Category Archives: Luke, Gospel of

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Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for May 30, 2017

For Devotional Reading from the Daily Common Lectionary:  Luke 10: 1-17

Text; Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you. (vs. 8)

Taking Jesus seriously can be fun, if you make it fun.  It can be a joy, if you make it joyful.

Today’s devotional reading is full of lessons and insights. For example, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (v. 2) There is a lot of Kingdom work to be done in this world but there are few willing to do the work. That is just a fact. “I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves”. (v.3)  The world is a cruel place. People will try to take advantage of you.  But being a disciple of Jesus does not mean that you are naive. In Matthew’s gospel disciples are told to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves; understand the ways of the world but do not adopt them.

In building my spiritual muscles I have taken to today’s “text”; “eat whatever is set before you” as a guide. As a rule, unless it doesn’t fit my budget, whenever I eat out, I spend little time looking over a men. I simply order the special of the day! As a consequence, besides the broadening of my palate, I am learning to be content in the midst of a world of choices.

C,S, Lewis inspired me. He had powerful insight on Gluttony. Gluttony can be of “Delicacy” as well as of “Excess”. The person who thinks that they are practicing “Temperance” because they only want a little, “done properly”, of course, is a glutton consuming everyone else’s time and energy! (The Screwtape Letters, Letter 17)

My spiritual exercise may not for you, but each of us has something that we can do to develop a spirit of Contentment. It may be exercising even though you do not have a gym membership, or recovering the dying art of handwritten letters or any number of things.  The point is to learn the spiritual practice of “Contentment”. I believe that as we grow in Contentment we will be better equipped to “harvest” and watch out for wolves!

Lord God, that world tells us that we have to have this thing or that thing in order to be fulfilled. All we really need is to learn how to be content in Your Presence. Show us our path to Contentment so that we can be better disciples. Amen.

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Christian, devotion, Love, Luke, Gospel of, Presbyterian Church (USA), Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for May 29, 2017

For Devotional Reading from the Daily Lectionary: Luke 9: 51-62

Text: When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But He (Jesus) turned and rebuked them.” (Vss. 54, 55)

I can totally understand James’ and John’s passion in the story. Though they shared a common ancestry there were long and deep divisions between the Jews and Samaritans in Jesus’ day. James and John felt as if the Samaritan village had “dissed” Jesus. To them their question was a matter of honor. But Jesus would have nothing of it.

His Kingdom, God’s Kingdom was not like other kingdoms. It was not territorial. It did not have borders. It was truly color-blind.  People would not be brought under the reign of this Kingdom by force or threat. No, every knee would bow in response to a stronger force, a force that changes the heart. Love.

Love you enemies. If you enemy is thirsty, give him a drink. Pray for those who persecute you. Pray for those who hate you. Jesus was a radical calling others to join Him in this radical Kingdom.

Jesus knew that force of arms only brings a pseudo-submission. Resentment and revenge fester deep in the heart. But Love, well that is a different force. It softens the heart and brings about a real and lasting submission.

Love is not always soft. It may be hard because it looks out for the greater good. It equips for sustainability. You may be hated because you see a bigger picture. But in the end, Love is the only thing that truly wins.

Lord, soften my heart and teach me how to love those who are the hardest for me to love. Amen

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Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for May 27, 2017

Today’s Assigned Devotional Reading from the Common Lectionary: Luke 9: 37-50

Text: An argument arose among the disciples as to which one of them was the greatest. (v.46)

In security; it’s everywhere. It begins at a young age. Can a child have more than one best friend? What happens if your best friend plays with someone else or gets invited to a party and you don’t? The Smothers Brothers made a fortune over the schtick “Mom always liked you BEST!”

Many of our systems encourage a certain amount of insecurity. I inwardly chuckle when there is are multiple valedictorians at a graduation ceremony. Each one of the students worked hard, made sacrifices along the way, but still, I’ve seen one school have as many as 16 valedictorians! The television show Modern Family showed the humor in all of this competition in an episode where two of the characters felt ridiculous parental pressure to be valedictorian of a high school class. They even had a footrace around the school track!

In all three of the synoptic gospels we have some variation of the disciples arguing among themselves and even asking Jesus which one of the 12 was the greatest. Jesus placed a child in their midst and said that whoever comes to Him as a child is the greatest. In the eyes of God, the greatest is the least.  The disciples evidently didn’t understand because no sooner had Jesus answered their question than John said, “Master, we saw someone who is not one of us casting out demons in your name. We tried to stop him but he wouldn’t stop!” Make him stop! On my, our childish ways.

As followers of Jesus we can have ambition. We can even ascend the scale of affluence and influence, but we must always remember that the higher on those scales, the more responsibility we have to God. Our ambition should be in trying to out-serve one another without keeping score and worrying about who’s serving more!

And boy, is that hard! My insecurity keeps getting in the way!

Lord, let me not compare myself to another or be envious of another’s worldly success. Let me till the field in which You placed me. Continually remind me how to be faithful to the end. Amen. 

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Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for May 26, 2017

Devotional Reading; Luke 9: 28-36

Text: Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to Him!”

The reading assigned for today is what is called The Transfiguration of Jesus. It was a mystical experience that three disciples experienced.  The thing that stood out to me was the last three words of our text; “Listen to Him!”

The disciples initial response to the Transfiguration was to build a memorial or a shrine commemorating the event.  We do do the same thing. Some are very elaborate. Others are not.  Along the highways where I live there are make-shift memorials marking the place where someone died in an automobile accident.

There is nothing wrong with this, but they are a “one and done.” Sooner or later they are largely forgotten as the generations pass. For example, no one recalls where the Old Testament patriarch Jacob erected his memorial marking his “God-moment”.

God wants followers of Jesus to be “living memorials.” That is why the voice from the cloud told the disciples to “Listen to Him!” Do what Jesus told you to do! Love with a holy and complete love those whom God loves. Take Jesus and His teachings seriously. Be a light that breaks the darkness of a broken and troubled world. Let what you do and say be a blessing that glorifies God.*

Lord, make me into a living memorial that reflects the love of Jesus to others, especially to the dark places of the world. Amen.

*While researching a sermon recently I did a word study of “glory” and “glorifies”. Using the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament I discovered that “glory” and its derivatives means “to honor.” May your life and mine be God glorifying.

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Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for May 17, 2017

Devotional Reading; Luke 8: 16-2

Text: For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light. (v. 17)

There is a difference between secrecy and confidentiality. Secrets are things that we are ashamed of, while confidentiality are those things that are only shared “on a need to know basis”. I have shared this insight many times over the years, in both secular and religious settings.  I often remind people as we enter into a sensitive part of a meeting of the difference between secrecy and confidentiality. I tell them that if they cannot be confidential about the information that they are about to receive that it would be best for them to excuse themselves from that part of the meeting. The violation of confidentiality the trust that is necessary to conduct business.

Robert Boyd Munger once preached a sermon entitled, “My Heart, Christ’s Home”. Published in various forms over the years, I once distributed it in a worship service. It had a very moving effect, especially on one individual who confronted a secret that he kept buried for forty years.

Munger’s sermon ends with Jesus cleaning out the closet of secrets in a man’s life. Jesus relieved the main character of the secrets that held him prisoner.

Secrets are not forever. Think Thomas Jefferson, his secret liaison with Sally Hemmings was denied for generations, but it finally came to light in the wake of modern science.

Secrets can be passed down from generation to generation with detrimental effects. It is time that we face our secrets and free ourselves from their bondage.  Blessed is the person whose loved ones memories is not sullied by secrets.

Lord, remove shame from my life. Give me the strength to face my secrets, to call them by name and to free myself from their destructive power. Amen.

 

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Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for May 16 2017

Devotional Reading: Luke 8: 1-15

Text: He told them a parable: “A sower went out to show his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled and birds ate it, too.” (vs. 5)

Over the years I have grown to love the parable of the sower as it is found in the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. I love it because it reminds me how I am called to be faithful not successful, at least not in ways that the world calls success. You see, the sower’s job was to sow seed. It didn’t matter what kind of soil that the seed fell upon. That responsibility fell to the Lord of the Harvest–the Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Maker of you and me. The parable is not about results but faithfulness. Are we being faithful in living a life of love and telling others about God’s love. Like the various soils, others may or may not receive the seed that we sow. We have no control over that. Our job is to sow the seed of the Kingdom and to trust God to bring forth growth.

Over the years I have found that my least memorable sermons turned out to be life changing experiences for someone else. I have also learned that an off-hand remark may be the “ah-ha” moment that God uses to flip on the Faith switch in someone’s life. Often, I don’t even remember the sermon or remark but they do, and God uses it to change a life.

We are called to be faithful not successful as the world judges success. We are called to do good as best as we can understand the good. In the words of First Peter “It is better to suffer for doing good than to suffer for doing evil.” (3:17)

So, do good. Say your prayers. Be humble and trust that God can use even the broken threads of our efforts in the tapestry of God’s Eternal Kingdom.

Lord God, help me to be faithful in the tasks that are set before me. Let me not lose heart. If I error in any of my judgments, let me error on the side of grace and goodness. Amen.

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Glimpses of Grace Devotion for May 11, 2017

Devotional Reading: Luke 6:39-49

Text: Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own. (vs. 41)

We are so good at seeing the faults of others while being blind to our own shortcomings. We are so quick to judge someone else and seek a pass for ourselves. Against this backdrop Jesus said, “Wait a minute. What’s with that?”

My mother told me that whenever I point a finger at someone else there are three fingers pointing back to me. Don’t we know that when we are so quick to judge others, to project upon them our presumptions, we are making ourselves smaller?

Good trees to do not produce bad fruit. Grapes are not found in bramble bushes. If we are to be Kingdom ambassadors and Jesus’ followers we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard.

I have often said that there is no one who is more truly humble than a serious follower of Jesus. Serious followers of Jesus know that they are not perfect. They don’t point fingers nor to they judge. They know that they have been forgiven much–by the grace of God. Serious Jesus followers pass this forgiveness and grace onto others so that God may be glorified by our actions.

Lord, give me a humble heart. Make me slow to judge. Grow in my life the delicious fruit of your Kingdom. Amen.

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Glimpses of Grace Devotion for May 8 2017

Devotional Reading: Mark 2: 23-27

Text: Jesus said to them, “The sabbath was made for man not man for the sabbath. ” (v. 27)

This text is one of my favorite teachings of Jesus.

Sometimes rules, regulations and laws get in the way of doing Kingdom work. Sometimes they create more injustice than they prevent. Sometimes they are a means to maintain an unjust reality. And sometimes I think that we simply make rules and laws to avoid the hard work of using the gray matter God placed between our ears.

Jesus was criticized, variously, for feeding the hungry, healing a person with a crippled hand and giving sight to the blind on the sabbath. His critics cited Exodus 20:8–Remember the sabbath and keep it holy. In doing so they forgot why God created a sabbath. God made the sabbath for us, not us for the sabbath. There has to be a balance in our lives between labor and rest otherwise we experience burnout, which neither glorifies God nor is beneficial to anyone.

Human need can present itself at the most inopportune times.  Our challenge is what I call “the goose that laid the golden egg syndrome.” We need to be productive but we also need to be mindful of our limits. I see us–myself included–getting this wrong more often than not.

Perhaps the most important prayer to the work of the Kingdom is not the believer’s prayer but the serenity prayer. Here’s a challenge: Begin each day this coming week with the serenity prayer. Then, at the end of the day take five minutes to reflect upon the day and write down an insight or two. See if you don’t become a better follower of Jesus.

Serenity Prayer attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.

 

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Glimpses of Grace Devotion for May 5, 2017

Devotional Reading: Luke 5: 12-26

Text:  Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” (vss. 18-20, New Living Translation)

I was impressed by the men’s ingenuity and persistence. I suspect that Jesus was, too. A little later in Luke’s gospel Jesus told a troublesome parable about a dishonest steward–or employee.  The steward turned out to be the “hero” of the story, and Jesus told His disciples that needed to be a shrewd in Kingdom matters as the people of the “world” are in worldly matters. Note, Jesus did not commend the dishonesty but the leverage of assets.

We need to be as creative and determined in managing the assets that God has entrusted to us as we do Kingdom work. And we need to do this at all times. I believe that this is a part of what Jesus’ meant when He said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness…” (Matthew 6:33).

We need to use the gray matter that God placed between our ears. And whatever we do or say, may it glorify God.

Lord, You have entrusted me with so much and so often I take Your gifts for granted. I see what abilities and opportunities that I don’t have and wish for them. Forgive me for discounting Your gifts in this way. Help me use entrusted to me so that as I go about my day so that I may honor you. Amen.

 

 

 

 

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Glimpses of Grace Devotion for May 4, 2017

Devotional Reading: Luke 5: 1-11

Text: When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed Him. (v. 11)

A friend in my accountability group confessed that he never listened too closely for God’s call because he was afraid that God would send him foreign missions. I think that a lot of people, if they are honest, believe the same thing. It’s better to keep God at arm’s length lest the Almighty tells you to do something that you don’t want to do, let alone be suited for doing.  I suspect that they get this idea from passages like today’s text; “they left everything and followed Him.”  That text, though, is not the whole story.  In John 21 we see seven of the disciples returning to their nets, their former lives.

I believe that when the Risen Lord touches your life you are forever changed. But I do not believe that this change will lead you into becoming a foreign missionary. More often than not we are called to stay where we are and be God’s Kingdom ambassador. The strange land is that of our own neighborhood, community and city.

A missionary in East Africa once told me that if a child is given a change for an education–even if it is for only a short period of time–they will not go back to their old life.

That is also true of those touched by the Risen Lord. The disciples left not only their boats but their old way of life. By the grace of God, they became new creations.

Lord, remove fear from my heart and let me listen intently for Your Voice and direction in my life. Amen.

 

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