Day 104 Bible Readings for April 15 – Luke 16: 10 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 21-22, Luke 16: 1-18, Psalm 65

Luke 16: 10 (ESV)

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”

In verse 10 from Luke 16, Jesus teaches about being faithful and having integrity. Jesus tells us that if you are faithful in small matters, you will be faithful when it comes to bigger matters in life. The reverse is also true in that if you are dishonest in the small matters in life, you will be dishonest with the bigger matters in life. The authors of my Bible study also refer to this verse as emphasizing the principle of stewardship. Being faithful in the small matters in life can be seen as a test of character and integrity. The small matters in life can symbolize money, possessions, and responsibilities. Jesus tells us that God is watching how we handle every task even the smallest of tasks, money, or responsibilities.

I can see how this verse also applies to following God’s laws and the urgings of the Holy Spirit in our life. If we are faithful to follow God’s laws and the urging of the Holy Spirit in the small matters in life, we will be faithful to the bigger asks of God and the Holy Spirit in our life. I know that is how it started for me in my relationship with God. I can see over the years how I have become more faithful to God in the smaller matters in my life, and now I feel I am at the point where God is asking me to more faithful to the bigger matters in my life. But God is also asking me to be more faithful in the areas of my life where I have not been faithful. It’s a hard and slow journey, but with the help of the Holy Spirit I feel that I will become more faithful to God in all areas of my life.

Day 103 Bible Readings – Luke 15: 4 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 19 & 20, Luke 15, Psalm 64

Luke 15: 4 (ESV)

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?”

In verse 4 from Luke 15 Jesus talks about the parable of the lost sheep. Jesus tells us that if a shepherd has a hundred sheep in his care and one gets lost, he will leave the 99 sheep to look for the lost one. Jesus tries to tell us that God loves the people in his care so much that if one person gets lost, he will always look for that one person. I love this parable because if we have faith in God, then we can have assurance that God will never abandon us and will always come looking for us if we get lost. There have been many songs written over the years on the parable of the lost sheep, and I like this current song by Cory Asbury which is called “Reckless Love.”  The chorus of this song goes like this “Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine, I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still You give Yourself away, Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God” Cory Asbury writes about being the one lost sheep, whom God will find no matter what leaving the other 99 sheep behind.

If you are feeling the blues about your life, listen to this song and know that God will never abandon any of his sheep. He will always come and find that one lost sheep and rejoice when he finds the one who was lost.

Day 102 Bible Readings – Luke 14: 34-35 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 16:21-22, Deuteronomy 17, Deuteronomy 18, Luke 14:15-35, Psalm 63

Luke 14: 34-35 (ESV)

“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

I love the metaphor of salt that Jesus uses in verses 34 and 35 from Luke 14 to talk about the Christian life. In my study Bible, the authors point out that salt was a valuable commodity in the time of Jesus. Salt in Biblical times represented purity, preservation, and the covenant God made with his people. Jesus tells us as that as people of faith that we must be like salt, meaning we need to have a positive influence and preserve the effectiveness of the teaching of Jesus in the world. Like salt losing its taste because it has been contaminated with other substances, if followers of Christ become influenced by non-Biblical ideas and teachings, we will also lose purity and our ability to live and spread the teachings of Christ.

These verses tell us that we need to daily maintain our connection to the teachings of Christ and the Bible, by reading the Bible, abiding in God’s presence, and listening to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us we have ears, so we must always be listening to the word of God and the Holy Spirit in our lives. If we don’t do these things, we will be of no use to ourselves or for God’s plan. God will still use us for fulfill his plans for the world because he can use everything for his good, but we will be throwing aways the gifts that God gave us if we do not retain our saltiness which represents the influence of God in our life.

Day 101 Bible Readings – Luke 14: 12-14 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 15, Deuteronomy 16: 1-20, Luke 13: 31-35, Luke 14: 1-14, Psalm 62

Luke 14: 12-14 (ESV)

“He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

I love the message that Jesus gave in verses 12 through 14 from Luke 14. Jesus tells us that we shouldn’t just be friends with people who can do something for us or can repay us. The author of one of my Bible study states that Jesus does not us to limit ourselves to mixing only with people who make us feel easy and comfortable. Jesus invites us to mix with people who are less fortunate than we are and might never be able to repay us for any kindness we do for them. We will be repaid by God when we die.

I served Thanksgiving meals for the homeless one year, and it was an eye-opening experience. Many of the people we served did not smell very good due to lack of bathing and/or from the open sores on their body. It was hard for me not to have feelings of revulsion instead of compassion for these unfortunate folks who lived on the streets. Their smiles of gratitude for having a hot meal made me feel ashamed of my initial reactions to their bodily odors. After about 15 minutes of serving, I didn’t even notice the smells and starting feeling an immense sense of gratitude that the Holy Spirit had inspired me to serve the poor on Thanksgiving. I could see that God was present in all of these people, and I was planting seeds of Christ by my service to these people by just serving them on a hot meal on chilly day.