Tag: christianity

Morning Reading: Luke 17:5-10 NLT – duty calls

Reading: Luke 17:5-10 NLT

The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”

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The Idle Servant
1655, Nicolaes Maes

The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you!

“When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

Prayer: Lord Jesus – humility is not my strong suit… I do not respond naturally or easily to the duties of a servant. It’s not so much that I want someone to wait on me (although that’s sometime the case)… it’s more that I don’t respond well to being bossed around… told what to do, and when to do it. Please forgive me, and change my attitude. Replace my prideful, self-serving spirit with a willingness to be ready and waiting for the call of duty. May you be honored in all things, for I am nothing without you. Amen.

Spiritual Song: “Nothing Without You” – Bebo Norman

Take these hands and lift them up / For I have not the strength to praise You nearly enough / For I have nothing, I have nothing without You / Take my voice and pour it out / Let it sing the songs of mercy I have found / For I have nothing, I have nothing without You / All my soul needs / Is all Your love to cover me / So all the world will see / That I have nothing without You

Take my body and build it up / May it be broken as an offering of love / For I have nothing, I have nothing without You / All my soul needs / Is all Your love to cover me / So all the world will see / That I am nothing / But I love You / With all my heart / With all my soul / With all my mind / And all the strength I can find

Take my time here on earth / And let it glorify all that You are worth / For I am nothing, I am nothing, I am nothing without You

Morning Reading: Luke 17:1-4 NLT – watch yourselves

Reading: Luke 17:1-4 NLT

One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. So watch yourselves!

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“If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus – make every day a fresh start with the people in my life. Let me confront and correct myself first. And only then, give me the grace to confront and correct wrongdoing in others… with kindness and mercy. May I be willing to forgive others as frequently and readily as you have forgiven me. To you be all honor and glory. Amen.

Hymn: “To God be the Glory” – Andrae Crouch

Morning Reading: Luke 16:19-31 NLT – poor man Lazarus

Reading: Luke 16:19-31 NLT

Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.

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The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man

“Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.

“The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’

“But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’

“Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’

“But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’

“The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’

“But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Prayer: Lord Jesus – give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a willingness to obey in this life… before it’s too late in the life to come. Amen.

Choral Music: “Poor Man Lazarus” 

Morning Reading: Luke 16.13-18 NLT – divided loyalties

Reading: Luke 16.13-18 NLT

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

Two MastersThe Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.

“Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in. But that doesn’t mean that the law has lost its force. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest point of God’s law to be overturned.

“For example, a man who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery. And anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father – fill me with a love for and your way of doing things. Lord Jesus – help me keep my eyes on you and the prize of eternal life. Holy Spirit – may my “yes be yes and my no be no.” Make me a person who keeps my commitments through thick or thin. And may Jesus receive all the glory and honor. Amen.

Music: “The Wedding Song” – Kenny G

Morning Reading: Luke 16:1-12 NLT – little things

Reading: Luke 16:1-12 NLT

Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’

“The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’

“So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’ “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’

mother-teresa-and-child1“The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father – everything that I have is on loan from you… to be used for your Kingdom purposes. Lord Jesus – give me your heart and mind to see the world as you see it… and to act accordingly. Holy Spirit – guide and direct me in all that I do… especially in the small things. And may I glorify you in the use of all my resources… to him be the glory. Amen.

Hymn: “The Servant Song” – Richard Gillard