Dailies ~ Advent
December 18, 2019
If there is one word that would cover
the theme of chapter 18 of Luke, I would
say it is persistence! It seems that in each of the parables or stories that
Jesus tells of a persistent woman who an unjust man granted what she asked for
because she did not give up. Then parents were persistent in bringing their children
to Jesus to be prayed for. A tax collector was persistent, though he did not
like Jesus’ answer, he asked Jesus how he could be saved. I believe he went and
sold everything he had and gave to the poor. To continue this thought I would say persistent
faith is what they all had. Faith that God would come through for them when things
seemed impossible. But we know that with God all things are possible… if we
believe!
So many signs at this time of year say
believe, but what I want to know, and you to think on… what do you believe in?
Who do you believe in? Jesus or Santa? I believe in Jesus! Maybe there was a Father
Christmas at some time in the past but Jesus Christ is alive today! He was and
is and is to come! That is the reason to believe! Acts 16:31 says ‘Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved, you and your household!’ Do you believe for
your family? For your household?
Heavenly Father, thank you for your persistence
in my life, for bringing each of us to saving grace. Thank you for helping us
to believe in You. Help us to share this story with others today, this week,
this year; before it is too late. In Jesus’ name, amen
One day Jesus told his disciples a
story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2 “There
was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor
cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to
him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The
judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear
God or care about people, 5 but this woman is
driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is
wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
6 Then the Lord
said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even
he rendered a just decision in the end. So, don’t you think God will surely
give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he
keep putting them off? 8 I tell you; he will grant
justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find
on the earth who have faith?”
9 Then Jesus
told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and
scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the
Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The
Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am
not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like
that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I
give you a tenth of my income.’
13 “But the tax
collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he
prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to
me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner,
not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt
themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
15 One day some
parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless
them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering
him.
16 Then Jesus
called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come
to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like
these children. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who
doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”
18 Once a
religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to
inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you
call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. 20 But
to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit
adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify
falsely. Honor your father and mother.’”
21 The man replied,
“I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
22 When Jesus
heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done.
Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
23 But when the
man heard this, he became very sad, for he was very rich.
24 When Jesus saw
this, he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of
God! 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of
God!”
26 Those who
heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?”
27 He replied, “What
is impossible for people is possible with God.”
28 Peter said,
“We’ve left our homes to follow you.”
29 “Yes,” Jesus
replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or
brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, 30 will
be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world
to come.”
31 Taking the
twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, “Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem,
where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come
true. 32 He will be handed over to the Romans,[e] and he will be mocked, treated
shamefully, and spit upon. 33 They will flog him
with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.”
34 But they
didn’t understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from
them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about.
35 As Jesus
approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. 36 When
he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. 37 They
told him that Jesus the Nazarene[f] was going by. 38 So
he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 “Be quiet!”
the people in front yelled at him.
But he only shouted louder, “Son of
David, have mercy on me!”
40 When Jesus
heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man
came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me
to do for you?”
“Lord,” he said, “I want to see!”
42 And Jesus
said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” 43 Instantly
the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it
praised God, too.