Luke 19:37-40

When Jesus comes n2 Jerusalem (The Triumphal Entry),the people “began to rejoice & praise God w a loud voice 4 all the mighty works that they had seen,saying,’Blessed is the King who comes n the name of the Lord....’...He answered,’I tell u,if these were silent,the very stones would cry out.”(Luke19:37-40)Like these people,when we have an encounter w The Lord,where He somehow personally impacts our life,we cannot help but praise Him...,even rocks cry out!We r also like these people,when a few days after this “praising”,many of these same people would be throwing things at Him and spitting at Him,etc.Jesus says that “even the stones would cry out”,n essence revealing Who He IS,& that because He IS GOD,every molecule of Creation will praise Him when He passes by!When our lives r somehow impacted by Jesus’ Presence,at least for a period of time,we cannot help but praise Him.The telltale of our faithfulness though is what happens n our hearts/lives/minds once we r back among the crowds of our everyday life.Most of these people turned from their momentary faithfulness when their lives slipped back n2 their everyday lives.The same thing tends to happen n our everyday life!We have our quiet times,prayers,Bible Studies,Church Services,worship services,conferences,spiritual getaways,etc....& we have “spiritual highs”!But then,when we drift back n2 our daily lives...we turn our backs on The Lord just as these people did.Sure,we may not be calling for Barabbas as these people would n a few days,but our hearts r turned away from Jesus just the same....and could end up drifting further & further away,as many of these people did.Dear Holy Spirit,please keep me from the turning You describe n these verses!Help me 2 remember Your Presence/Your Mercy/Your Grace/Your Glory...always! Especially when I start&live my everyday life among the crowds.

Luke 17:11-19

N Luke17:11-19,Jesus has 10 people w leprosy call out to him to have pity on them(vs13b,”Jesus,Master,have pity in us!”).These guys r just like us when we have a desperate need or situation n our life.These needs/situations will humble us for the moments we r n despair...enough for us to turn to Jesus as our only TRUE hope for help.N desperation for help,we come to Jesus for HELP!When we come to Him n earnest,Jesus never tells us “to get lost”,nor will he ever b silent!Jesus always offers “a way” through &beyond the the desperate “moments” of our life!As they say there r no atheists n fox holes...when we r desperate we will often turn to God!N one way or another,He will always make His Presence known n these moments of ours.But,like the nine that went on their merry way after Jesus “intervened” n their lives,we tend to do the same-not having our lives changed by the fact that The Living God made Himself Known to us for a moment n our lives when we truly turned to Him!These 9 turned to the Lord when they had a NEED!But,once they felt better about themselves,they turned away from The Lord & didn’t come back!Only 1 came back once he felt better about himself(vs17-18).Only this 1 found what he needed beyond his desperate need/situation.This 1 found what he needed for his LIFE!When this 1 comes back to Jesus...,Jesus tells him,”Rise & go;your faith has made u well.”This 1 found much more than being healed of leprosy! This 1 found what he needed for LIFE!When this 1 turned back to Jesus & gave himself to Jesus(vs16,”He threw himself at Jesus & thanked him...”),Jesus didn’t take anything from him!Jesus gave this 1 what he needed for LIFE!This 1 had been made well infinitely beyond being healed of leprosy!His faith n Christ that compelled him to turn away from his previous life & to Christ...made him well beyond temporal measure!That is what Jesus is referring to here!Whenever we cry out to Jesus because of a desperate need/situation,Jesus always offers us much more than addressing ONLY that need/situation!May we always b like the 1 that came back and threw himself/gave himself to Jesus.Dear Jesus,I have so many times been just like the 9 that turned away.... Forgive me for not genuinely appreciating nor being humbled by what You have done for me!May Your Ways n and around my life always humble me and always may my heart/life b drawn back to You as this 1 n Luke17.

Luke 17:6-10

N Luke17:6-10,when the apostles asked Jesus to teach them how to increase their faith,he gives a 2 part answer.The first part of the answer,Jesus tells us about the power & authority of the FATIH He desires us to have.The second part of his answer tells us where THE Power & Authority of this FAITH come from.Without my synching up with the second part of Jesus’ answer,I will not have the power&authority/FAITH n my life that Jesus n essence says I should have.N the 2nd part of Jesus’ answer he reminds us of Who He is,and that whatever “authentically good” we may “accomplish/achieve” is because of our doing what we r suppose to do/our duty!(vs10b,”We r unworthy servants,we have only done what was our duty”).This means that we trust our Master/Lord enough that we listen to what He has to say/instruct,& then we honor Him/trust Him by following His Words&Instructions as we go about our day.Doing this means that we will be going out into our days under/with the Power&Authority that our Lord grants us as we follow His Word&Instruction n our life.We will know what our Lord is saying/instructing,and when we go about our day we will then know what&how we should pray;what we should do;and that we have His Power&His Authority empowering&enabling what we r called to do during our days!These r the characteristics of The FAITH that Jesus is teaching us!The humility that is also described n these verses is imperative!This humility comes with the “reward” of seeing miraculous things happen n our lives & through our lives(vs5-6,”If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed,u would say to this mulberry tree,’Be uprooted & planted n the sea,’& it would obey you.”).When we realize the significance of having a Holy&Righteous Lord;a Lord that loves us w the greatest of all loves;a Lord that desires for us to see/realize miraculous things n and through our lives...then our Trust/Faith n Him(His Word/His Instruction)will “increase” as the apostles are asking for n Luke17:5(“The apostles said to the Lord,’increase our faith’”).Dear Lord Jesus,may my desire b the same as the apostles n verse15,& may I have a heart/life that have the characteristics of The FAITH that can only b founded n trusting/following YOU/YOUR WORD/YOUR SPIRIT/YOUR MERCY/YOUR GRACE.

Luke 16:31

N Luke16:31,Jesus says something that is critical to my knowing&revering God for WHO HE is;for WHAT HE HAS DONE;for the MERCIES&GRACES HE alone offers;for HIS PROMISES;etc.!(He(Jesus)said to him,’If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets,neither will they b convinced if someone is raised from the dead.’”).Jesus says that unless I seek to know & believe what Moses & the Prophets say about HIM, I will not fully be convinced of the MAJESTY & POWER & MERCY & GRACE of Christ!In fact,Jesus says that without seeking to know and then believe the PROOFS that Moses and the Prophets record about GOD/HIS CHARACTER/HIS HANDIWORK/HIS MERCY/HIS PROMISES,etc..,without “hearing” what Moses and the Prophets say,my life will not be lived as one CONVINCED that Jesus is ALL that HE IS!In essence,Jesus is saying that there is much more to HIM than being raised from the dead! As HUGE as that is,there is much more...that we can only discover when we seek to know what Moses and the Prophets tell us about HIM/HIS WAYS/HIS LOVE/HIS MERCY&GRACE/HIS PROMISES,etc.Absolutely,when Jesus rose from the grave he conquered sin&death for those that receive HIS Gift of Mercy!But,there is so very much more about HIM,and so very much more that HE desires for us to have....so much more that will CONVINCE us that HE IS GOD...THE GOD,that is infinite in all HOLY&RIGHTEOUS WAYS,& in all POWER&ABILITIES!Only when we begin to know and trust these “additional things” about HIM will our lives begin to b CONVINCED in the ways that Jesus is saying will save us,and bless us with all that HE desires for us.The only way to truly have an AWE of GOD & HIS GOODNESS is to know the treasures GOD reveals about HIMSELF through what Moses & the Prophets record n Genesis through Malachi!Dear Jesus,take me through Your Word n these places that YOU reveal so much more about WHO YOU are/The WONDERS of YOU,and may YOUR Spirit help me to understand &appreciate the TRUTHS about WHO YOU are/The WONDERS of YOU in ways that my heart/mind/spirit r “convinced” as YOU say I need 2 be

Luke 13:18-19

N Luke13:18-19,Jesus tells his followers what lives that r truly His followers will b like when He says,”What is the kingdom of God like?And to what shall I compare it?It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took &sowed in his garden,& it grew up & became a tree,& the birds of the air made nests n it’s branches.”Our lives r gardens that become what we receive & sow into our lives.We will also need to remove weeds that threaten to overrun what “good” we have growing,& water/feed the “good” so it does not whither away...,and/or choked out by weeds!N this parable,Jesus is telling us what our life should look like if we have the Kingdom of God “sowed into” our life.Everyone’s life is a garden!& all gardens will have stuff growing n them,but those that have sowed the Kingdom of God into their lives & removed the weeds so the tiniest of all seeds(the mustard seed)can not only take root but grow&mature as it is watered & fed the right food;these lives will have the largest/strongest of all plants,grow n their lives!(Matthew13:32.32,”Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree).&this tree becomes the “gathering place” for birds looking for a secure place to perch/nest(seek “secure/sure/true answers to life’s most challenging questions).So,what Jesus is saying here begs us to ask the question,”is my life becoming a place where those around me r coming w some of life’s most challenging questions/fears/concerns,etc.?& if yes,do I know the security of God’s Word&Spirit,& His Grace&Mercy in my life...,so that I am a true mustard tree,or am I a “lesser plant” that has become a “perch” of false security&untrustworthy answers to challenging questions?We will b one or the other!We must know which one we r!That is why Jesus gives us this parable,& why it is n all 4 Gospels!Dear Lord Jesus,I praise You and Thank You for the gentle Ways that You give me HUGELY IMPORTANT lessons about life!Especially life lived n the midst of Your Grace&Mercy,& Your Wisdom&Discernment!Please help me 2 b aware of what is growing n the garden of my life..where I need 2 weed;where & how I need 2 water;where & how I need 2 feed.& guide me 2 Your Seed,& let that b the only seed sown into my life.May my life become a place where Your Seed has grown into Your Strength&Protection n my life,& becomes a place where others may come to find the same.