Day 107: Luke 18:18-43

'And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.' - Luke 18:43 ESV

This blind man was truly privileged. He had the Son of God look him in the face and ask what he wanted for Him to do. This is kind of odd since the blind beggar had been nonstop asking Jesus to have mercy on him. I believe this shows us how important it is for us to verbalize to God the change we want to take place in our lives.

Is that a part of your daily prayer time?

For me, it is easy to complain to God rather than beg him for transformation (like we covered yesterday).

What is equally impressive about this (formerly) blind beggar is his reaction after the restoration of his sight:

1) He followed Jesus, which altered his day-to-day life.

2) He glorified God, taking no credit for what happened.

3) His testimony affected others. His healing and his praise were contagious.

All of this started with his consistent cry for mercy. May God allow us to have the same kind of experience today.

Day 106: Luke 18:1-17

'But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"' - Luke 18:13 ESV

As far as we can look back into the Christian history of organized worship, we see that Jesus-followers have always sung "Kyrie, eléison" to begin times of praise. It is Greek for "Lord, have mercy."

The Pharisees had fallen into the harmful habit of treating others as less-than and themselves as elite.

The story Jesus tells illustrates the Tax Collector's willingness to express his complete dependence upon God for pardon for what he had done. He realized his deep need for redemption. Jesus will not forgive those who refuse to see themselves as God sees them.

We come, having our sin revealed and eager for supernatural transformation.

We declare, "Lord, have mercy."

Jesus declares, "Child, your sins are forgiven."

We respond a thousand times, "Thank you."

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" - 1 John 3:1 NIV

Day 105: Luke 17:11-37

"Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it." - Luke 17:33 ESV

Much to our surprise, Jesus uses two of the most terrifying scenes from the Old Testament to illustrate how we are to be ready for His eventual return.

Scene one: The Flood. Many believe there were thousands (some believe millions) of people living on the earth during the days of Noah. They were going about business as usual, stimulating their economy, when the flood came and wiped them out.

Scene two: Sodom and Gommorah. Lot was deemed a righteous man and was allowed to be spared in the midst of a very barbaric culture. His wife (and daughters) was apparently drawn into the lifestyles of those they were living among. She became an element on the periodic table.

Why would Jesus want us to etch these scenes into our minds when it comes to His Second Coming?

The people in Noah and Lot's time were completely unaware of the danger that was about to come upon them. Yet it was very real. We need to know that Jesus is coming to redeem the righteous and judge the wicked. We have to be living lives that are readied for His return.

One day at a time.

"Remember Lot's wife."

Day 104: Luke 16:19-31, 17:1-10

'The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you."' - Luke 17:5-6 ESV

Apparently, our universities' business schools were not the first to speak of things like scale. When the disciples hear of Jesus' command to forgive others unconditionally and with constancy, they are overwhelmed. Deep in their gut, they felt the insufficiency of their faith.

What Jesus was trying to get them to realize is that the issue was not the size of their faith. When it comes to measurement and power, God is the ultimate. He is both our creator and our sustainer. Our minds can't even begin to comprehend just how far God's capability reaches. When we place any amount of faith (trust) in Him, there is no limit to what can happen next.

We would do well not to worry about the amount of our faith, but instead to concern ourselves with the consistent placement of it in Jesus to do what we cannot.

"Genuine faith can accomplish what experience, reason, and probability would deny, if it is exercised within God’s will." - D.G. Miller

Day 103: Luke 16:1-18

'And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God."' - Luke 16:15 ESV

One of my favorite John Wooden quotes goes like this:

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

When Jesus uses the word "abomination", He isn't playing around. It means something that is detestable or repulsive to God. It is a word that was used in the Old Testament (LXX) to describe idols or cultic objects.

The Pharisees were not unlike how we can be at times. We can get caught in a trap of trying to justify our actions, especially when it comes to money. The Pharisees' love of money caused them to use whatever means necessary to obtain more and more. They had not just been unfaithful in a little. Their misuse of the Law of Moses was their indictment.

What does God see when He looks at your heart? Does He see a deep desire to help others, or does He see an all-consuming want for more?

Becoming popular with crowds is overdone and overrated.

Being justified in the sight of God can only come as a result of our trust in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Day 102: Luke 15:1-32

'And he said to him, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found."' - Luke 15:31-32 ESV

In our reading for today, Jesus gives us three examples of losing and finding.

1 Sheep.

1 Coin.

1 Son.

One of the biggest fears most of us have in this life is that we will come to our end and be forgotten. We ask questions like: Would anyone care if I became lost? Would anyone care if I died? This is when hopelessness and depression can hit the hardest.

But we serve a God who delights in finding lost things. We worship a Savior who specializes in resurrecting the dead.

You need to know that, with Jesus, you will never get lost in the vastness of the crowd. Though you may think that your movements are going unnoticed, you need to be reminded that God is watching and hoping for you to come running toward His outstretched arms.

Jesus is hoping for you (and others) to give occasion for a ruckus of praise in heaven. When we return, heaven rejoices. The lost are found, the dead are raised.

Day 101: Luke 14:7-35

"Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." - Luke 14:27 ESV

Following Jesus (becoming a Christian) doesn't mean that we add our faith to the repertoire of an already established and successful life. When we trust Jesus for salvation, it is a complete deconstruction of our current lives in exchange for a brand new one. The things that we used to value most are now irrelevant because of this new life God has ushered us into.

A lot of the language in our reading for today is disturbing to us. Are we really to hate our families and our own life? Are we really to expect that following Jesus will require us to be ready to die for Him? Are we really supposed to be generous to those who can't return the favor? Is choosing humility over pride that big of a deal?

We have all candidates for baptism recite a first-century Christian confession. It is sometimes called the "Good Confession" (see 1 Timothy 6:12). It goes something like this:

"I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and I accept Him as my Lord and Savior."

By becoming a Christian, we are declaring to everyone that Jesus is superior in our lives and that He is the only one who can save us. It isn't that we have a death wish or that we neglect our responsibilities to our family. What we find is that entrusting our lives to Jesus makes us into difference-makers.

We are now enabled and ready to love and to serve like never before. We don't require credit or acclaim or the spotlight. Our only desire is to worship the one who saved our souls.

Day 100: Luke 13:22-35, 14:1-16

'And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course."' - Luke 13:32

What did Jesus mean by calling Herod Antipas a fox? It definitely wasn't a term of endearment. Many believe Jesus was calling him sly, worthless, or inconsequential. This was a bold thing for Jesus to say about the most powerful man in the region of Galilee (where Jesus grew up).

Herod was the one who was responsible for John the Baptist's imprisonment and death (see Luke 3:1, 9:9). (Read here for a little quote on Antipas) And we all know how we feel about people who mistreat our family members.

It seems what Jesus is really trying to say is that what Herod said, thought, or did had no consequence on His mission. Not even the most powerful man in his home area would be able to deter Jesus from His journey toward death and resurrection. Everything that happened during Jesus' final weeks was to happen on His terms.

Today you may feel pinned down by those around you or those in authority over you. Always keep in mind that Jesus is the ruler of all, and what our Savior thinks of us is of the highest consequence both now and for all eternity.

Today's reading: Luke 12:1-21

"No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." - Luke 13:3 ESV

Apparently, we are not the first people to wonder why bad things happen to "good" people. Jesus has two tragic events that He addresses here. One that they brought up and one that He initiated. The "friends" of Job also were wrestling with this problem. If Job was such a good man, why was he suffering so much? Isn't that reserved for the wicked?

Jesus is trying to help us work through this problem. It isn't just the wicked who suffer crazy fates like these. In another place, Jesus declared that God sends the rain (blessing) on the just and unjust (Matthew 5:45). So it goes to show that God allows (in this fallen world) tragedy to take place in the lives of both as well.

On this side of heaven, we won't really get our "why" questions answered.

The key takeaway that Jesus insists we have is that tragedy should always drive us to return (repent) to God with all our hearts. One day all suffering will cease. All tears. All sorrow. Gone. (see Revelation 21:1-7) Until that day comes, may we take every chance we get to turn our attention to the one who saves.

Today's reading: Luke 12:35-59

"You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” - Luke 12:40 ESV

It isn't optional for the Jesus-follower to be prepared; it is a prerequisite. Yet, if we are sincere today, we would admit that there are many times that we slip into a lethargic state when it comes to readiness.

Why does Jesus want us to be ready? Ready people are not unshowered couch dwellers when it comes to their faith in Jesus. Prepared people are ready, at any moment, for Jesus to return and set all things right. When we live this way, we will also find ourselves reaching a level of right living that we never dreamed possible—our desire for integrity skyrockets.

I think many Christians aren't excited about our Savior's return because there is so much they want to still experience here on earth. What we don't often realize is that if God can provide you glimpses of joy and fulfillment now, how incredible will a perfectly conditioned place in God's presence be?

As those who follow Jesus, we should be daily looking forward to the time when He will come and redeem all things for all of eternity.