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October 15th, 2021

10/15/2021

14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. 15 Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.
16 “Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in. 17 But that doesn’t mean that the law has lost its force. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest point of God’s law to be overturned.
18 “For example, a man who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery. And anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.” (Luke 16:14-18 NLT)

Two great teachings of the Bible are the Law and the Gospel. The Law shows us our sins, our failure to live the way God wants to live. The Gospel shows us God's love and forgiveness won for us by Jesus' death and resurrection.

The Gospel does not replace the Law. We need the Gospel because we violate God's Law. The Law can serve as a guide, to show us how to live. The Gospel is not an excuse to break God's law. When we sin, we need to repent and ask God to forgive and restore us. The Gospel is the good news that Jesus forgives sinners.

A Life of Integrity

10/14/2021

10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?
13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” (Luke 16:10-13 NLT)

Jesus calls us to a life of integrity, a life in which we consistently try to do the same thing God wants us to do. We cannot go two different ways at the same time. We can't follow God and pursue money, fame, prestige, power, (you name it) at the same time. God's love lasts forever. These other things don't last.

October 13th, 2021

10/13/2021

Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. 2 So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’
3 “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4 Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’
5 “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ 6 The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’
7 “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’
8 “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. 9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. (Luke 16:1-9 NLT)

This is one of the harder stories Jesus told to understand, especially since we do not know the backstory or the cultural context. I'm not going to try to guess about that. But I do know that the unfaithful manager was shrewd enough to use the things at his disposal to plan for his future.

Just like the Apostle Paul, who used his Roman citizenship to his advantage, we can use the gifts God gives us for good too. We can claim our rights as U.S. citizens. We can appeal to the freedom of religion promised in the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution when we are told that we have to obey some man made law or government regulation instead of obeying the Lord. Ultimately we rely on God's love and forgiveness.

Who Was Lost?

10/12/2021

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’” (Luke 15:25-32 NLT)

It is so easy to read the first part of this story Jesus told and think about the runaway son who returned home. The father threw a part to celebrate his lost son's return home. That is a very important message.

But don't miss the rest of the story. The older brother refuses to celebrate his younger brother's return home. He is jealous and resentful. His focus is on himself without concern for his father or brother.

Jesus told this series of Lost and Found stories recorded in Luke 15 in response to the complaints of the Pharisees that Jesus ate and associated with "sinful people." They were judgmental and self righteous. If Jesus welcomes the lost and the outcasts, we should too.

Welcome Home

10/11/2021

17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. (Luke 15:17-24 NLT)

Welcome Home! The Runaway Son wasn't sure what his father would do or say when he came home begging for a job. He did not know that his father was looking for him to return, but he was. The father ran out to greet and welcome his son home. He threw a party to celebrate his son's return.

Remember what Jesus said at the end of the parable of the lost sheep. "There is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!"

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Like Jesus, we should always be ready to welcome home those who have lost their way and return to the Lord!

The Run Away

10/8/2021

11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. (Luke 15:11-16 NLT)

You may have meet a run away, someone who left faith, family, morality behind to do his or her own thing, to live for the moment, to live only for themselves. You may have been that person. That may be the reason why the story of the Run Away Son gets our attention.

Like the father in the story, God has given His children an abundance of blessings. Like the son in the story, we can forget that every good gift comes from God. We can get so caught up in living for ourselves and for the moment that we turn away from God and waste everything God gives us. Like the son in the story, we may have to hit rock bottom before we turn back to God our Father.

Are you running away from God, returning to God, or living in a good relationship with God?

Rift Raff

10/7/2021

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” (Luke 15:1-10 NLT)

One of the harshest critics I've ever had in ministry paid me the highest compliment, even though she did not mean it as a compliment. She accused me of bringing "Riff Raff" into the church. In case you do not know the meaning of the phrase "riff raff" since it has fallen out of use, riff raff are considered disgusting, despicable people. Helping to bring "Riff Raff" into the church is one of the most important things any of us can do.

Riff Raff are people like you and me, people in need of God's love and forgiveness. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He ate with sinful people and throws a party in heaven whenever a sinner repents. Jesus tells us that lost and found people are far more important than a lost sheep or coin.

Are You Listening?

10/6/2021

34 “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? 35 Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” (Luke 14:34-35 NLT)

Jesus said that we are the Salt of the Earth. How salty are we? Do we flavor the people around us like salt flavors food? Are we a positive influence on others? Jesus tells us to flavor the world with His Word, Love and Forgiveness. If these things are not present in our lives, something is wrong.

We need to listen and take the Lord's Word to heart. If we don't, we can become tasteless salt. That is not good.

Count the Cost

10/5/2021

28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." (Luke 14:28-33 NLT)

You don't buy a new car or a house before you figure out if you can afford it. If you don't, you could up lose the house of the car because you could not pay for it.

Jesus tells us to count the cost before following Him. He wants us to be all in on Him because He went all in for us. He died on the cross for us so that we could be forgiven and free to follow Him. Following Jesus means listening to and trusting Him. Jesus promises us forgiveness and eternal life. There is a cost for not following Him. We don't want to go down that road.

No Divided Loyalties

10/4/2021

25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:25-27 NLT)

Jesus is not telling us to hate our family members, other people or ourselves. He is telling us that He has to have the top place in our lives. We cannot have divided loyalties. We can't follow Jesus and walk a different path with a family member who would lead us away from the Lord. We can live in a way that leads our family members and friends to see Christ in us. Jesus tells us to love one another, even our enemies. Our love for others grows out of God's love for us.

(Jesus spoke Hebrew or Aramaic. There is no comparative in this language. Instead of saying something is holy, holier or holiest, the Hebrew language says, God is Holy, Holy, Holy. The NLT picks up this difference by saying "by comparison." There should be a noticeable difference between our love for God and for others people. God first, then people. The other way does not work.

Author

My name is Larry. Right now I am serving as the Intentional Interim or Transitional Pastor at St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Richville, MI. This blog is part of my daily personal time reading the Bible and talking with God. It is more of my personal thoughts than a deep theological discussion. Thanks for taking the time to join me in reading and thinking about what God has to say to us today.

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