Tag: Christians

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

Easter Reading: John 20:1-9 NLT – He’s alive!

Reading: John 20:1-9 NLT

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

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Eugène Burnand, The disciples Peter and John came running to the tomb on the morning of the Resurrection, 1898. Paris, Musée d'Orsay

Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in.

Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings.

Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead.

Spiritual Song: “He’s Alive!” – Don Francisco