from God, then you are on Satan's side and if you do not proclaim the truth that God's Kingdom has come then you are working against Him. In other words, when you've been confronted by the Kingdom of God, neutrality is not an option--you either become His loyal subject and serve Him or you serve the devil. It's as simple as that. The folksy lyrics of a late 1970’s song by Bob Dylan say: "You're gonna have to serve somebody. Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you're gonna have to serve somebody." There is no middle-of-the-road, no opting out, no riding-the-fence in the matter of your eternal destiny. So it's either Jesus or the devil, but you serve one or the other.

The Power of Persistent Prayer - Luke 11:5-8

One of His disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Jesus recited a model prayer--we call it The Lord's Prayer. Then Jesus told a story about effective prayer. According to Jesus' story a family receives a midnight visit from a neighbor who is requesting to borrow some loaves of bread. The neighbor is facing a crisis because he has a visitor at his house who was on a journey and he had no food to set before him. Since the custom of the time dictated that hospitality should be extended to a guest regardless of when the guest arrived, the neighbor was anxious to extend hospitality to the traveler by serving him a meal. Unfortunately, the family whose door the neighbor was knocking on had already gone to bed. The house in the story could have been a one-room house causing the father to waken his family in order to answer the door. So the father inside the house tells the neighbor to go away. When the neighbor persists in asking, he gives in and gives the neighbor everything he is asking for, not because the neighbor is a friend, but because he knew his neighbor was not going away until he gave him what he needed. By this story Jesus demonstrate how important it is to persistently petition God to meet our needs. If it is something really important, then you will keep asking until you get an answer.

Refining Your Focus - Luke 10:38-42

Jesus visited the house of two sisters, Martha and Mary. While He was in their home, Mary sat down at Jesus' feet and listened to His teaching while Martha was concerned about being a good hostess and was occupied serving her guests. Martha became aggravated that Mary wasn't helping serve the guests; rather, she was acting like one of the guests sitting there and listening to Jesus. Her aggravation with her sister turned into frustration with Jesus that He didn't seem to care that Mary was not helping her take care of their guests. Jesus confronted her anxiety by telling Martha that she was troubling herself over less important details while something important was taking place in her home--a classic case of not seeing the forest for the trees! Jesus told Martha that there was really only one important thing to do and Mary had chosen to do it. Receiving the words of eternal life should take precedence over all the other concerns of this life. In fact, don't we do the same thing as Martha--finding so many "important" things that need to be done that we have excuses not to study the Bible, pray, or go to church. We are so easily distracted by the temporal that we lose sight of the eternal. Let us refine our focus!!

Those Who See God - Luke 10:21-24

After Jesus sent out the seventy-two disciples around Galilee to heal the sick and proclaim that the Kingdom of God is near, they returned rejoicing and reported the authority they exercised over demons through the power of Jesus' name. Jesus told the disciples not to rejoice because of their power over demons but because they had received eternal life, which manifested itself in their power to cast out evil spirits. Then Jesus prayed for the disciples, thanking God that He chose to reveal Himself to sincere and genuine people who simply believe what He says rather than to educated or shrewd people who only trust in their own understanding (vs. 21). So God the Father is revealed only to those whom the Son of God chooses (vs. 22); and He chooses to reveal God not to people who are powerful and wise (vs. 24) but to people with a childlike faith who will simply obey what He tells them to do as did the seventy-two.

The Deliberate Disciple - Luke 9:57-62

Jesus encounters three would-be disciples. He tells the first one that being His disciple is not easy or comfortable because this world is not your home: "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (vs. 58). Jesus tells the second one that being His disciple takes precedence over every relationship and obligation: "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God" (vs. 60). To the third one Jesus says that deciding to follow Him is a lifetime commitment: "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (vs. 62). Just as these three would-be disciples desired to follow Jesus based upon certain contingencies, we often want to be His disciple alongside all of our other commitments and obligations. Being Jesus' disciple requires a conscious decision and effort to make His will your will, to live your life according to His teachings, and to proclaim the reality of His present and coming Kingdom.