How do you portray yourself to others? Do you try to only let them see the strong, put together, you? Looking at Luke 18:1-17 we see a contrary between two very different men as they pray. A religious man and a sinner both show up at church to pray. One prays very lengthy, aloud, and trying to have others notice him. The other prays of to himself, very humbly, and remorse and repentance. Jesus then says this about the second man. I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be…

Are you ready for the end? People have been predicting the return of Jesus Christ for centuries. Every generation there is some new guess as to when Jesus is going to return. Jesus indicates that no man knows the day or the hour, but that doesn’t stop people from guessing. Jesus speaks about the signs of his return in Luke 17:22-37 and then he throws in this verse: Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. Luke 17:33 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.17.33.NASB At first glance that verse doesn’t seem to fit. Yet as we look closer, we see that as people are confronted…

What does it take to convince us when we are wrong? Many of us can be so hard-headed and stubborn that we will not see truth even when it is presented right in front of us. Jesus shares a story about this in Luke 16:19-31. This verse at the end of the chapter stands out. But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'” Luke 16:31 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.16.31.NASB This rich man, now that he is in Hades is convinced of his sin, but that was only after he experienced the consequences. Now…

We’ve all met people who say one thing to our faces and something different behind our back. There are very few things that frustrate me like that does. One thing that is even more dangerous, though, is the person who lies to himself. In this case the Pharisees had been lying to themselves thinking that they are better than they really are. Read through Luke 16:1-18 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. Luke 16:15 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.16.15.NASB There really is no…

The story of the Prodigal Son is one that many people know and have read many times. Looking at Luke 15:11-32 we see this story in its detail. It is always such an amazing time to read this verse: So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. Luke 15:20 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.15.20.NASB The son had treated his father as if he was dead and yet the father was watching and waiting for his son. When he came he treated his son as if he…

Are you willing to go searching? As we continue reading through Luke, we see that chapter 15, verses 1-10 give two separate stories about people who have lost something and search to find it, then rejoice once it it’s found. Often we talk about the fact that there is rejoicing in heaven over sinners coming to salvation, but today this verse stuck out to me. “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? Luke 15:4 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.15.4.NASB Jesus assumes that the…

Are you going where you have been invited? Invitations are an interesting thing here in the United States. My children will receive invitations for birthday parties or other events and sometimes we go and sometimes we’re not able to. However, if we were to receive an invitation to come to the White House, we would put more focus on that and rearrange existing plans to be able to attend. The value of an invitation is in who is doing the inviting.  Jesus tells a similar story in Luke 14:16-35. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.'” Luke 14:24 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.14.24.NASB Jesus…

How do we view ourselves? If we’re not careful we will get a view of ourselves that is greater and grander than what it should be. Reading through Luke 14:1-15 we see this verse: For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.14.11.NASB It’s interesting how humility and exaltation go together. Whichever one we tend to strive for, we often find ourselves experiencing the other. Often if we spend time trying to get others to exalt us and to try and exalt ourselves, we will often find ourselves humbled by the experiences and situations that we go through. However,…

Are we truly a follower of Jesus? Do we know and understand what it means to be surrendered to Him and all that He is? As we read Luke 13:22-35 we see: Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from me , all you evildoers .’ Luke 13:26‭-‬27 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.13.26-27.NASB There will be people who think that they have been serving God, but they find out that they have not really known Him. Do we really know the One we claim to…

Are some people worse than others? Do some people sin more completely than others? The people in Jesus’s day won greed that. They had heard about some different situations and they thought those people were worse than they were. Reading through Luke 13:1-20 we see Jesus make this statement 2 times. I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:5 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.13.5.NASB The people he was talking to seemed to forget that we are all sinners. We have all messed up and fallen short of the glory of God. We all have need of a savior. We must get past thinking that some people…