Good, what is good?

Good Friday. Only God is good, said Jesus to the rich young ruler. What is good about today? Our payment has been made. We owe nothing now. Can we accept this grace? It is difficult for me to even accept a gift from a friend. (But you are welcome to let me try). The miracle of God is that He paid our debt for us. Many have trouble with that because they don't realize they owe a debt. That is a true hurdle we must cross. The events of that day 2,000 years ago are quite brutal and disturbing. If Pilate found nothing wrong with Jesus, why did he have him flogged. Why did the crowd yelling crucify him leave in sorrow afterwards (Lk23:48). Even the Roman commander had a change of heart. Do we? Do we really? Or is this just another day for us.

Confession or Denial

Confession, it does a body good. Part of our confession ought to be to God, the one we offend with our sin. Jesus gave Judas that chance at the last supper. If you read in Matt ch26v25, we read Judas asking directly, and Jesus answering directly. Yet, Judas did not repent. Do we repent? We might be sorry for our actions. We might even apologize or confess, but then do them again. Judas was in denial, he did not think he was betraying Jesus. He was arranging a meeting. His grief over his actions caused him to go hang himself. He waited too long to repent. Jesus is giving us opportunity today to repent of our sins. He invites us to come to Him, nail our sins to His cross and be free. Not free to do them again, but free from God's righteous judgement. Thank you Jesus!

Reconciliation, the torn curtain

Question, why don't we sacrifice animals today? Answer, because the curtain was torn down the middle. Why don't we need a special temple for God to reside on earth, because the curtain was torn. And why don't we need a prophet to tell us what God's will is? Because the curtain. When Jesus died, He finished the reconciliation process between God and man. Sadly, many don't desire that reconciliation. Luke ch23 discusses the trial, crucifixion and death of Jesus. All things He willingly did. Why? Love. He loved us so much, that He was willing to be the payment we would not make. Because of this sacrifice, we can approach God directly. Let that sink in. We have personal access and relationship to the creator God! It is truly a time to rejoice!

Avoiding temptation

With the passion week upon us, it is fitting that we are rounding out Luke. In ch 22v39-46, Jesus and his close disciples are in Getsemane. Jesus instructs them to pray that you will not give in to temptation. Curious command. What temptation? Fear? Anger? Jesus knows what is about to happen. He knows they will scatter. Yet, his prayer is for them not to give in. Was this prayer answered? Eventually, or else we would not be reading Luke today. Jesus was tempted with Satan's lies, and prospered. Eve & Adam were tempted and failed. What is Jesus praying for them here? Fear causes one to think of themself first. Self protection. I think Jesus was warning us about the trials ahead, that persecution will come. We must not be tempted to run away in denial. He didn't.

Jesus points to opportunity

Jesus sees an opportunity in Luke 21v13. He is discussing end times with his disciples. There will be times of persecution and tragedy, but the oppty is to proclaim Jesus. People will be open to discussing that topic. Are we in end times now? Does it matter? We have oppty daily to discuss Jesus, do we take it? Easter is upon us, what better time is there? TV's highest rated show is The Bible. People want to talk about this. Show courage for the Holy Spirit will guide your conversation. Also, be ready to communicate about Jesus, when necessary, use words.

What Could Have Been

Today, we'll begin the passion week (a little early), and I'm not talking NCAA tourney(though there is passion in it too). Luke ch 19v41-44 notes Jesus approaching Jerusalem on the colt. He sees the city and weeps, for he knows what the future holds. The 2nd part of v44 is particcularly haunting in that he weeps because the people did not accept the opportunity for salvation. They had been warned. We have too. What about many who have heard and have decided to make the decision later? We think we have plenty of time. Judgement day is way off in the future, I can decide then. Jesus is warning us who follow, not to wait. Don't bypass the oppty. We should not let the phrase "what could have been" be part of our story, or those we love. Jesus weeps, it means that much.

Of Gifts and Talents....

What gifts has God blessed you with? And, are you usi ng them for His good purpose? In Luke ch 19v11-27, Jesus tells the parable of the servants. To one, he gives an amount which the servant invested and grew 10 times. Another grows it 5 times. A third does nothing because he is lazy and afraid. This third one is rebuked. The king exclaims you didn't even do the bare minimum of putting it i n the bank to earn interest. God has gifted us all with talents and gifts. We might not know exactly what they are, but through effort, we can discover them. Shame on us if we choose to do nothing. Or wait for our gift/talent to be "revealed". The king rewards the faithful servants with more. Cast aside your fears and be willing to serve your king. Your efforts will not return void.

Hope on the horizon

Luke ch 15v11-24 tell the familiar parable of the prodigal son. I have read this several times in the past, always from the son's point of view. Notice though, the father. He sees his son while the son is still a way off in the distance. How amazing is that? The father must have been regularly faithful to watch for the son's return. Not only did he anticipate seeing his son again, he eagerly sought him by scanning the horizon. Oh to be that faithful! It seems that the father never gave up hope. Further notice that the father welcomed the son back, not with lectures or punishment, but with love. Others will disappoint us in life, but our faithful love for them and prayers can make a difference. Keep scanning your horizons and don't give up hope!

Attention needed

There is quite a message in the parable of the barren fig tree in Luke ch13v6. There is a fig tree that has not produced fruit for 3 yrs. The owner wants to cut it down but the gardener wants to give it one more year. He promises special attention, so the owner relents. Who are we in that parable? Do we have fruit in our lives, or have we become barren? For friends who do not hae fruit, are we giving them special attention? Do we pray regularly for them? It is difficult, for it takes our time. But that could be the true fruit producer. Do we give up on others too quickly? What if one more season of attention and prayer were what was needed? I am committed to praying for each of you. Not that you are without fruit, but I love and care for you. That is why I write to you!

Are you the one?

"Are you the Messiah, or should we keep looking", Jesus is asked in Luke ch7v19. He is talking with John the baptist's disciples, but we could be asking. We read of the miracles and learn about his teachings, but do we commit our lives to Him, or just a portion? We play it safe, only allowing parts of us to be given to God. Safety, security, comfort. Jesus is ready for us to follow Him. Not part time. That doesn't mean we quit our lives and become preachers. No, I believe we become preachers where God has us. In our families, in our work environs, in our neighborhood. Following Jesus must be more than a few hours on Sunday. It has been said to pray always, when necessary, use words. Is God merely a passing thought occassionally? Or do you seek him constantly? Jesus is the one

Trust and Focus

In what do you trust? We might find security in our homes, our savings or our items of comfort. But they don't last. In Luke ch6, we read Jesus' sermon on the beatitudes in v20-26. It is not evil to have money or comforts, but to value them above God is. Jesus preaches about life eternal, not just the 60 or so years here. He encourages us not to just focus on now. This cheap parlor trick of life will fade. He wants our focus on eternity with Him. Momentary glory is fleeting. People will rush to the next "it" thing or person, leaving the previous one wrung out. Just watch pop culture. When they are done, that one is a shell of their former self. So, where is your trust? Hope spirngs eternal, let our focus do likewise!

Following...

Did you "Spring Forward" yet? In Luke ch5, we read of Jesus callinf his first disciples. We read a similar account in Matt. Peter, Andrew, John and James are fishermen who've had an unsuccessful outing. Jesus implores them to go out again. When they do, their nets almost break with the tremendous haul. Peter realizes who Jesus is and realizes his own fallenness in v8. Yet, upon landing, the four leave everything and follow Jesus. I am still amazed at their commitment. I try to follow Jesus daily and fail epicly. How could these guys (Peter had a family) just up and quit their work? There is taxes to pay, food to get, housing, etc... Jesus doesn't ask all of us to up and leave. Rather He mostly orders followers to be where they are. We can still follow, in our world of influe

Fix Us!

Fix us! That is often the gist of our prayers. We fail to understand our true needs. In Luke ch4,v38-41, Jesus is in Capernaum and he heals a few. Suddenly, people swarm to him for his healing power. Many are physically cured. You can ask them about that miracle except, they are dead now. But, if they truly sought Jesus spiritually, they might be alive with Him in the afterlife. We pray for healing today, Aunt Tizzy's bakc, Uncle Kip's hip, etc... Are we missing Jesus' purpose? I suppose that with a word Jesus could have knocked out disease and death with one punch. Actually, it took three words....It is finished. As you read along, try to focus on Jesus' true mission. Many were healed, but are now dead. And many believed, and are now alive.

Acceptance or Rejection

It is not coincidence that Jesus reads from Isa ch 61 in Luke ch4. He is reading to his hometown crowd. What he reads is the promise of delivery by the Messiah. Freedom from oppression, that is what Jesus is saying, not from Rome. Rome is temporary. Our earthly kingdoms and countries are temporary. Jesus has long term implications. The people of Nazareth reject him because they see the boy growing, not the man with the mission. It is like that with those who have known us the longest. Those are probably the ones we've hurt the most. Hard to get a blank canvas suddenly. Takes time and consistent behavior. Judging others is easy, judging correctly is hard. It is interesting to me how the village of Nazareth rejected their prophet. Am I any different in that I reject at times too.

Jesus is presented

In Luke ch2, 8 days after his birth, Jesus is presented in the temple. Ironic that God Himself is being presented to God. However, it was by design that Jesus go through all things that humans do. At the temple, Mary & Joseph encounter Simeon who gives a prophecy of Jesus' future. It is not rosy or comforting from a parent perspective. In fact, the future he predicts is full of falling and angst. This must have been somewhat unsettling, as everyone wants the best for their children, but M&J know Jesus is different and has a mission though they don't yet understand it. Simeon hits the nail on the head in ch2v34-35. He notes the joy Jesus will bring, as well as the pain. The honesty of scripture is quite amazing. How has Jesus impacted you? How is your heart?

Brought to you by....

A glorious entrance! Hardly the way one might describe the birth of the King in Luke ch2. Jesus is born unto us in an animal trough. There is no earthly fanfare, attending nurses or warm soft blankies. But God's ways are not our ways. There is fanfare, from the heavenly realm. There are gifts and people, shepherds, do come to behold. Imagine Joseph and Mary, what must they have been thinking. Joseph was truly righteous, taking pregnant Mary to be his wife. Follow a decree for the census. He is obedient, and perhaps that is why we can read about him today. God humbled himself to be one of us. Let that sink in. The potter became the clay. No other idol or god-like diety in our lives can boast that. Think your tv knows how you feel? Just turn it off and look at it. Kinda empty. Don't let the Christmas story in Luke be something to think about only in December. Rejoice each day that He has come to us!