Category Archives: Devotions from the Gospels

A Day of Reckoning

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“Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.” Luke 12:37 ESV1

Read Matthew 24:45-51; Mark 13:32-37 & Luke 12:35-48

As Christ Followers, thoughts of the Rapture are almost exclusively pleasant. Though we may be troubled by the mass chaos and extreme difficulties that will be faced by those who are left behind, we usually don’t worry about our own state. We expect that Christ’s returning will be a glorious time when we are swept from this troubled Earth and deposited in Heaven where there will be nothing but peace and joy and comfort for the rest of eternity.

But Jesus made it quite clear that the Rapture won’t produce bliss for all who have chosen Him as their Lord. The Coming of Christ will include judgment on all who belong to Him. Jesus’ return will be a day of reckoning, “a time when one is called to account for one’s actions … to fulfill one’s promises or obligations.”2 This Day will be a time when each of us who have decided to follow Jesus will be held liable for how we have managed what He has placed in our care. If we have been good stewards, we will be rewarded. And if we have mismanaged our callings, we will face severe consequences. The way Jesus spoke to His closest disciples about The End of the Age and His return made it impossible for there to be any doubt concerning this truth.

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Preparing for the Future

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“Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near” Luke 21:28 ESV1

Read Matthew 24, Mark 13 & Luke 21

I am planning for a cross-country journey to attend a five-week discipleship program. I have been excitedly preparing for my trip for weeks. I went through my wardrobe, picked out appropriate attire, and purchased supplement pieces. I shopped for toiletries, snacks, office supplies, and little conveniences I would like to have available for myself while I am there. I cooked, assembled, and froze a variety of single-serving meals for my husband to eat while I am gone. I deep-cleaned my vehicle, inside and out, and made appointments for an oil change and a tire rotation. I cleaned my house, stocked up on nonperishable groceries, and used up perishable items. I paid bills, watered plants, sent out cards, and arranged for people to take care of some of my responsibilities while I am gone. I made phone calls, finished up tasks and obligations, got a haircut, gave my husband a haircut, and alerted the necessary people of my planned absence. Basically, I have done everything I was able and knew to do to get ready for this opportunity. I would rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.

Planning and providing for the future is extremely helpful, in fact, essential. But sometimes the more immediately urgent needs receive our utmost attention while we overlook the most necessary ways of planning for what is to come. In one of His parables, Jesus broached the topic of being alert to signs that point to the need to prepare for the forthcoming.

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An Invitation to a Royal Wedding

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He sent … servants, saying, “Tell those who are invited, ‘See, I have prepared my dinner … everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’” Matthew 22:4 ESV1

Read Matthew 22:1-14

Evidently, 1,900 people were invited to the wedding service of Prince William and Kate Middleton of England. It has been reported that one million people crowded the streets of London on April 23, 2011, hoping to get a peek at William and Kate’s wedding parade. Additionally, an astonishing two billion people watched this royal wedding on live television across several media outlets. It is estimated that the whole amazing affair, including flowers, rings, cakes, Kate’s dress, and security, cost a whopping $50 million. In terms of numbers and cost, the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018, was comparable. In fact, most royal weddings cost millions of dollars and are watched by people numbering in the multi-millions.

Considering the enormous expense and interest in royal weddings, one would imagine if any person was specifically invited to such a celebration, he/she would make every effort to attend. And if anyone who had been invited found that he/she must decline the royal invitation, it appears that any one of millions of others would have gladly taken his/her place. That is what makes the following story, told by Jesus, about those who snubbed their invitation to a royal wedding so astounding.

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Revolting

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When the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, “This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.” Matthew 21:15 ESV1

Read Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12 & Luke 20:9-19

Revolutions are as old as history itself but no two such revolts are exactly the same. Some rebellions throughout human existence have brought about small changes; others have caused a complete overhaul of the previous administration. There is no set length of time it takes to complete a social revolution, nor is there a determiner of any one’s lasting influence. Though revolts often occur due to a perceived inadequacy or abuse of power, they actually happen for a variety of reasons. Many uprisings are violent, while other spirited protests are largely peaceful. But what all revolutions have in common is that they create some kind of change. A story, told by Jesus, illustrates the significant change which occurred as a result of the most fundamental revolt of all time.

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If My People …

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“And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.” Matthew 21:32b ESV1

Read Matthew 21:28-32

You have undoubtedly heard it quoted and seen it in print as much as I have—2 Chronicles 7:14—“If My people … pray … I will hear from Heaven … and heal their land.” Believing in the power of this promise, many sincere Christians gather and call out to God pleading for His intervention in a variety of situations that affect them, those around them, and the countries in which they live. But when those prayers are seemingly unanswered, most of those who came together to pray, go back to their normal lives disillusioned with the power of prayer and doubting the goodness of Almighty God. The trouble is, whether by intention or merely through emphasis, we have reduced the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 to the words above. There is a whole lot more to that verse than we usually stress or remember. The following parable which Jesus told to the sincerely religious who questioned Him reveals that which they, and we, so often overlook.

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That’s Not Fair!

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“So, the last will be first, and the first last.” Matthew 20:16 ESV1

Read Matthew 20:1-16

As an oldest child who is the daughter of oldest children who themselves were raised by oldest children, I have an innate sense of fairness. It is important to me that I be as impartial and equitable as possible in my dealings with others. I strive to be free from bias and I seek to avoid all injustice. And I expect that others will be as gracious to me in return. So, I have to admit when I first read the following parable of Jesus, I had a hard time reconciling what seems to be so completely unfair.

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The Obligatory Pay it Forward

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‘Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’  Matthew 18:33 ESV1

Read Matthew 18:21-35

Pay It Forward is an American film from the year 2000 written by Catherine Ryan Hyde, directed by Mimi Leder, and starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osment. It is the fictional story of a Social Studies teacher who gives his class an assignment to come up with an idea to change the world for the better. The movie describes what happens when one student creates a plan for a goodwill movement which he calls, “Paying it Forward.” Pay it forward has since become an expression for the honoring and repaying of good deeds by passing on acts of kindness to others instead of the original altruist. This idea has, among other things, led to long lines at restaurants and coffee shop drive-throughs with person after person paying for the order of the car behind him or her. This concept has sparked an organization, The Pay It Forward Movement and Foundation, and a day of recognition, The International Pay It Forward Day. Though there may be social pressure to perform such acts of kindness, paying it forward is an optional activity—except in one instance.

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Take Your Goat and Have a Party

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“‘But we had to celebrate and rejoice because this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’” 15:32 NASB1

Read Luke 15:11-32

I have spent the majority of my adult life working as a homemaker or holding volunteer positions. That means caring for my family and creating a peaceful sanctuary in my home has consumed much of my time. But I have had the privilege of using the remainder of my time to participate in a variety of activities that have had eternal and life-changing effects. But it has also meant that I haven’t received a paycheck.

Once, in the presence of my children, when I was sharing what I would do if I had some money I could call my own, my son responded, “Take your goat and have a party!” What he meant was, “Dad has adequate resources. In the eyes of God and the law, you two are one; what is his, is yours. He loves you, and he appreciates the work you do to contribute to the family and the community. I am sure he would be more than agreeable for you to spend some of the money he has made on that.” My son was serious; he didn’t mean to be funny, but we all burst out laughing.

“Take your goat and have a party” has since become a family saying. Whenever anyone in our home complains about a perceived lack in the presence of actual abundance, he or she will hear, “Take your goat and have a party!” We all know who came up with the saying, but the idea didn’t originate with my son. He got the idea from the following parable of Jesus.

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Reunited

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“What woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?” Luke 15:8 ESV1

Read Luke 15:8-10

One February day in the late 1980s over a bucket of chicken, my then-boyfriend got down on one knee, pulled a ring box out of his pocket, opened it, and asked me to be his wife. After my initial shock, I said, “Yes.” We were still in college but we planned on getting married as soon as we both graduated. We were so much in love and spent as much time together as possible as we looked with excitement to the future.

One day, shortly after I accepted his proposal and the sparkling new engagement ring, my fiancé and I went together—probably hand in hand—to the campus gym to get some exercise. When I changed into my workout attire, I slipped my brand new, precious piece of jewelry, which represented to me all that love and hope had to offer, into the pocket of my blue jeans for safekeeping.

After exercising, I decided not to change back into my street clothes. Instead, I planned to shower and put on fresh clothes at home. So, I picked up the clothing I had been wearing before I worked out and my fiancé and I walked toward his apartment talking and laughing as we went. At his door, we intended to part ways and each go on with the day in our separate ways. It was then that I remembered my engagement ring.

I expected to put the ring on my finger and admire it as I walked to my car. But when I reached into the pocket of my jeans, my ring was not there! I had lost it! My husband-to-be had spent all he had saved for several months, working many hours of overtime, to purchase that ring. There was no hope that it could be replaced—at least for quite some time. Immediately, a mixture of shock, fear, panic, sadness, and disappointment fell upon us. What should we do now?

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Search and Rescue

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“If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine … and go in search of the one that went astray?” Matthew 18:12 ESV1

Read Matthew 18:1-14 & Luke 15:1-7

W. Phillip Keller, in his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, wrote, “The beautiful relationships given to us repeatedly in Scripture between God and man are those of a father to his children and a shepherd to his sheep. These concepts were first conceived in the mind of God our Father. They were made possible and practical through the work of Christ. They were confirmed and made real in me through the agency of the gracious Holy Spirit.”2 Mr. Keller continued, “It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep. The behavior of sheep and human beings is similar in many ways … Our mass mind (or mob instincts), our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits are all parallels of profound importance. Yet despite these adverse characteristics, Christ chooses us, buys us, calls us by name, makes us His own, and delights in caring for us.”3

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