Listening to the Word

Esther 9-10; Luke 19 “So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’…’Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’” Luke 19:13, 17 Do we believe that our Creator God gave us life, health, and all we have? If we do, then we also must recognize that we are stewards of God’s time, talents, and treasure. We, too, have received the word, ”Put this money to work, until I come back.” Are the money, time, and talent we have received being “put to work” for the good of the King and his kingdom? More importantly, have we taken responsibility for the resources we’ve been entrusted with, or have we buried this topic? Responsibility requires faith and decision-making. Too often we place ourselves in bondage to creditors, rather than putting our resources to work. The reward for good stewardship of God’s resources is even more responsibility. T...

Esther 3-8; Luke 18 “But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’” Luke 18:16, 17 “Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” These words are so shocking we need to repeat them out loud to really hear them. Salvation is not an intellectual response to a presentation of the gospel. To explain how we enter the kingdom of God, Jesus pointed to the faith, humility, and trust of little children who receive a gift. No one deserves to enter Christ’s kingdom. There is no room for bargaining with God. Children receive a gift, believe, and follow. Is that our experience of coming to Jesus? Or, are we still living religious lives in our own kingdom, or someone else’s? Knowing and following the King marks every person in Christ’s kin...

Esther 1-2; Psalms 150; Luke 17 “’…If your brother sins against you rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times come back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.’ The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ He replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.’” Luke 17:3-6 Why did the apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith when he called them to extend forgiveness repeatedly to their brother or sister? It is in our closest relationships where we often lack faith that behaviors, character, and habits can change. Jesus calls his disciples to acknowledge when they have been sinned against and rebuke the offender. Then consistently and without judgment forgive them. By contending for clear and open communication while we extend forgiveness, we are placing our faith in God’s grace both in our lives and in those we are...

Ezra 5-6; Psalms 138; Luke 16   “’No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.’ The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.’” Luke 16:13-15 Who we serve affects our thinking and shapes our values and choices. If we are serving our career or a company, that will shape our priorities. Others serve beauty and will sacrifice to achieve affirmation   by others. What master are we serving? The Pharisees claimed to serve God, but were actually serving money. Jesus exposed their hearts and said that we can’t serve two masters at the same time. When we serve Jesus, he calls us to give up all other loves and make him our first love. Once we are his, money no longer has...

Zechariah 13-14; Psalms 147; Luke 15   “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity…On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.” Zechariah 13:1; 14:8 The fountain that opened in Jerusalem to cleanse the sin and impurity from the lives of people was fulfilled when Jesus, the Lamb of God, offered his blood as an atoning sacrifice for sin. This fountain of cleansing blood still flows and it is still open to those who seek cleansing. On Pentecost, another river was released in Jerusalem when the living water of the Holy Spirit was poured out and empowered Christ’s disciples to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. This river of living water still flows and is the only satisfaction for thirsty souls looking for life.   Are we pointing people to the fountain of cleansing blood and the river of living wat...

Zechariah 10-12; Psalms 126; Luke 14 “’If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple…In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.’” Luke 14:26, 27, 33 There is much talk of disciple-making and discipleship in the church today.   But, are we talking about the same thing as Jesus was? He called people to leave everything and follow him. The leaving first meant releasing family obligations which Jesus certainly understood as a firstborn son. His brothers would probably have resented him for this. Jesus isn’t calling us to follow him theoretically, but in real terms, now. Surrendering our family, work, education, and even our lives to him is the first step in discipleship. He might give some of those things back to us, but that is not ours to choose. This definition of discipleship is much more than being a good person who doesn’t...