“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

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Sometimes following Jesus means you choose Him over the closest to you. Sometimes it means losing closeness with those close to you because you have chosen a life with Jesus over the worldly life they lean into. Sometimes it means they don’t want to hear what you say or see what you do. Sometimes it means they may reject you. Sometimes it could put an entire government against you. Jesus doesn’t try to wrap a big bow on it. He is honest in saying people won’t always like the decision you make to follow Him. BUT…it’s worth it every single time.

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

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If we know God’s will and yet we do not get ready for it, we will be hit with many blows. The worst things we can do is KNOW Jesus will return and not be prepared for that moment. We don’t want to be caught in any other way than full dedicated to God. We don’t know when He will return, or when our time on earth is up, but we do know how to be ready. Don’t take your life for granted…but use it to prepare yourself for God and also to help others prepare for Him as well. God has freely given grace and made a way through Jesus to spend eternity with Him…all He asks of us is to be ready for Him. Don’t you want that? Don’t you desire that? Get ready!

Then Jesus said to His disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon is all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you-you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will he also.”

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Where your treasure is…you can find your heart. What do you treasure most? Maybe it’s family, friends, job, finances, etc. None of these things are bad to treasure…as long as you treasure them under the umbrella of God. God should be where our heart is always found. We should be desperate to spend time with Him…talk to Him…serve Him. Be honest and examine your heart. What takes up the most space?

Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then He said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

And He told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

This is how it will be for whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

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Do not store up treasures on earth. I believe most of them time when we store up things, it’s because we don’t fully have our trust in God. We have to make sure that WE are taking care of ourself and determining the outcome. We want control of what happens. Jesus says we don’t have that control. Our life is but a vapor…here today and gone tomorrow. Why would we spend our time storing up things that we can’t have forever when we could be storing up eternal things in our life that will last for all of eternity? It’s time some of us acknowledge we need to hand over control to God. Where can your storage be found?

Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to His disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will he proclaimed from the roofs.

I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

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What stood out to me in this passage was the statement not to fear the one who can kill, but the one who can throw you into hell. Fearing God is actually a good thing. It’s written in the Psalms to fear God is to have friendship with Him. When we truly know God, we develop a fear for Him. A fear of reverence and respect. A fear of knowing His holiness and righteousness. Do you know God in that way? Do you acknowledge His power and authority? To me…it makes His grace even more incredible; that a God whose holiness sets Him apart from everything else, still loves us enough to forgive us and save us. That’s the God we have the privilege to serve today and every day.

When Jesus has finished speaking, a Pharisee invited Him to eat with him; so He went and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when He noticed that Jesus did not wash before the meal.

Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you-be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practice the latter without leaving the former undone.

Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.

Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”

One of the experts in the law answered Him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in His wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.

Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose Him fiercely and to besiege Him with questions, waiting to catch Him in something He might say.

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A lot of woes here. What stands out to me through all of this is the hypocrisy that Jesus points out in the “religious leaders.” They masked themselves as humble and devoted when really they were neither. How often does the church come across this way to outsiders? To the unchurched we wear masks of perfection and righteousness when we should be genuine and vulnerable. The unchurched needs to see they have hope. That imperfect people are saved by the blood of Jesus and they can be too. Quit trying to be something you’re not…be real.

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

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No one lights a lamp only to hide it. Jesus is the light of the world and the church possesses that light. However, I feel as if far too often that light doesn’t get to shine its brightest because the church often hides. It hides in its buildings instead of being in its communities. It hides behind masks instead of revealing the struggles. It hides behind fear instead of addressing issues in the world. It hides behind excuses instead of standing/speaking boldly for the Gospel message. It’s time for the church (the people) to shine its brightest.

As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater then Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.”

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The crowd had just finished declaring He did signs through the prince of demons. Now they demand more signs. Jesus says He is there sign…just as Solomon was for the Queen of the South and just as Jonah was for Nineveh. The difference is that they listened. I wonder what Jesus would say about our generation? What would He say about you? Have you listened to His word and repented as Nineveh? Or have you been stubborn and decided to go your own way as the people Jesus had encountered? Choose Jesus. Don’t be condemned on the day of judgment for your lack of faith.

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divided up his plunder.

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

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Blessed are those who hear and obey. There are many who hear the Word of God…in fact there are many who hear it every single week. But hearing is not enough. We must obey it…live by it. Not just take His word as a textbook or history book, but as a life guide that we would be lost without. How much does your life reflect God’s word? Is there room for improvement? Hear His word…and obey His word.

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.”

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

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I wish I could have witnessed Jesus in prayer. The disciples did…and they asked Him to teach them how. Prayer is not one of those things you hear me people say they are experts in. I believe it requires a bond that few find to have that kind of prayer life…a bond that comes from submitting fully and wholeheartedly to God. Many of us still hold on to too many worldly things…and so our prayer life reflects that. If you want to have a strong prayer life, submit to Him. Prayer is one of the greatest avenues to submit fully to Him. When we pray, we are releasing control to Him. Work on your prayer life…let it begin by submitting to Him.