Luke 12:35-37a

Because Jesus loves us so very much,The Bible overflows with lessons,instruction,wisdom,discernment,encouragement,and warnings!N Luke 12:35-37a,Jesus gives a Huge Plea that is a combination of encouragement & warning,when He says-“Stay dressed for action,&keep your lamps burning,&be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast,so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes & knocks.Blessed r those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.”There are multiple perspectives that Jesus is preparing us for! One is for the time that He rises up from His Throne at THE FATHER’S side to return to the Earth in all His Glory.There is another perspective on this for our every day life!Jesus comes to us through His Spirit all the time.Jesus is saying that unless we “stay dressed for action,&be....waiting” so that we can open the door of our heart/life for Him when He knocks,we may not only miss experiencing His Presence in our life,but we may very well miss an opportunity to be blessed beyond measure by having Him call us into some kind of service for The Kingdom!If we r not dressed for action/PREPARED,we will probably miss whatever it is that He is knocking on our hearts/lives for!Whether it be to show/teach us something personally,or to do something through us!BOTH are ginormous BLESSINGS that we most certainly do NOT want to miss!BOTH have the effect on us personally of having our faith n Christ grown/strengthened,and our personal relationship w Christ become deeper...and our TRUST n Christ becomes more significant n our life!We also have more of our “Reality” impacted by THE REALITIES of The Triune God/His Glory/His Righteousness/His Grace/His Mercy& HIS Word!In fact,our “Reality” needs to be always impacted/changed by THE REALITIES mentioned above.If not,our faith n Christ & our dependence on Christ will wane,as we become increasingly distant from knowing THE REALITIES above n our life,& we will seldom have the JOY of knowing His Presence n our life.We will also wonder why others have many stories to tell of how The Lord used them...& we seldom do.Dear Lord,awake me every day w this reminder to “get dressed/PREPARED & to keep The Lamp of Your Word&Spirit lit n my heart/life.Show me/teach me how to do this everyday.Even though I may start the day dressed&lit the right way,daily “stuff” tends to change the way I dressed n the morning,and even blow out the flame of Your Word&Spirit n my life/heart.Forgive me for allowing this to happen,& by Your Mercies&Graces...let it not b today!May the power of Your Spirit keep me dressed&lit rightly throughout my day.

Luke 12:1

Jesus gives us all the warnings about how the enemy will creep into  our lives in an effort to plant an infection that attacks the Holiness&Righteousness of Christ that was imparted to those that seek to know&follow Christ.These infections r also the very ones that Satan will use to sway others from acknowledging the Truths revealed through Christ and His Words!N Luke12:1,Jesus says,”...Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,which is hypocrisy.”(A definition of hypocrisy is: the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense).N the words of Jesus above,He is warning us that any form of hypocrisy can b like leaven/yeast n bread!When making bread it only takes very little leaven/yeast to “infect” the entire bread mixture w the EFFECT of the leaven/yeast.Very little is used to make the bread rise!Jesus says that HYPOCRISY is so dangerous to our lives,n the way that with only a little bit of it...our entire lives can become infected by it’s presence n our lives.Jesus pleads with us 2 b aware of it.Any time that HYPOCRISY of any kind is a part of my life,Jesus says “BEWARE”!It is infectious!And ultimately effects the whole of my being in some way!Even more of a direct analogy w the action of leaven/yeast - hypocrisy puffs me up!It raises up arrogance n me!(Arrogance = an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions;offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride).And arrogance&pride separates us from The Lord(Proverbs16:5,”Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.”Proverbs18:12.”Before destruction a man's heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.”).As one who claims to b a follower of Christ,HYPOCRISY is creeping into my life whenever I act,talk,or even begin to think along ways that do not line up with what Christ teaches!Because at these times I am CLAIMING TO BE ONE THING,& actually BEING something very different!This is the HYPOCRISY that Jesus says is like leaven/yeast...that only takes a little to be dangerous for my life/heart/mind!Might b that this was on Paul’s heart/mind when he wrote n 2Corinthians10:5,”We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”This HYPOCRISY is devastating,not only to myself,but it destroys whatever witness I am when I have claimed to b a follower of Christ!My life n HYPOCRISY will confuse and mislead those around me!We can see why Jesus is so concerned about this in our lives! Satan uses HYPOCRISY to bring harm to ourselves,as well as those around us!And Satan is a “Master Baker” when it comes to how he will introduce this yeast into our lives,& how he will use it through our lives to harm those around us!Dear Jesus,I am soooooo guilty of this hypocrisy in my heart/mind/life.Forgive me!And please,through Your Power,make me know when this is going on....and turn me from it quickly,so I may demolish the arguments and pretensions that set themselves up against You...&b obedient to Your Heart&Ways n my life.

Luke 11:23

N Luke11:23,Jesus says,”Whoever is not with me is against me,& whoever does not gather with me scatters.”If my life is not “with” Jesus,then He says that I am against Him.The way I speak,act,think,etc., if these things are not the ways that Jesus teaches me to speak,act,think...,then there are parts of my life that are at the very least not supporting what Jesus is desiring to do in my life,nor in the lives of people that I come into contact with every moment of my day.Jesus actually says that when my life is not following Him,my life is “against Him”!Jesus next is saying that if I am not responsive to His work in and around me,that I am actually “scattering” what He desires to do n and around me! (A definition of Gather is: to bring together; to pick up or amass as if by harvesting; to serve as an attraction for; to summon up courage;to gain by gradual increase; to prepare (oneself) by mustering strength;to gain or regain control of wits;to reach a conclusion often intuitively from hints or through inferences;
;to draw about or close to something;to come together in a body).If I am not “gathering with Jesus”-seeking to learn His Ways and then assimilate them into my life regularly-then my life is not being used by The Lord for His purposes,but quite the contrary is happening!My life is not helping Kingdom causes at all,but instead...my life is a source of confusion and scattering to not only myself,but to those around me!I can be disciplined in my daily devotional time w The Lord,and still be “against Him” if I am not taking to heart what The Lord is revealing to me during the time I spend w Him!Additionally,if I am not “gathering” what The Lord is teaching me/showing me/doing around me...,for the purpose of making these things a part of my life,then I am “scattering” what The Lord is doing in my life and around my life....,just as a wind scatters what is not gathered and stored.I need to look for what God speaks into my life&heart about,& then gather/capture these things so they r not “scattered” from my life,but “gathered” for the purposes that The Lord is active with in my life and around my life.No wonder at many times it seems that Jesus is far away;if I am not seeking Him and then gathering what He is saying and doing,then I am allowing  His speaking to me and what He is showing me to be scattered away by the other stuff of life...that contend for my heart/mind/life/spirit.Dear Jesus,forgive me for many times JUST reading...,and JUST praying,without being deliberate about taking to heart what YOU are saying and doing!Dear Lord,be my helper n understanding and taking to heart these things.And then lead me to be a “gatherer” of these things for how You would PURPOSE them for me,and for how I live n the minutes and hours of my days.

Luke 9:23

IF! IF,we r to be true seekers of Christ,we will be denying our sinful passions&desires everyday AND seeking to know&follow Him every day!If we r continually “hit&miss” in our seeking Christ and following Christ..then we will find ourselves frustrated and empty,and with no joy&no eternal purpose, instead of knowing the peace/joy and fulfillment that Christ lived/suffered/died/rose/ascended for us to have!At the core of our lives we have foundational NEEDS,that every human is born with! These r only fulfilled through the Author&Creator of all life!Satan knows this,oh so well!Satan will leverage every tactic in his arsenal to move us further and further away from God’s Truths & Promises that God only knows and desires for our lives - peace/joy/hope/purpose/fulfillment in the midst of our daily life and it’s struggles.IF I am drifting from these promises,then my sincerity in denying/turning from my ways,& seeking to know and follow HIS WAYS is not the “daily” occurrence that Jesus is telling me I NEED...for my own good!Sure,I may be “having my quiet time”...,BUT IF I am not committed to earnestly seeking to know what God wants to talk w me about through His Word...,then I am “halfhearted” & not “all in”.Jesus words in these verses are communicating the significance of an “all in” life!This “all in” is only “all in” IF we r also committed to assimilating what God talks with us about into our lives,and we FOLLOW Christ!We must turn from our own ideas/desires and seek to know God’s Thoughts/Ways for us.& then we must commit to making God’s Thoughts&Ways our thoughts&ways for the day....every day!A less than every day commitment will more quickly expose our hearts/lives/minds to the selfish thoughts&ways that Satan will tempt us with...&ultimately a drift away from The Lord occurs n our life.A drift so slow, that just like a frog placed n a comfortable pot of water will not realize the slow coming threat of boil as his environment is slowly “drifted away” from a healthy environment to one that kills him as the heat is slowly turned on & up.This is what Satan is always strategizing for our lives!This is also why n Luke9:23 Jesus is saying.”If anyone would come after me,let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.For whoever would save his life will lose it,but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”Jesus tells us this for our own good!HE is not being selfish nor demanding! HIS love for us is compelling HIM to be direct with us about this LIFE TRUTH!Dear Lord Jesus,thank you for being direct and not mincing words n these verses of Luke! I have a natural tendency to drift,that you warn me of.Please heighten my awareness of this drift n my life,and lead me&help me to b deliberate n seeking to know You/Your Ways/Your Thoughts every day and throughout every day!And by Your Spirit lead me and guide me and empower me to walk and live as You lead...so I have an “all in” life.

Luke 7:36-50

When we think that The Lord does not hear what we say or think,& that He is being silent,we should look to “life lessons” that The Lord May b speaking/teaching through.N Luke7:36-50,a Pharisee asks Jesus to come for dinner.A prostitute that had heard Jesus preach(&had decided to repent & follow Jesus) enters the Pharisee’s house.For her to b able to barge into the house,she must’ve been well known to the Pharisee...a frequent guest.Might very well b that the Pharisee was a regular client of hers.For whatever reason,she was more than a casual acquaintance of the Pharisee.She enters the house carrying an alabaster jar filled w an extremely expensive oil.I can personally attest to the value of essential oils,which this woman brought a jar filled with.My wife purchases essential oils n less than an ounce tiny bottles, because of their beneficial properties for people w illnesses.Some of these tiny bottles can cost as much as $70.Imagine what an entire jar filled w these oils would cost!This woman has had her life so significantly impacted by the Gospel of Christ,that she unashamedly enters the Pharisee’s house(knowing fully what people’s preconceived notions were about her)with uncontrollable weeping because of her deep&wide appreciation for Jesus & what His Mercies&Graces had done for her!She had become a living testimony of the Power of The Gospel of Christ & Who He is...what He is capable of doing in the lives of those that turn away from their old life & turn to Him!The Pharisee doesn’t speak his discontent about this woman nor what she does w a whole jar of extremely valuable oil...,but the words r n his mind!Jesus addresses the Pharisee’s questions/thoughts by pointing to a “life lesson”.When Jesus says,”Do you see this woman...”,He is encouraging this man to open his eyes & ears to what life lessons r before his very eyes& ears!Jesus is showing this man that,”a picture is worth a thousand words,& a video is worth a million pictures”!Jesus is “doing better” than just answering w words....He is using this woman’s life to more effectively “speak into” this man’s questions/thoughts!Jesus is using life lessons to speak!When we have questions that may even b confined to silent thoughts,we need to b paying attention to whatever life lessons may b n our own lives!God knows our nature being one of,”oh yeah,show me”!SO,He constantly uses “LIFE” to give us life lessons,just as Jesus did w this Pharisee.This is a “2-way” lesson for those that belong to Christ!First lesson for us is the same as for this Pharisee- look for life lessons!Second is-is my life such a reflection of what Christ has done for me,that my life can b used as a life lesson for others....,as this woman’s life was!?Dear Lord...please turn my attention to life around me...to b aware of where You r answering my questions & thoughts w life lessons!Lord Jesus,I ask for Your Word&Spirit to work n my life the changes necessary so that my life may become a life lesson for others, just like this woman at the Pharisee’s house!