BIBLE READING: Luke 17

Jesus was often hard on the religious leaders because they lacked mercy. Their pretense and judgmental attitudes were not only a misapplication of the law but did not reflect the true nature of God. “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9.13, cf. Hosea 6.6)

As Jesus shifts his attention to believers, he again presents his expectation of mercy as an imperative for discipleship. As the chapter begins, Jesus highlights 3 things that must exist in the lives of the faithful:

1. Community. His teaching about discipleship does not occur in a vacuum. The choices each person makes affects others. Notice how the actions of the individual are applied in the context of a community of faith (Luke 17.1-4). Whatever choices you make will affect other parts of the body (1 Corinthians 12.21-27); and so, Jesus says, “Watch yourselves!” (Luke 17.3a, NIV). To be a disciple is to understand that I am part of a community.
2. Responsibility. As a member of this community, there is an obligation to others both to admonish and forgive. The warning about being the cause of sin in the body is a serious remark about the responsibility members share. Jesus knows that sin will come, but he also knows that God takes the source of sin in the body seriously. The rebuking of sin shows how seriously the community takes the pursuit of righteousness, while forgiveness points to how sincerely the community honors the road to restored relationships.
3. Accountability. Sin will occur but it must be dealt with. Others will repent of their sins and the community needs to be there to support them. These things lend themselves to a need for open and honest communication within the community. We are not called to be watchdogs of our brethren, nor are we negligent of sin. We are called to love and serve one another (Galatians 5.13). No matter which side of the divide one is on, the goal is to produce a community where the destructive effects of sin are not allowed to eat at the body.  

At the heart of these things is a need to show mercy towards everyone. My goal should be to build up the rest of the body in love (Ephesians 4.16), but sometimes my natural desires hamper this. This passage requires me to reflect on my attitude towards my brethren and towards others. It is too easy to want to make people pay in full for their failures or past sins, rather than create an environment where restoration is possible. We must consider how to make our lives sensitive to sin, but not closed to grace.

“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” (Luke 17.3-4)

BIBLE READING: Luke 14

“Shark Tank” is a reality TV show where entrepreneurs try to convince multi-millionaire tycoons to invest in their businesses. A recent episode featured two very different contestants. The first left his six-figure corporate job and invested all his savings into making his business profitable. The second built his business as a “side-hustle” while maintaining his day job. Both contestants had great business ideas; but in the end the first contestant was offered a lucrative deal because of his personal commitment to the business. As one investor noted, “Investment shows commitment.”

The second contestant was passionate about his business… but at the end of the day it was just something he did for money. But the first contestant invested everything he had in his business, and it became who he was.

If we’re honest sometimes we treat our faith like a "side-hustle". We want our faith to grow and so we make choices that allow for that. But there are other “important things” that demand our attention and affection: family, jobs, etc. Luke 14 is a gut check to our spiritual commitment. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own [family], and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple …any one of you who does not renounce all that the has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14.26, 33).

Jesus is calling for us to be “all-in” with an understanding of what is most valuable. There is a reason he juxtaposes our family relationships with being his disciple. If you’re a parent, you know the time, energy, money and love you invest, especially in your children because they mean something to you. His point is that the things we value most are the things that cost us the most. Not just our money, but our time and energy.

Jesus is not suggesting we live destitute or cast those we love to the side. He is teaching that if our affections are divided, we cannot truly follow him. Much like the second contestant, our faith maybe be something we do, but it will never be who we are.

What have you invested to grow your relationship with God? What does it cost you to be a disciple?

If someone were to take away your bible or not allow you to pray, would that alter your routine? If it was illegal to speak to others about your faith or to serve in the name of Jesus, would that affect your daily activities? If you could never see your family again because of your faith in Jesus would that change your commitment?

You may want to follow Jesus, but does it drive your choices, relationships and lifestyle? Satan wants us to think it’s ok to have our interests divided. But Jesus expects us to narrow our focus because where there is little investment, there is little commitment.

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6.21)

BIBLE READING: Luke 12

The internet has become an integral part of our lives. Nearly everyone owns a smart device enabling us to connect with people and businesses across the globe with the tap of our finger. Technology is empowering… but it is also, frightening. Have you ever talked about buying a new car and all of a sudden you start seeing ads for that car? The integration of technology into our lives has made us keenly aware that others are paying attention to us.

We sometimes like to think that we have moments of privacy when no one sees what we do or knows what we think. That may be true with reference to people, but this is not true of God. His omniscience penetrates every part of our lives.

“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” (Luke 12.2-3)

God knows even the most mundane details of our lives (Luke 12.7). But more than that, he knows the things we don’t want anyone else to know. “you discern my thoughts from afar… Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether” (Psalm 139.2, 4)

A being who knows all our secrets should be feared; hence why Jesus admonishes his disciples in this way (Luke 12.4-5). But Jesus isn’t using a scare tactic to coerce people into following God. He’s presenting a stark reality for those who refuse to acknowledge the presence of God. Awareness of God’s presence promotes greater humility, clearer thinking and better decisions.

Respect for his intimate knowledge of our lives and our accountability to him means we will conduct our lives like an open book, where we have nothing to hide. If we are righteous before God, we have nothing to fear from him. As 1 John 3.1-3 suggests, those who live in light of the hope of the return of God, knowing that he knows everything, will purify themselves with the hope of his return and the responsibility it puts on us to be faithful.

If your every thought and action were on display for all to see, how would you feel about that? Others may not be privvy to this, but there is never a moment too insignificant that God is not watching. Not with an eye to destroy us but to discipline us (Hebrews 12.5-13). However, if we reject his discipline, it will not end well for us (see Hebrews 12). And so, we must practice righteousness and so become more like our Father.

“...be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, ...” (2 Peter 3.14-15)

BIBLE READING: Luke 10

“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10.25) 

When the lawyer asked his question, it was not as though he didn’t know what the law said. He knew he was to love God with all his heart, soul, and strength, and love his neighbor as himself; but would he do it?

Many of us are in the same boat with the lawyer. Sometimes we have an information problem, but in many instances we don’t have a knowing problem; we have a doing problem. Twice Jesus said to the lawyer, “Do this.”

Many people know the parable of the Good Samaritan and regard it as a noble story of an extraordinary individual; but this is God’s expectation for everyone who would follow Him. Jesus’ affirmation of the lawyer’s response (Luke 10.27) is more than a declaration of understanding. Loving God means serving others and showing mercy. This is the real issue of the parable.

The inclusion of the priest and Levite emphasizes this point in the story. There is an unspoken expectation that followers of God will lead a compassionate, merciful life. That is why people in need often seek out spiritual counselors. If these characters were common people, we might have excused their behavior… but everyone understands these men SHOULD have stopped to help.

Jesus’ emphasis on serving as a means of loving God highlights that our call is not about following the right checklist or simply maintaining our personal relationship with the Father; it’s about taking God’s will seriously and meeting people’s needs as we can. 

In California, more than 600 lawyer hopefuls were taking the state bar exams in the Pasadena Convention Center when a 50- year-old man taking the test suffered a heart attack. Only two of the 600 test takers, John Leslie and Eunice Morgan, stopped to help the man. They administered CPR until paramedics arrived, then resumed taking the exam. Citing policy, the test supervisor refused to allow the two additional time to make up for the 40 minutes they spent helping the victim. Jerome Braun, the state’s bar senior executive for admissions, backed the decision stating, ‘If these two want to be lawyers, they should learn a lesson about priorities.’

The truth is that only two people of the 600 had learned that lesson. Perhaps we have some lessons to learn, as well. Sometimes we become so consumed with our own spiritual journey that we do not see others bloodied and beaten along the way. The parable of the Good Samaritan sets a clear expectation for God’s people: a love for God always translates into love for humanity.

“Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18)

BIBLE READING: Luke 8

My neighbor across the street has the nicest yard on the block. It is green, manicured and weed-free because she takes care of it every day. My yard on the other hand is not given as much attention, and it shows. Although it looks nice, it is not uncommon for my yard to have overgrown edges or weeds in the yard. If you were to compare our yards today, the difference is evident. But that difference did not happen overnight. We each made decisions over time that produced two different outcomes.

So, it is with the condition of our hearts. In Jesus’ parable of the sower (Luke 8.4-8) he taught that our hearts are like soil that must be cultivated. If the soil is hard, or it has imperfections or weeds growing in it, the result will not be fruit but failure.

It is important to note that Jesus’ teaching does not look at the reaction to God’s word in a single moment but over a period of time. Just as with maintaining a beautiful lawn, spiritual fruitfulness takes patience and intentionality. It is a process developed by daily choices to hear the word and “hold it fast” (Luke 8.15).

To develop this process, there are 2 important things we must do:

1. Be honest about our priorities. My neighbor doesn’t have to tell me how much she cares about her yard; I know because she works on it every morning. I could blow smoke and tell you I care about my yard, but the results say something different. Until I am willing to be honest about my current situation, the results won’t change.

Our actions speak louder than words, but when both are in alignment and pointing towards spiritual growth, we have better clarity to make good choices.

2. Pull the weeds. Sometimes my neighbor’s yard has weeds… but they don’t last long. She pulls them out daily because she only wants good things growing in her yard. That’s the attitude we need when it comes to our spiritual lives!

It takes conscious effort to focus on God and his ways. Many of us have lives filled with activities and responsibilities, which are not inherently evil. However, these things may be weeds choking our growth. Jesus encourages us to constantly evaluate our lives and remove things detrimental to our spiritual focus.

Ultimately, God’s Word produces the growth, but we have incredible power to limit what it can do in our lives. It is critical to cultivate a way of life that embraces the Word of God as an agent of change and allows the Word to do its work.  

“[hear] the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8.15)