Serve One Master

Yesterday we discussed the parable Jesus spoke about a rich man and his financial manager. We saw that Jesus commended the manager for his shrewdness and stated we, His followers, should be just as shrewd, if not shrewder. But that wasn’t the end of Jesus’s teaching on the subject.

Jesus continued His discourse, speaking of being faithful. He said that whoever is faithful with little will be faithful with much. He also said the converse was true: whoever is unfaithful with a little will be unfaithful with much. Is Jesus solely alluding to earthly business management?

No, Jesus is not solely speaking about earthly business management, though He is using it as an example to make a point. The manager was seeking to procure safety and security for his life once he was unemployed. Jesus is pointing out that we should be even more concerned about securing eternal life by obeying God’s will.

As He continues, He states we cannot serve two masters. One will always be more important than the other. Ultimately, he speaks of the two masters being God and wealth. Now we get down to brass tacks. We cannot make our pursuit of earthly wealth out of selfish ambition be more important to us than serving God.

How are we to serve God? First, we spread the gospel. Beyond that, Jesus has told us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the widows and orphans, and love one another. If we allow our culture and our pursuit of wealth to take us away from doing these things, we have failed to be true followers of Jesus Christ. We become no better than the financial manager seeking to save his own skin in this world.

I pray we all are faithful with the little we have. I pray we seek to serve only one Master, God. I pray each one of us choose to serve God by obeying his commands and doing his will. Be faithful. Share God’s blessings. Speak the gospel. Serve the marginalized. Obey God’s commands. Do God’s will.

Luke 16:13 “No slave can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Be Shrewd

Do you make astute decisions? How cunning is your thought process when you are put in a bind? Do you keenly consider all options before you choose one? Have you been told you are being shrewd? Do you think you should be shrewd? Why or why not?

When we think of shrewdness, we may also think of someone being miserly. Yet, that is not what being shrewd means. It means we are astute, cunning, or keen. In other words, we are considering the options available and making the best choice for ourselves.

In a worldly perspective, this is being selfish. We are only looking out for our own well-being. We don’t consider the impact of our decision on others. However, in a spiritual perspective, making decisions regarding our eternal life, we are commended to be shrewd by Jesus. How so?

In Luke 16:1-7, Jesus tells a parable of a rich man who has a financial manager who is being fraudulent. The rich man calls him out. The manager quickly has the debtors of the rich man lower what they owe him by simply having them make an entry in his logbook. The manager is being shrewd by getting the debtors to be his accomplices and seeking to provide for himself in the future when he is no longer employed by the rich man.

Jesus commends the manager for his shrewdness and states that God’s followers should be just as shrewd or even shrewder. However, Jesus is not speaking of being shrewd to further ourselves in this world. No, he is speaking to our seeking to be shrewder concerning our eternal life. In other words, Jesus is saying we need to be more concerned for carrying out His will than seeking earthly fortunes. We will continue this story tomorrow.

I pray we all learn the lesson of the shrewd financial manager. I pray we decide to be shrewd with our eternal life. I pray each one of us will choose to put God’s will ahead of our own desires. Seek to be shrewd toward eternal life. Obey God’s will. Set aside your desires. Be a true follower of Jesus Christ.

Luke 16:13 “And the Lord praised the agent [bound up, as he was, in the world] of unrighteousness because he acted shrewdly, because worldlings are more shrewd in taking advantage of their opportunities than are the children of light.”

There Is One God

How many gods are there? Have you added them all up? Have you considered the number of gods people have in their lives? Have you added up the number of things people worship? Do you have many gods? Do worship things or people? Or do you only worship the one God?

People worship many things and many people. Our culture puts a premium on social status and the possessions we can acquire. We are influenced by culture to put people in certain professions on a pedestal. All of this creates many gods for us to worship.

Yet, the Bible tells us there is one God, the Creator of all things. God, who is holy, is the only God we are to worship. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to step into creation to be our Savior. Jesus, through His work on the cross, is our mediator before God the Father. The price He paid, the price we cannot pay for ourselves, sets us free from the culture we live in.

If we are free, why do we continue to allow ourselves to be imprisoned by our culture. Being human, we get wrapped up in what is happening around us. We get caught up in family relationships and friendships. We desire to do well and are pulled into the trap of worshiping our job. To combat these things, it requires us to be disciplined and focus on God.

The truth the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to his understudy Timothy is still true today. We need to remind ourselves of this truth every day. There is one God. Jesus is our mediator before the Father. Jesus is fully human and fully God. By going to the cross, Jesus has set us free. We are free to worship the one God and discard the pressures of our culture.

I pray we all know there is only one God. I pray we know the Jesus is our mediator before the Father. I pray each one of us remind ourselves each day that we have been set free. There is one God. Jesus is our mediator. Jesus has set us free. We have been freed from our culture.

1 Timothy 2:5-6

For there is one God; 

there is also one mediator between God and humankind, 

Christ Jesus, himself human, 

who gave himself a ransom for all 

—this was attested at the right time.

Continually Commune

Do you desire a quiet life? Are you seeking peace? Do you wonder how you can achieve it? How are you praying? Who are you praying for? Do you give thanks in your prayers? Are you praying for the leaders of your country? Are you praying for the leaders of the company you work for?

A quiet and peaceable life is something most of us desire. We would prefer to not have the drama, heartache, disappointment, frustration, anger, hurt, or the feeling of helplessness most of us experience. The quiet and peaceful life seems to continually escape us.

The Apostle Paul tells his understudy, Timothy, he can lead a quiet and peaceable life. The key to a quiet and peaceable life is prayer. Paul emphasizes this by stating it four times — supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings. It is in our continual communion, continual interacting with God that we will find the quiet and peaceable life.

Notice that Paul states we are to pray for everyone. If your prayer list is like mine, there are numerous people on it…and many others that should be. Quite honestly, we could be praying for every person we meet every day. Paul also states we should specifically pray for the leaders of our nation, community, schools, and corporations.

It is in our communing with God, giving him thanks for all his blessings and interceding for everyone we know or meet that peace comes upon us. That peace is not of our doing but a blessing from God. He grants us peace for obeying his will. For God wants us to care about others and pray on their behalf. This is serving others, putting them ahead of ourselves.

I pray we all spend more time in prayer. I pray we intercede for all leaders we know of. I pray each one of us continually commune with God, giving him thanks for his many blessings. Spend more time in prayer. Intercede for everyone. Continually commune with God. Thank God for his blessings.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.

Pray for God to Be Glorified

Do you know that you sin? Do you recognize it? Do you feel sorrow and grieve over it? Do you ask God to forgive you? Why? For your sake? To clear your conscience? Is it all about you? Or do you ask God to forgive you for his name’s sake? Do you ask so that God is glorified?

We all sin. Not one of us is perfect. We hear many people state that fact. Yet, we also continue to sin, often judging others for their sin, which is sin as well. We can easily fall into an endless cycle of sinning, asking for forgiveness, and quickly sinning again needlessly.

The Psalmist asks that God forgive, not only himself, but the entire nation of Israel. When was the last time you asked God to forgive your nation? Asking God to forgive our nation, our state, our community for offenses committed should be our regular prayer. It is especially important when there are or have been systemic sinfulness.

Our purpose in life is to glorify God. We do this by carrying his work. What is his work? Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Care for the widows and orphans. Simply put, care for those who live on the margins. When our communities are systemically ignoring them, we sin against God by disobeying his will.

Crying out to God to forgive us for our sin so that his name is glorified is important. Along with asking for forgiveness, we must ask God to move in the hearts of leaders to change the priorities of the community. As priorities are set in accordance with God’s will, he will be glorified. We must never forget the importance of prayer.

I pray we all ask God to forgive ourselves and our community. I pray we ask God to lead us in following his will. I pray each one of us make our prayers more about God and less about us. Ask for forgiveness. Pray for your community. Follow God’s will. Make your prayer about God.

Psalm 79:9

Help us, O God of our salvation, 

for the glory of your name; 

deliver us and forgive our sins, 

for your name’s sake.

Make Your Plea to God

Is everything that could go wrong, going wrong? Do you feel as though the entire world is against you? Do you feel as though God has forgotten about you? Have you cried out to God, asking why he hasn’t stepped in to rescue? Do you know you are not alone?

There are times during our lives it seems as though everything that can go wrong is going wrong. One thing after another piles up and weighs us down. We feel overwhelmed. We may become depressed. We may even become hopeless and desperate.

We are not alone. We are not the only ones who have felt this way. The Psalmist felt this way when he wrote the seventy-ninth Psalm. Jerusalem was overrun and destroyed. It was a massacre of the Jewish people. He felt God had abandoned them for their disobedience. He was pleading with God to stop being angry with them. He was crying out for God to rescue his people.

Though we may not be in the same dire straits Jerusalem was at that time, we can feel just as desperate. Just as the Psalmist did, we can cry out to God. We can ask the same questions and plead for forgiveness and rescue. In fact, it is our coming to this position that God desires. He wants us to be completely dependent on him. He wants us to submit to his will. It is when we come to the end of our rope, putting our lives in his hands, that God will do his most amazing work.

If you are experiencing a desperate situation today, take time to read Psalm seventy-nine. If not, read it and return to it when you are. Know that it is okay to cry out to God in your time of desperation. Know that you are not alone. Know that God will hear your plea and he will answer. Submit to his will, asking for forgiveness and rescue.

I pray we all know that God will hear our plea. I pray we cry out to God in our time of need. I pray each one of us will submit to God’s will and ask him for forgiveness and rescue. Make your plea to God. Ask God for forgiveness. Ask God to rescue you. Submit to God’s will. Know that God will hear you.

Psalm 79:5

How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? 

Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?

Grieving

Have you grieved for something other than the loss of a loved one? Has your heart felt heavy in your chest? Have you been heart sick? Have your shoulders drooped with the weight of your grief? Are you feeling the weight of your grief today? Do you know you are not alone?

We often think of grief coming when we lose a loved one. Yet, that is not the time we may grieve. We can grieve over many things: loss of a job, a broken relationship, or a horrific event in our community. Grief comes both when we expect it and when we don’t.

We may understand why we are grieving. We know the situation warrants it. But understanding why grief has come does not make it easier. It still feels as though there is a heavy weight sitting on our heart. We still feel depressed. We wonder how long it will last. We may put on a smiling face while silently carrying our grief inside. 

Jeremiah, often called the weeping prophet, was grieving deeply over the nation of Israel. They had disobeyed God and God was punishing them for doing so. Jeremiah’s heart is heavy. He openly weeps over the nation. He asks how long before God will restore them. He desires they turn back to God, repent of their disobedience, and seek his forgiveness.

We, too, can grieve over the disobedience in our nation. We, too, can seek for people to repent of their disobedience. We, too, can ask God to forgive us of our disobedience. We can go to God on behalf of our community and our nation. God will hear our intercession for our community and our nation, just as he heard Jeremiah. It is better for us to intercede than to remain ambivalent. For God hears his children cry out to him.

I pray we all acknowledge our grief. I pray we cry out to God in our grief. I pray each one of us will intercede for our communities and our nation, asking God to restore us to him. Acknowledge your grief. Cry out to God. Intercede for your community. Intercede for our nation.

Jeremiah 8:18

My joy is gone; grief is upon me; 

my heart is sick.

Hope Set Before Us

Have you grasped the hope set before you? Do you know there is hope waiting for you to grasp it? Will you reach out for it? Will you reach out to the One who will give you hope? Will you hold onto it, never letting it go?

Hope is a wonderful thing. Hope drives us when we are ready to give up. Hope gives us strength when we are feeling weak. True hope comes from only one person — Jesus Christ. Without Him, there would be no hope in this world at all.

The writer of Hebrews, writing to fellow Christians, says that we have this hope. It is an anchor for us, anchoring our soul to Jesus. Because it is anchored to Jesus, hope enters into the inner sanctuary, the holy of holies, the throne room of God. Remember, when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in front of the holy of holies was torn in two, thereby opening the way for us to enter.

With Jesus as our high priest, we have a hope that is not merely wishful thinking but is a trust in God fulfilling his promises. Our hope is built on God’s promises and Jesus being our Savior. With this hope, we can confidently live our lives working for him, trusting he will guide us along the way and provide all we need. Our hope is tied to our faith, which is both belief and trust. The stronger our faith, the more we hope.

I pray we all grasped the hope that has been set before us. I pray we trust in God’s promises. I pray each one of us will confidently live our lives for God with our faith and hope in Jesus growing stronger each day. Take hold of hope. Trust God’s promises. Live with confidence.

Hebrews 6:19-20 We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Rejoice with Angels

For what reasons do you rejoice? Do you rejoice when something good happens for you? Do you rejoice when something good happens for your family or friends? Do you rejoice when something bad happens to your enemy? That’s a bit different, isn’t it?

Rejoicing is a tricky thing. Many times, we rejoice for the right reasons. However, there are times when we rejoice for the wrong reasons. Even when we rejoice for the right reasons, are we rejoicing for the best reason? That is something for us to ponder.

Jesus tells two parables and ends each one with the same statement. In the first parable, He talks of someone losing one of their sheep in the wilderness and they leave the ninety-nine to go find the one. In the second parable, He talks of a woman who loses one of her ten silver coins, and she cleans the entire house to find it. At the end of each parable, He makes the same statement.

We rejoice for many reasons. The best reason to rejoice, though, is when someone comes to Jesus and gives Him their life. Jesus says the angels rejoice. We should rejoice with the angels. If the angels find it a wonderful thing to rejoice about, shouldn’t we? Rejoicing that another soul has been saved is a great thing to rejoice about.

Sure, there are lots of things to rejoice about. Rejoicing for birthdays, weddings, accomplishments, and promotions are good. But they are nothing compared to the joy we should have for someone who has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, being blessed with eternal life with Him.

I pray we all rejoice when good things happen. I pray we are joyful when someone accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I pray we rejoice with the angels when one sinner repents. Rejoice for good. Be joyful. Rejoice with the angels. Rejoice with those being saved.

Luke 15:10 “Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Hanging Out

Who do you hang out with? Are some of questionable character? Do you only hang out with people who are upright and honest? Are you careful who you choose to be with? Do you judge others by who they choose to hang out with? Do you dislike others judging you?

The people we choose to hang out with can say a lot about us. But sometimes, it doesn’t say what we want it to say. Other times it does. Hanging out with certain types of people can put us under scrutiny by others. Other types of people can think highly of us.

Here is the simple truth: no matter who we hang out with, someone can find a reason to be judgmental about it. The question we should ask ourselves is, what is our purpose for hanging out with the people we hang out with?

Jesus was hanging out with tax collectors and sinners. We might say he was out with the scruffy bunch. Tax collectors were hated by the Jews. They were considered traitors, and it was thought they cheated their fellow Jews to benefit themselves and the Romans. Sinners were any people who didn’t attend temple or synagogue regularly. In other words, Jesus was hanging out with people that likely didn’t make God their priority.

The Pharisees were looking down their noses at Jesus. They were judging Him for hanging out with the wrong kind of people. Yet, Jesus was hanging out with them to let them know that God loved them and had a plan of redemption for them.

If we are hanging out with the “wrong kind” of people for the same reason Jesus did, we are following His example. When we are following His example, we have no reason to worry about what others are thinking. Letting people know that God loves them and wants to redeem them is as good as it gets.

I pray we all stop judging others for who they are hanging out with. I pray we follow Jesus’ example. I pray we let others know that God loves them and he wants to redeem them. Stop judging. Follow Jesus. Spread the love of God. Tell others about God’s redemption plan.

Luke 15:1-2 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”