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.

"The Pharisees thought that because they had power, wealth and authority in the community, they could use their success to justify their sinful lifestyle. People were willing to be blinded to the evils of the Pharisees, but Jesus reminded them that God knows the heart. He reminds them that we live in a topsy-turvy world, where those things that are highly esteemed among men, are detestable in the sight of God. Power and success, if achieved at the expense of human beings, by the exploitation of the weak and poor, are despicable to God." - Sproul, R. C. (1999). A Walk with God: An Exposition of Luke (pp. 313–314)

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

"When criticized by the Pharisees for eating with sinners, Jesus tells three carefully constructed parables which teach the love of God for sinners and the rejoicing in heaven when a sinner repents."  - Black, M. C. (1995). Luke (Lk 15:1–7)

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 into which God has ushered us.

A lot of the language in our reading for today is disturbing to us. Are we really to hate our families and our own lives? 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 declare 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 become difference-makers.

We are now enabled and ready to love and 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.

"Cross-bearing is of the essence of discipleship." - Leon Morris

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 also the one who was responsible for John the Baptist's imprisonment and death (see Luke 3:1, 9:9). And we all know how we feel about people who mistreat our family members (John was Jesus' cousin).

Check out the following quote:  “Antipas also had family issues that proved to be his undoing. He divorced his first wife, Phasaelis, the daughter of King Aretas IV of Nabatea, and then married his niece Herodias, who had previously been married to two of Antipas’s half-brothers. This incurred the criticism of the popular Galilean prophet John the Baptist and drew a military reprisal from Aretas, whose victory over Antipas was regarded by many as God’s punishment for Antipas’s execution of John the Baptist.”  - The New Testament in Its World, N. T. Wright & Michael F. Bird, Page 270

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.

Day 99: 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 mentioned. 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 only 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. When we choose to repent, we have decided upon eternal life.

"We lose our capacity to be surprised by him. So when a tragedy befalls us, we turn in anger to the Lord God of glory, who fills our lives with grace and mercy every day. Jesus detected that kind of hardness of heart in those asking this question, and found it necessary to give a severe warning: ‘But unless you repent, you too will all perish.’ Oh that we might understand the difference between justice and mercy." - Sproul, R. C. (1999). A Walk with God: An Exposition of Luke (p. 277)

Day 98: 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 looking forward (daily) to the time when He will come and redeem all things for all of eternity.

“Jesus rounds off this section with the explicit statement that the disciples do not know when the Son of man is coming. That coming is certain, but the time is not known; it will be at an unexpected hour. They must therefore live in constant readiness, as the whole of the foregoing section makes clear.” - Morris, L. (1988). Luke: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 3, p. 235)

Day 97: Luke 12:8-34

“And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”' - Luke 12:15 ESV

Advancement has to be one of the deepest core values of our American culture. We too often believe that more is more, and we just have too much evidence to prove otherwise.

Jesus, yet again, was being dragged into another controversy. This time it was an internal family dispute. Don't you love when you find yourself in the middle of one of these? Yeah, me neither. 

Jesus refuses to intervene on this guy's behalf. Instead, he hammers him with the statement quoted above. Our lives do not consist in the abundance of stuff that we can accumulate. 

Getting this guy's share of the inheritance was not going to cure his covetousness.

So, if this life isn't about acquiring more and more, what is it about?  Well, Jesus shows us in verses 32-34. Life is about advancing God's kingdom (not our own). Life is about holding all of our possessions and finances with open hands. Life is about storing up treasure that can never be stolen by a thief or a dip in the stock market.

Life is about making Jesus the treasure that our hearts follow.

"Not making a legal judgment, Jesus did make a moral one. Your request shows how greedy you are, he told the man. Lay aside your greed. Think about life. What is most important to you? Money or relationship with God? Surely, your life is more important than what you own." - Butler, T. C. (2000). Luke (Vol. 3, p. 204)

Day 96: Luke 11:37-54, 12:1-7

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" - Luke 12:4-5 ESV

The Pharisees and the Mosaic Law experts held a lot of power over the Israelites during the first century. They had the ability to banish and exclude anyone who came into conflict with them. It is easy to fear people like this who are in authority over us, even if we know they are dead wrong. What makes this even worse is that these men were supposed to be the Jewish people's spiritual leaders. Jesus described them as being like "unmarked graves" that people walk over.

No matter how influential someone is in our lives, there is no one we are to fear. The reason is that their authority is ultimately limited. Sure, they can kill us, but God can do better, including tossing us into eternal fire.

The deeper meaning of fear here is not the idea of jumping when you see a spider. It is a worship word throughout the Bible. When we fear someone, we are putting them in a seat that is only reserved for God.

This is the only place in Matthew, Mark, or Luke that Jesus calls His disciples friends. He says this as a concerned friend who wants what is ultimately best for them!

“In the face of persecution they must trust God, because he knows and loves each of them. Since God knows and cares for even the sparrows, which are almost worthless to human beings, he loves even more those who are followers of his Son. So Jesus’ disciples need not be afraid.” - Black, M. C. (1995). Luke (Lk 12:4–7)

Day 95: Luke 11:14-36

"But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." - Luke 11:20 ESV

Throughout these four biographies of Jesus' life and ministry, He has plenty of encounters with demonic activity. It is wild to think that something that Jesus dealt with repeatedly is a subject we rarely talk about today. It could be that our very naturalistic culture has intimidated us from being open about the fact that there is so much that we can't see.

There is still, today, a war waging for our souls. Jesus has actually tipped us off as to what the Devil's method is in John 10:10, and it is to steal, kill, and destroy. We don't have to look very far into our families, our nation, or our closest relationships to see that our enemy is very successful at what he does.

Yet, we can be encouraged because of the One that we follow. Jesus can tie up that strong man and throttle his counterfeit kingdom. His power is unlimited.

One of Jesus' biographers would later write the following: "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." - 1 John 4:4 ESV

Know who your enemy is. Know who you are. Know how dominant your Savior is. Get a better perspective on what is really going on all around you.

The following quote from Leon Morris is a bit long but too good not to share:

"It is by the finger of God (cf. Exod. 8:19) that Jesus performs his exorcisms and he invites his enemies to contemplate the consequence. Incidentally, it is rather curious that Luke reads ‘finger of God’ where Matthew has ‘the Spirit of God,’ for Luke generally emphasizes the Spirit. Both ways of putting it emphasize that Jesus’ power over the demons comes from God and no-one else. And if this is so, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. The presence of the kingdom is to be seen, not in good advice or pious practices, but in the power that expels the forces of evil. Now!" - Morris, L. (1988). Luke: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 3, p. 216)

Day 94: Luke 10:38-42, 11:1-13

"And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." - Luke 11:9-10 ESV

If God were to describe your prayer life to one of the members of His heavenly counsel (angels), what do you think He would say?

Would He describe how fantastic of a servant we are (like Martha) but that we let our inner troubles and anxiety keep us from sitting at His feet regularly?

Would God describe us as worshipers who are constantly ready for Jesus to return to set all things right?

Would He explain how great we are at living out of His hand every day instead of constantly worrying about the future?

Would He point out how we are quick to forgive someone who hurts us because we know we've been forgiven a great debt we can never repay?

Would He cite examples of how we (on a regular basis) fervently pray until our temptations subside?

Would God describe our persistence in prayer as something that can be categorized by some as borderline obsessive and annoying? Would He say that we are the kind of intercessors that don't scare easily?

May we keep on asking. May we keep on seeking. May we keep on knocking.

God is waiting eagerly to give us gifts that will never fade.

"Though he gives all things freely to us, yet, in order to exercise our faith, he commands us to pray, that he may grant to our requests those blessings which flow from his undeserved goodness." - John Calvin