Who are you serving? - 30 Days with Jesus - Day 18

Luke 16:1-31

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? No servant 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." Luke 16:10-13 (NIV)

Have you ever heard the expression "little white lie"? We try to classify our sins into big and small. When I was in high school, my youth pastor asked our group to list the worst sins we could think of. Our list contained murder, adultery, alcoholism, gambling and blasphemy.

After that, he asked us to list some little sins. We couldn't think of anything. After all, a sin is a sin, right?

But our youth pastor asked us where we would classify things like telling a little white lie, taking a pen from school, or choosing to go to a concert instead of a church event.

When he started asking us those questions, we realized that we all try to justify the sins we commit by comparing them to sins that we think are worse sins. But to God, all sin is the same.

In today's passage, Jesus tells a story about an estate manager that got fired from his position. In order to get back at his current boss and to make some contacts for future business.

The manager makes some deals with the people that owe his boss money or goods, thinking that they will respect him for getting them a good deal and give him a job when he leaves his current position. Because the men he was dealing with were worldly, they commended him for acting shrewdly.

However, in the next verses, Jesus tells us that what is gained unjustly will be returned to the rightful owners. If we have not been faithful in the little things, then we will not be trusted with more important things.

Every move we make shows God and people who we really serve. Little white lies (even if we think they're okay) are self serving and unrighteous. Choosing a concert or ballgame instead of a church service is selfish. Taking something that doesn't belong to us (no matter how small - like a piece of candy or a pen) is wrong.

Everything - little and big - matters because people are watching us. They look to us to see what Christ looks like. And every action is a testimony.

If we can't serve God in the small things (like paying tithes, choosing church events over going out with friends for a wild party night, etc.), then we probably won't serve Him when it comes to the big things (telling others about Him, standing up for what we know is right even if we're persecuted, etc.).

My pastor says that a good way to see who you serve is to look at your calendar and your checkbook. Where do you spend your time and money?

What about you? What are you serving?

Almost Caught Up! - 30 Days with Jesus - Days 16-17

Day 16 - Luke 14:1-35 and Day 17 - Luke 15:1-32

In this 30 day study, we are reading all the teachings of Jesus. Have you noticed that His teachings often don't make sense according to the conventional wisdom of the world?

His teachings tell that we are strong when we are weak (2 Corinthians 12:10), that the meek shall inherit the earth (Psalm 37:11), and that we should love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-44).

This passage is full of teachings that seem to contradict what the world tells us.

In Luke 14:11, Jesus tells us that if we humble ourselves, we will be exalted. In Luke 14:26, He says that if we want to be His disciples we must hate our families and ourselves. **This does not mean that we should literally hate our families, but that we should love Jesus so much more than we love anything or anyone else that our love for them looks like hate when compared to our love for Christ.**

Then, in Luke 15, we read about the lost sheep and the prodigal son. The Pharisees were still trying to trick Jesus into breaking their laws and they called Him out for eating with sinners. He explained to them that all of Heaven rejoices when one sinner repents (see Luke 15:1-10).

Jesus drives home His point with the parable of the Prodigal Son. The son is drawn in by the lies of the world. He believes that his inheritance and independence will be all he needs to be happy. And he is happy, for a short while. But when the money runs out, he realizes that he is lost. The Bible says, "when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, i have sinned against heaven and before thee." (Luke 15:17-18)

The son thought that the things of the world would fulfill his longings, but they didn't. He ended up coming home, and His father rejoiced at his return - just like our Father rejoices when just one sinner repents.

The Sermon on the Mount - 30 Days with Jesus - Days 13-15

Day 13 - The Sermon on the Mount, part 1 - Matthew 5:1-48

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." Matt 5:14

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matt 5:16

There's a reason we are called witnesses when we share the Good News with others: as Christians, we represent Jesus Christ. We bear His name to a lost and dying world.

In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus teaches us HOW to represent Him and His message to the world:

We should be the salt and light of the world (verses 13-16).

We should know and understand the importance of the law (verses 17-20).

We should control our anger (verses 21-26).

We should flee from sexual sins (verses 27-30).

We should honor the sanctity of marriage (verses 31-32).

We should not swear or make empty promises (verses 33-37).

We should turn the other cheek (verses 38-42).

And, we should love all people (verses 43-48).

Day 14 - The Sermon, part 2 - Matthew 6:1-34



In Matthew 6, Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount and continues to teach us how we should represent Him to the world:


Jesus teaches about giving (verses 1-4).
Jesus teaches about prayer (verses 5-15).
Jesus teaches about worship (verses 16-18).
Jesus teaches that God is more important than money (verses 19-24).
Jesus teaches us to trust in Him (verses 25-34).



One of my favorite Bible passages comes from Matthew 6:33-34a, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."



I have a friend that put down "Hakuna Matata" for her favorite quote in the yearbook when we were seniors. It means "no worries" (for those of you that are not familiar with the Disney movie the Lion King).



If we are seeking God and trying to do His will, then we can say "hakuna matata!" He will take care of everything we need!

Day 15 - The Sermon, part 3 - Matthew 7:1-29

The Sermon on the Mount continues! Can you imagine how awesome it would be to hear Jesus preach? I've been blessed to have a lot of really great preachers, and I enjoy listening to the sermon on Sunday morning. But can you imagine what an incredible Teacher Jesus was? The words He said were so important that they were written down and carefully guarded and kept intact by God for us to use them today. His sermons were the kind that changed lives. Let's check out the end of His most famous sermon...

We should not judge others (verses 1-6).

We should ask God for the things that we need (verses 7-11).

We should treat others like we want to be treated (verse 12).

We should take the road less traveled (verses 13-14).

We should beware of false teachings (verses 15-23).

We should make Jesus our firm foundation (verses 24-28).

"Loving God Means Loving People" - Revolve Devotional Bible (Matthew 5, 6, and 7)

"Matthew 5-7, known as the Sermon on the Mount, is packed with important teaching about how we, as followers of Christ, should live. Some of what Jesus said was about how we relate to God, but He also said plenty about how we communicate with each other.

Matthew 5:22-24 deals with both relationships. And apparently, one affects the other. When there's anger in your heart toward a friend, you can't totally focus on God. In fact, God says to stop what you're doing - even if you're in the middle of worship - and go make things right with your friend.

First John 4:20 brings this message home: 'If people say, "I love God," but hate their brothers or sisters, they are liars. Those who do not love their brothers and sisters, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have never seen.'

Does this mean that we have to be friends with everyone? Not exactly. Obviously, we aren't going to click with everyone. But Colossians 3:13 tells us to get along with and forgive each other. And Romans 12:18 says, 'Do your best to live in peace with everyone.'

It all comes down to your heart. It's not capable of loving when it's focuses on self and bursting with anger. Anger turns to bitterness. Bitterness becomes a full-blown grudge. Eventually, we become unpleasant people. God wants us to love each other and live peacefully. Then, with a heart free of anger, we can love Him completely!" - Revolve Devotional Bible (Thomas Nelson Publishing)

Playing Catch Up - 30 Days with Jesus - Days 10-12

Whew! I am so behind on this month's devotions! Sorry about that, but I have been out of town for a family reunion this past week and just didn't get time to get online much. (Besides, sharing a hotel room with my parents and my little brother is not very conducive to creative writing...)


So, I'm just going to pick up where I left off.


Day 10 - Listen and Learn - Luke 8:1-56


Check out the parable of the seeds in Luke 8:5-15. "The seed is the word of God." (vs. 11) How do you receive the word of God? There are four kinds of ground:

1. The way side: this ground is trodden down and the seed is eaten by birds. Do you feel trodden down? Are you letting your circumstances get the best of you? Don't let your circumstances overwhelm you. God is bigger than any problem you are going through!


2. The rock: this ground was hard. The seeds were not able to grow because the ground had no moisture and nourishment. Have you let your heart become hard? Do you no longer feel the Word of God speak to your heart?


3. The thorns: on this ground, when the seeds began to grow, the thorns choked them and they died. This kind of ground makes me think of someone that surrounds themselves with the wrong type of friends. You can be good ground, with good intentions, but your friends can influence you. They can choke out all of the good things you try to do.


4. The good ground: this ground received the seeds and bore fruit. This is the kind of ground we should try to be...

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James 1:22

Day 11 - A Touch of Something More - Mark 8:1-38

This devotion is from the Revolve Devotional Bible (Thomas Nelson Publishing).

"A Touch of Something More" (Focus on Mark 8:22-26)

"And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town." Mark 8:22-26

"The touch of Jesus' hand, even a touch on His cloak, brought instant healing to countless people. When Jesus said the word, diseases fled, lives were made whole and faith was born.

Then why did Jesus take more time healing this blind man? Was it a more difficult case? Stumped Him a bit, maybe? Not by a long shot. There's no such thing as a more difficult case for Jesus - or even a semi-difficult one, for that matter.

Jesus may have had several reasons for working gradually instead of instantly in this man. Because of Jesus' personal touch, the man saw his own healing happen. He experienced his own gradual change, his "rebirth" to new sight. And how incredible that his very first vision of the world was his Savior's face!

Just like that blind man, your spiritual eyes need more of Jesus' personal touch. He isn't your "halfway Savior." He isn't satisfied with giving you a minimal experience of himself. And that's an amazing thought - you have the chance to spend time up close with the all-powerful Lord of the universe, worthy of worship and praise. You get to belong to His loving, heavenly Father who works personally in your life.

When you stay close to God, He'll show you greater depths of Himself. He'll open the eyes of your heart more and more, and He'll give you the ability to understand His truth more clearly. Draw near to God, and let His touch transform you." - Revolve Devotional Bible

Listen to the song "Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord" by Michael W. Smith and pray for God to open your eyes to the wondrous things He has in store for you!

Day 12 - Martha, Martha - Luke 10:1-42

What's your typical day like? I'm still single and living at home, so I know that mine is nowhere near as busy as yours. My mom's typical day consists of getting up, fixing breakfast for my little brother, ironing my dad's work shirt and pants, getting ready for work, working from 8-3, running errands, grocery shopping, balancing the bank statement, washing 2 loads of towels and three loads of clothes, cooking supper (usually two different meals since my family is made up of picky eaters), cleaning the kitchen, washing more towels, loading the dishwasher, ironing, picking up the living room, forcing my brother to wash his hair and brush his teeth...the list goes on and on. I know that your life is probably just as crazy.

It seems like we all are trying to squeeze 25 hours of stuff into a 24 hour day. We run from the time we get up until we fall into bed (usually much later than we should). We juggle families, responsibilities, jobs, hobbies, friends and money - and we're supposed to do it all while looking and smelling good.

Crazy schedules are not new to women. Remember, "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:9) And in Luke 10:38, we meet Martha. I love that she's named Martha, because she reminds me of Martha Stewart. She loves to have Jesus over to her house. She loves to entertain. I'm sure that she had stressed for days about Jesus' visit. She had probably washed her best table linens and made sure that she had her best pottery clean and polished. Her menu had to be just right. Nothing but the best would be served at her house...especially when she was serving the Savior! She had probably gathered spices and fragrant flowers for the centerpieces and slaved for hours making sure every little detail was perfect.

And what was her sister doing? Just when Martha needed the most help getting the meat served and the wine poured, she looked around and found her little sister sitting at Jesus' feet. It just wasn't fair! Martha had done all this work, and Mary couldn't even help her get the food on the table once the guests arrived!

Martha had finally had enough. She was sure that Jesus was going to agree with her that Mary should be busy working, so she went and tattled on her sister's laziness. But instead of agreeing with Martha, Jesus rebuked her.

Martha, just like us, was juggling too many things at once. She was so busy that she couldn't even see the wonderful Gift that was sitting at her dinner table. Check out what Jesus told her:

"And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41-42

Martha was troubled. She was so busy and so worried about every little detail. She was so focused on service that she forgot who she was serving and why she wanted to serve Him in the first place.

Mary, on the other hand, had made a good decision to take time to listen to Jesus teach.

I will never be a Mary. Hospitality is one of my spiritual gifts, and business is woven into my DNA. I like to be busy. I like to do things. I'm not one to just sit and watch and listen. But if I work and work without ever stopping to listen to Jesus and let Him teach me, I'm missing out on a "good part." I want to choose the "good part," don't you?

What To Do With Doubt - 30 Days with Jesus - Day 9

Luke 7:1-50

Today's devotion is from the Revolve Devotional Bible (Thomas Nelson Publishling).

Check out the Scripture: Luke 6-7 (focus on Luke 7:18-20)

Check out the Context:

• A dozen special disciples are selected to be apostles.
• Jesus sparks major controversy with His healing and teaching.
• John the Baptist has his people do a little "investigative reporting" to see if Jesus is the Messiah.
• A woman's extravagant gift becomes an object lesson in forgiveness.

"John the Baptist sent his followers to ask Jesus if He really was the long-awaited Messiah. Not that crazy of a question, really. People all over were wondering the same thing. But John? Did he really have to ask? After all, he was the one who jumped for joy in his mother's womb when Mary came to visit (Luke 1:41). And he had experienced a personal encounter with the Savior. He had heard God loudly proclaiim Jesus as His Son when John baptized Him! (Luke 3:21-22)

But now John was in prison. He was dependent on what other people had told him about Jesus, and he'd heard some confusing reports. Jesus' response to John's doubts wasn't an angry or frustrated one. He just expressed a clear report in terms John could understand. Jesus described the works that the prophesied Messiah would do, and said He was doing them.

It's okay for you to ask hard questions, too. It's perfectly fine for you to take any doubts straight to Jesus like John did. He didn't beat himself up for doubting. He just openly and honestly asked Jesus about it. And again, Jesus didn't go off on him for asking either. Instead, He lovingly and patiently reminded John of the truth and all the evidence of who He was.

You can talk to Jesus about anything. He already knows your heart inside and out. He loves you and can answer any question you have. He welcomes the conversation!"

Stand Out - 30 Days with Jesus - Day 8

Luke 6:1-49

There are so many lessons in today's Scripture! In Luke 6, Jesus teaches that He is the Lord of the Sabbath (verses 1-5), heals a man's hand on the Sabbath (verses 6-11), chooses His apostles (verses 12-16), teaches us to love our enemies (verses 27-36), not to judge others (verses 37-42), and that we should be fruitful believers (verses 42-49).

I think the main point of the lessons in this chapter is that we should not be so bound by religious tradition that we forget to follow the will of God and feel His Spirit move on us. This lesson begins in Luke 5 with the parable of the old and new garment (and the old and new wine and bottles).

In Biblical days, clothes were made from wool. When wool is washed, it shrinks. That's why you could not patch an old coat with a new piece of wool - because the old coat had already shrunk and was not going to shrink anymore, but the new piece of fabric was going the shrink when it was washed, and it would tear away from the old fabric when it shrunk.

Jesus was teaching something totally new. His message of salvation and grace was something totally unheard of. It didn't fit in with the old traditional ways of the Jews. The Pharisees were always on Jesus' case about breaking tradition. He ate with tax collectors and sinners (check out the story in Luke 5:27-32). He healed a man on the Sabbath (Luke 6:6-11). In order to serve people and show them the love and grace that He had come to earth to bring, He broke traditions and stormed through racial and social barriers.

He was the new piece that didn't fit in with the old traditional religious ways.

And I think that Jesus wants us to be like Him. We are not called to fit in - we are called to stand out and stand up for Christ!

In order to do this, we have to learn the lessons that Jesus taught in Luke 6:

1. Love Your Enemies - I think this is one of the hardest lessons to learn. It's easy to love someone that loves you back, but when you have to love someone that doesn't love you, it's tough. But we are called to be like Christ, who not only loved His enemies, but gave His life for them (a.k.a - US). "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 If we can achieve the selfless, unconditional love, then we are truly getting more like Christ.
2. Judge Not - I tend to be very critical. It's a daily battle for me to keep from being judgmental, even over the smallest things. But when I'm feeling self-righteous and critical, these verses always put me in my place: "Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend's eye, but you don't notice the big piece of wood in your own eye? How can you say to your friend, 'Friend, let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye' when you cannot see that big piece of wood in your own eye! You hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your friend's eye." Luke 6:41-42 (New Century Version)
3. Produce Spiritual Fruit - Good works are not required for our salvation. There is no way to work your way into Heaven. However, good works (a.k.a - fruit) should be a natural occurrence from a life lived in faith for the glory of God. When we are walking with Christ, we will produce good fruit. (Look up Galatians 5:22-23 to read more about Spiritual fruits.)
4. Check Your Foundation - We've all heard the story (and probably sang the song) about the wise man that built his house upon a rock. Jesus is the rock on which we should stand. Everything we do should be founded on Him and His teachings. In order for us to build our lives around Him, we have to KNOW Him!

A Father's Faith - 30 Days with Jesus - Day 7

John 4:1-54

You all know that the story about the woman at the well (John 4:1-42) is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. I recently read Paperdoll by Natalie Lloyd. In the book, Lloyd looks at the story of the woman at the well and breaks it down so that you can really apply it to your life. I highly recommend it!

But today, I want to look at the rest of John 4.

"Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.
Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.
So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee." John 4:43-54

In these verses, we are introduced to another nameless character - a father whose son was dying. This father came to Jesus to ask Him to heal his son. In this story we see that:

1. The father was drawn to Jesus' power: He traveled to Cana in Galilee from his home in Capernaum to ask Jesus to come heal his son.


2. The father obeyed Jesus' command: Jesus did not agree to go home with the man and see his son. Instead, He told the man to go home and assured him that his son would live. The father could have further insisted that Jesus come with him. He could have caused a scene. This man was an officer of the king (verse 46), and he could have ordered that Jesus come with him. But he didn't do any of those things. He believed what Jesus said and he obeyed Jesus' command to return home to his son.


3. The father and his house believed in Jesus: When the man returned home, his servants ran to meet him and told him that his son was well. The man asked when his son began to get well, and when the servants told him, he realized that his son began to get well at the exact moment that Jesus had spoken to him. So he and his house believed in Jesus.