To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to Heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

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Christians sometimes get in this place where they compare themselves to others to make them feel better. Whether they do it openly or in private, they’re constantly looking at the life and failures of another to justify theirs. Jesus says it’s the one who humbles themselves before God who will be lifted up. This seems simple, but truly examine your outlook on others. Could it be that you do this, even unintentionally? Look up and look in…so that you can look out with the lens of God’s love. I don’t know about you…but I want to be exalted by God. Let Him show you today where humility needs to enter in your life.

Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, Will He find faith on the earth?”

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I think the key here is the last line of this passage. When Jesus comes, Will He find anyone with faith? It’s not just about asking for things until you get it. It’s about having the faith in God to know that no matter what we are asking for, the best outcome is His outcome, not ours. That’s not always easy to swallow, but it’s what is best. He is holy…set apart from everything and everyone. When He answers…it is right. So…do you have the kind of faith that is required to be persistent with your requests?

Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, not will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Then He said to His disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in His day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

“Where, Lord?” they asked.

He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

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I want to point out that the kingdom of God is not the church. Sure, the church is part of the kingdom, but it is not the kingdom of God. The kingdom is the presence of God alongside the earthly kingdoms today. We know that when Jesus comes back, His kingdom will overthrow all earthly kingdoms. We wait in anticipation for that day to come. This is the life of a believer. Knowing what is to come and waiting patiently for it. This may seem more like a theology lesson today, but I think it’s important to understand that the plan is in place and the victory of Jesus has been established. We walk in and with the presence of God no as we endure the earthly kingdoms and flaws, knowing that one day His kingdom will be complete and we will get to live in and through it for eternity. Find joy in this today!

Now on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As He was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

When He saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him-and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then He said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

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What I would like to point out in this passage is the face that this was someone who was not a child of God. He was not a Jew, but a Samaritan. It made me wonder…how often followers of Christ can become complacent when it comes to the power of God. We sometimes just come to expect Him to answer and do what we ask. We get upset when something doesn’t work out as we wanted it to, and we just go through the motions with Him to avoid possible punishment and wrath. Now think of a new Christian…so excited and overwhelmed at God’s love for them in spite of who they were. They’re committed and dedicated to Him. Where do so many lose this along the way? Let’s not be like the 9 that just expected God to show up and weren’t even appreciative or in awe of who He is. Let’s be like the one Samaritan…who understood the power and holiness of God. Live a life of awe and commitment to our Holy and Righteous God.

Jesus said to His disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone from whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves.

If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent; forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat?’ Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink?’ Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.”

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Jesus calls us to rebuke those brothers or sisters who have sinned against us. To rebuke means to express your disapproval of an action. This doesn’t mean we retaliate and sin ourselves. What I find interesting, however, is that Jesus also says IF they repent we should forgive them. I don’t believe this is an only forgive if situation. Jesus is saying if they repent, you better forgive them, if not it’s on you. We should always forgive…because we have been forgiven. How do you respond to people’s actions? Maybe you’re the one who needs to repent. These are important steps to take to be more like Jesus. It’s ok to rebuke…as long we know what that is. Be aware, be forgiving, be respectful. And remember to thank God for forgiving you.

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. A lot his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

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What I noticed when reading this is that when the beggar died the angels took care of him, but when the rich man died he was just buried…as if the world took care of him. They chose their kingdoms…and Lazarus now got to down eternity in comfort while the rich man gets to spend eternity in torment. Living for the world may entice us now…but it has nothing to offer later. Choosing God is the only way we can determine our eternity is set for comfort. I don’t know about you…but I want the angels to care for me…not just be buried as the world does. Choose God today and every day.

“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. It is easier for Heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the law.

Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

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Because of the Pharisee’s love of money and willingness to add to the law, Jesus included this teaching at the end of the parable of the shrewd manager. Their idol worship of money and authority had caused them to view and edit the law to fit their agendas…such as the topic of divorce that Jesus speaks of. The problem is that Jesus is clear that only one agenda matters…God’s. Quit laying out your own agenda. At the end of the day, it is God’s that will remain.

Jesus told His disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg-I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

So he called in each of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.

The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe,’

‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.

He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.”

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You cannot serve two masters. Money was the example Jesus gave because it hit home with the Pharisees. But what about you? Could it be your job, your family, sports, food, routine, tradition, self? Anything that we value as high or higher than God is a master that God does not approve of. Examine your heart today…what has taken up too much space and hasn’t given way to God in your life? What do you need to do to fix it?

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘ and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

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What stood out to me in this story I’ve heard dozens of times was the fact that the son thought he was going to determine his father’s reaction. He had rehearsed what he was going to say and assumed this could be the only outcome. But he didn’t even get to finish what he had rehearsed before the father began to celebrate. We often consider God’s perception of us to be how we perceive ourselves. God loves us and His love for us is greater than our shortcomings. We often determine God’s Grace can’t be offered to us because of our actions, not realizing that God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. So, let God determine His grace…you just accept it and move forward with it.

Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

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What comes to mind today is that Jesus won’t just sit back and wait for us to return to Him. He pursues you…sweeps until He finds. Sometimes when we lose something we say something like, “Well it will pop back up eventually.” That’s not the reaction of Jesus when we are lost. No, for Jesus, He gets to work. He sweeps and searches until He finds us. Know today, if you’re lost, you are on His mind. He is in pursuit of you. You are important to Him. So much so that He isn’t just sitting back hoping you’ll pop back up…but He is sweeping and searching…for you.