Search Results for: parable

What’s Your Category? {Memorizing Colossians 3:11}

June 12, 2017 by Lisa Burgess 2 Comments

Memorize this week:

Group A
11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Group B
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

We only have one verse this week (and only six verses to go for Group A!). So let’s lean in and learn this.

We have four sets of categories here, flipping into one beautiful truth. While memorizing the categories may seem difficult at first glance, a closer look can help us understand not only the history behind the words, but also discover the relevance to our own lives.

1 – Greek and Jew

Back Then
The Jews were God’s original “chosen people.” The vast majority of the early church was made up of Jews. The term “Greeks” here was generally considered everybody else who wasn’t a Jew, i.e., Gentiles.
Today
Sometimes we artificially divide up the “lifers” (those who “grew up in church”) from the newcomers. Paul was saying let go of that gap in identity.

2 – Circumcised and Uncircumcised

Back Then
Jewish male believers were required to undergo this ritual of circumsion. It was a clear-cut physical sign of who was a Jew and who wasn’t.
Today
While we don’t have any comparable physical sign today for followers of Jesus, sometimes we create our own: Do you have a church membership? When was your water baptism? Do you wear Christian-themed t-shirts or display Christian bumper stickers on your car? Paul said there are no more physical signs like these.

3 – Barbarian and Scythian

Back Then
If you didn’t know the Greek language back in Paul’s time, the Greeks considered you a Barbarian, one who spoke a foreign language. Scythians were from the north of the Black and Caspian Seas. Almost synonymous with barbarians, Scythians were also considered a wild and uncivilized people.
Today
Do you speak fluent “Christianese”? Too often we judge those who don’t know “our” language. We judge those whose ways seem too crazy (or too stoic) compared to ours. Again, Paul says no. Everyone is considered the same in Christ.

4 – Slave and Free

Back Then
Some estimate that as many as 2/3 of the Roman empire were slaves. While conditions varied compared to what we think of as slavery in modern history, slavery was and is a subservient and unwanted position.
Today
If we broaden our definition of slavery, we can identify many modern prisons, with or without physical chains: addictions, poverty, subjugation, restraints, struggles. Paul said we aren’t to evaluate someone’s spiritual status by their presence or absence of shackles.

Ultimate Group – Christ in All

Our identity instead is in one person alone: Christ.

“Christ is all and in all”

As you memorize this week, think about how you may categorize people in your own relationships, about how you might categorize yourself.

Then remember instead that we’re all one in Christ.

And thank God for it.

Please share your thoughts here.

3 Myths about Your Good News – How Luke Overcame Them & You Can Too

May 11, 2017 by Lisa Burgess 12 Comments

Same Story, Different Verse

Let’s say a publisher wants a book about your mother. He asks for three versions.

Version 1
Author: You, her daughter
Audience: Your children and grandchildren
Version 2
Author: Your dad
Audience: His business co-workers
Version 3
Author: Her friend
Audience: The orphans she teaches in Guatemala

While each version may contain similar facts, the highlights and stories would be very different. Your mother’s life would be told from different perspectives and for different reasons.

In a similar way, God wants stories told about His Son.

Four writers gave narratives of Jesus’s life through the gospels (literally, “good news”). We know them as the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

But now God wants to hear your words. We’re going to look at the New Testament writer Luke to explore this.

Immediately we make our excuses. We each have our own reasons for not sharing the good news.

Could Luke also have had reasons not to tell the story? Perhaps. Yet he told anyway. We can, too. Here’s how.

Debunking 3 Myths

• Myth 1 •
I don’t know enough

Sometimes we think we should be able to recite all 66 books of the Bible, have a working knowledge of each Old Testament prophet, and trace Paul’s missionary journeys before we can share why we believe in Jesus.

Not so.

Luke never even met Jesus in person, yet he wrote an entire gospel about Jesus and the Acts of the Apostles. Luke heard the stories from others. He traveled with the apostle Paul (who himself only met Jesus in a vision) on Paul’s missionary journeys. And likely talked with Mark (who wrote the Gospel of Mark) along the way.

Still, Luke’s gospel ended up being the longest of the four, and combined with the book of Acts, his writings account for over one-fourth of the New Testament.

• Truth 1 •
You do know enough

We’ll never know the complete story while we’re here. But if we’ve encountered Jesus at all, we can tell others about Him. Continue learning and growing, yes. But we don’t need a PhD in theology to share good news.

Tell what you do know.

• Myth 2 •
I’m not good enough

Do you still sin? We all do. We need Jesus every day. Our goodness is like filthy rags compared to His righteousness.

But Christ’s goodness is what counts. Not ours.

Luke could have said “not good enough” about himself as well. He was not even a Jew. Likely a Greek physician (Colossians 4:14), Luke was the only non-Jewish writer of the New Testament. He could have taken a pass on writing a history of the Jewish King Jesus. He had been educated in Greek scientific culture.

But Luke wrote about Jesus anyway, and talked little about himself.

• Truth 2 •
Tell of Christ’s goodness

What are your favorite things about Jesus? Those are things people need to hear anyway, not facts about our presumed holiness because we “grew up in the church.”

Luke wrote about Jesus: about His compassion for the poor, healing of the sick, freedom for the oppressed. We can tell specifics of how Christ has been good in our lives as well.

• Myth 3 •
I have no one to tell

You’re not a preacher with a podium? You don’t have a podcast fan base? You haven’t published a book?

Neither had Luke.

Luke dedicated both the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts to one person: Theophilus. Scholars assume Theophilus was a real person (the Greek name means “lover of God”). See Luke 1:3, Acts 1.1 But Luke’s broader audience ended up being the larger Gentile world—Jesus came for all mankind.

• Truth 3 •
Talk to who you already know

If God wants you to have a big audience, He’ll provide it. But until then, we share our joy in Jesus with those we talk to normally. Our coworkers, our family members, our circle of friends. Ordinary people. People like us. People we love.

They are the ones who most hear our hearts and see our lives. Why not tell them as well about the most powerful Friend we also talk to?

Original Stories

Luke could have given many excuses for not sharing about Jesus. But thankfully he didn’t use them.

Without Luke, we wouldn’t have the parables of the Good Samaritan, the Lost Sheep, and the Prodigal Son (along with 18 other parables found only in his gospel). We wouldn’t know the story of the ten lepers or the stories about the beginning of the church in the book of Acts.

Just as you know stories about your mother that no one else knows, so you have stories about Jesus that only you know.

For example, your original stories include:

How you came to know Jesus
How He put your family together
How He brings you healing from a bad experience
How He is guiding you now in a difficult relationship

As we share the good news from our perspective, God is glorified. Our faith is strengthened. And others are blessed.

Good news is always relevant. Both the old stories and our new ones. Jesus is personal.

Tell your side of His story.

3 Myths about Your Good News. How Luke overcame them & you can too. #NewTestamentWriters

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Learn more about Luke: “5 Things to Know about Luke from the Bible” from Crosswalk.com

What prevents you from sharing your good news? What helps you? Do you have a favorite New Testament gospel? Please share in the comments.

Extra Reading:

Marvelous Creator: The Gift of Water

June 26, 2015 by Patti Brown Leave a Comment

It is summer and many of us are on the move – on vacation and in search of rest and a break from our daily lives.

Have you ever noticed that vacations are often planned near water? There is something about a body of water that draws us. Historically, people lived near water because survival depended on it. With modern water systems, we now tend more often to think of lakes, rivers and oceans as peaceful places to enjoy ourselves.

We couldn’t live without water. Humans can live for a surprisingly long time without food, but can’t survive much more than three or fours days without water.

While our earthly life depends on physical water, our eternal life depends on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who offers us living water.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (‭John‬ ‭7‬:‭37-38‬ ESV)

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (‭John‬ ‭4‬:‭13-14‬ ESV)

In water we find many poignant metaphors:

Water is powerful. Recent flooding in the United States is only the latest reminder of the great power of water. Water can remind us of the incomparable power of God.
Water gives life. In fact we define what is alive by its need for water. Jesus gives us eternal life!
Water cleanses. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross washed us clean from our sins.

If you find yourself near water on your vacation this summer, take some time to meditate on the gift of earthly water, and the precious spiritual gift of living water.

Bible study suggestions:

1) Read John 4:1-14. Ponder “living water.” What has been brought to life in you because of Jesus?

2) Read Ezekiel 36:25. What areas of your heart need to be opened to the cleansing power of the living water of Jesus Christ?

3) Read Isaiah 43:2. Consider the power of water and how God is even more powerful. His is the power that will see you through your hardest trials.

The Gift of Water – a short #BibleStudy about our #MarvelousCreator

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The Faith of Noah

July 10, 2014 by Ali Shaw 3 Comments

Noah’s faith always amazes me. I’m in awe of the man who remained righteous amid a corrupt world and maintained trust and obedience to God even when his task was enormous. He’s mentioned in Hebrews 11 as an example of faith.

“By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” ~ Heb 11:7

The Story

Noah’s story is found in Genesis 6:5 through 9:29. Here we learn that everyone on earth had only wicked thoughts all the time (Gen 6:5) — except Noah. Noah was righteous and walked with God. (Gen 6:9) And because of his righteousness, God chose Noah (and his family) to be saved by means of an ark while the entire world was awash in cleansing water.

According to experts, this ark was the largest water vessel built until about the 1800’s. For those of you who love facts and figures, this boat probably displaced about 22,000 tons of water and its carrying capacity was equal to about 522 railroad cars (that’s about 4 or 5 trains). I can only imagine Noah looking at the ark as he was building it and wondering how on earth something so large and heavy would ever even float. And rain? Most scholars agree that it hadn’t rained before Noah’s time, and he lived far away from any source of water that could lift a boat so large.

The Faith

And that’s how faith is sometimes with us. We may never be called to build a gigantic structure by hand or preserve mankind, but we are sometimes asked by God to do things we can’t understand and that seem much too large for us. Whatever God has asked us to do, like Noah we can walk by faith and fully trust our loving Father.

Here are some lessons about faith that we can learn from Noah:

Noah was the only righteous person of faith in a corrupt world. Faith can be maintained despite the beliefs of others around you.
Noah was obedient. Faith is not only felt, it’s lived out through obedience.
Noah was committed to obedience despite his circumstances. Faith in the unseen affects one’s perception of the seen. (It didn’t matter to Noah that there was no rain yet or that his peers might ridicule him. He saw things through the lens of faith.) Obedience to God doesn’t depend on circumstances.
Noah trusted God to do His part, while Noah did his. (God brought animals, sealed the door, brought rain, and saw to Noah’s safety.) Trust in God is inseparable from faith.
Noah was blessed by living out his faith. As we live out our faith, we are blessed, too.

Noah’s job wasn’t easy or quick and didn’t appear necessary to those with no faith. Yet, Noah’s great faith drove him. “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” (Gen 6:22) He didn’t just feel faith, or hold a belief, but he lived it.

I can imagine that as the rains pounded down and the floods rose up, and the waters surrounded the ark, Noah’s faith was purified even more. He must have felt his smallness. And I’m certain that as the waters receded and the puddles dried up, Noah’s faith was blessed immensely as he saw God’s power and character magnified. Why would one not trust in our All-Powerful God?

The Call to Action

Similarly to Noah, we are also called to demonstrate our faith by action. Jesus told us, in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” {Of course, we aren’t saved by works, but works, or actions, are a natural byproduct of living a life of faith. (See James 2:17)} “Now the just shall live by faith.” (Heb 10:38 and Hab 2:4) As Believers, we not only live eternally because of our faith, but we also should live with the daily exercising of our faith. Thankfully, God gives us the Holy Spirit to help us!

So, how does Noah’s story encourage you? How can you live by faith where God has planted you?

Click to Tweet these:

Lessons from Noah’s story: learning to walk by faith and trust in God. #ByFaith @DoNotDepart

What God’s Word Is Supposed to Do

March 20, 2014 by Lindsey 6 Comments

God’s Word was never meant to leave us empty.

It was never meant to be something we have to do…something that’s on our “to do” list, right along with laundry and soccer practice.

Look at Isaiah 55:10-11, a couple of verses that talk about the Word of God:

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).

God’s Word isn’t meant to leave us empty. It’s meant to leave us full.

Let’s break this text down to see exactly how God’s Word is meant to refresh us.

1. It nourishes.

Just as the rain and snow water the earth and prepare the ground for growth, God’s Word nourishes our souls and prepares us for growth in Christ.

2. It produces a crop.

As I studied this text, I kept coming back to Jesus’ parable of the sower in Matthew 13:

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred,sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:3-8).

Jesus explained the parable like this. There are 4 types of people:

People on the path-These people hear the Word, but the devil takes it away from them.
People on the rock-These people hear the Word but have no root; they fall away when tested.
People among thorns-These people hear the Word, but it is choked away by worries and pleasures.
People on good soil-These people hear the Word, retain it, and produce a crop.

So the question is…what type of people are we?

When we hear the Word of God, how do we respond? Do we forget about it as soon as we put our Bibles away?

Or…do you retain it, persevere through hard times, and produce a crop?

This is what the Word of God is designed to do in our lives.

3. It’s sent from above.

A third aspect of the Word is that it is sent from above. As rain falls from the skies, so the Word was sent to us from Heaven.

It’s so easy living where I live to neglect my study in the Word. I have at least 10 Bibles in my home, not to mention commentaries and concordances. This surplus, instead of leading me to study the Bible more, has at times (to my shame) led me to neglect it. It has become almost commonplace. (Ugh, please tell me someone can relate to that admission.)

God’s Word should never become commonplace to us. It is the living Word of God, sent directly from the Father.

If we let it, it can do amazing things in our lives. The key, though, is that we have to let it.

How has the Word of God nourished you in the past?

Tweetables:

“God’s Word was never meant to leave us empty.” –Click to tweet this.

“If we let it, God’s Word can do amazing things in our lives. The key, though, is that we have to let it.” –Click to tweet this.

Fenced In? Theology of Forgiveness

April 4, 2012 by Teri Lynne Underwood 1 Comment

Some parts of Scripture leave me feeling fenced in, unable to maneuver, incapable of escape. Passages concerning forgiveness are among these “cause me to hyperventilate” Scriptures. Forgiveness is hard stuff. The idea that receiving forgiveness from God is connected to extending forgiveness to others, well, that fence seems too high to scale most of the time.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15

Why did Jesus say our forgiveness by God is predicated on our willingness to forgive others? Did He really mean that God will not forgive us if we don’t forgive those who wrong us? Or maybe He was pointing to a deeper, heart truth: We fail to grasp the depth of forgiveness received until we extend great forgiveness to others.

Jackie Kendall speaks to the reality of our identity as both forgiven and forgiver:

(W)e have the grace-given capacity to forgive. It is imperative to recall this as well: not only are we offended, but we all offend.

Free Yourself to Love: the Liberating Power of Forgiveness, p. 21, emphasis in original

Jesus offered the well-known “seventy times seven” call to forgiveness after a parable about a servant forgiven a great debt and yet unwilling to then forgive the much-lesser debt of another. We are called to identify ourselves with this greatly-forgiven and realize the debt we owe our King is infinitely beyond our ability to repay … and thus we have no just cause to withhold forgiveness from another.

That all sounds good in theory, right? But sometimes people deeply wound us, so deeply there is no restoration possible or restitution to make amends. How do we forgive then? WHY do we forgive then?

How? We make a choice. We determine to be obedient and walk in the grace we have been given.

How? We make the choice over and over. This is where the seventy times seven comes in. We continue to choose forgiveness even when we don’t want to and don’t feel like it. We make the decision to extend mercy even when we’d rather, as my husband says, hoard grace.

The “How?” we generally understand. It’s the “Why?” that leaves us baffled.

Why offer forgiveness? Why does it matter?

Why? Because we need to forgive in order to experience healing.

From another of my favorite books, Kitchen Table Counseling, by Muriel L. Cook and Shelly Cook Volkhardt:

I’ve learned that a lack of forgiveness is the root of most problems. In almost every problem situation, after peeling off the layers of grief or distress, I find a wounded spirit or unresolved resentment. (40).

Forgiving is what heals us. We get that mixed up, don’t we? We convince ourselves that it’s the apology that leads to our healing. But it’s not. It’s forgiving – even without the apology – that changes and restores our hearts. Yes, we like the apology but we must learn that it is not vital to our wholeness. But forgiveness is.

It is in forgiving, with or without the other party’s apology or desire for healing, that we experience the freedom of living in God’s plan for His children. Again from Kitchen Table Counseling:

What appears to be a condition on His forgiveness is actually a demonstration of His love … God’s commandment to us to forgive was not given out of the meanness of His heart, nor was it meant to make life hard for us. Its purpose is to set us free. (40-45)

Forgiveness isn’t a fence holding us in … it’s a gate opening to the abundant life God has for us. Through forgiving we imitate Christ. Through forgiving, we find healing. Through forgiving, we find freedom.

Have you ever felt fenced in by the command to forgive? How have you learned to extend forgiveness?

I Once Was Lost…

January 25, 2012 by Patti Brown 20 Comments

What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish. (Matthew 18:12-14 NASB)

The edge of the sun is just peeking over the horizon when the back door slams.

“I can’t find him,” my husband reports. Happily sleeping with the herd last night, one tiny goat has wandered off and is nowhere to be found.

I pull on my boots and a jacket and head out into the chilly morn. Walking the goat field, I carefully check every hollow and corner. Baby goats frolic near their mothers. It has been a good year for kidding.

But there is no sign of our missing baby. The lump in my throat grows as I open the gate to leave the field.

The sun is brightening the sky. Looking up the fence line I see nothing but grass. I begin walking a large loop around the perimeter of the field that our little missing goat should call home. I am fearing the worst now, and head toward a stand of trees from which we have often heard coyotes in the dark of night. Nothing. Nothing but the rustle of leaves and morning trill of a songbird.

Behind the trees I circle, my view of the goat field now obscured. I am certain that the kid has come to harm, and fear the state he will be in if I find him. Will there be any hope? Will I even see him? So small, so helpless, out in the dark of night with no mama and no fence to protect him. I try to keep my mind from wandering to the possibilities and focus on scanning the ground for a small brown form.

Oh this baby! Rejected by his birth mama, I had nursed him back from hypothermia his first day of life, and had been bottle feeding him until the previous day, when he had been adopted by a real goat mama. It had been his first night in the field with his new mama. Had I made the wrong decision?

I continue my search, now walking out from the trees into a large field. My eyes play tricks on me… there he is! No, it is a can. Now there! No, just a gnarled tree root. Hope paints baby goats all over the field.

Finally turning back toward the house, I feel a familiar heaviness settle on me. The homestead brings forth much life each year, but loss and death are always players in the rhythm of our seasons. I am almost sure now that he is gone.

The loop is almost complete. I scan the garden to my left, adjoining the front of the goat field, and squeeze out a last bit of hope… he was there yesterday… maybe?

He is not there.

I am reaching for the gate when something makes me turn and look back over my right shoulder.

There, wedged in a tiny hole, in the middle of a tangle of wild grape vines, is our little lost goat.

I catch my breath and turn back. Is he dead? I call his name. He doesn’t move at first. I call him again and he lifts his head and looks right at me. He struggles to stand and softly bleats.

I get down on my hands and knees and reach out to him. He wiggles but is stuck. He has wedged himself in so deeply that he can’t move in any direction.

I pull back my sleeves and reach in, my arms scraping against the rough bends of the woody vines. After much breaking of vines and maneuvering, I pull a warm furry little goat into my relieved arms. He doesn’t have a scratch on him.

My heart is pounding with joy as I carry the kid to his new mama for breakfast.

Joy in having found him, yes, but also joy because..

What was lost had been found.

I had not been willing for him to perish, even though we had many other goats.

Without hesitation I had gone straight into enemy territory to seek him, and had willingly been scratched and scraped to retrieve him from his self-imposed entrapment.

He had known my voice and had tried to come to me when I called.

And now I held him in my arms rejoicing, bringing him to what he needed most right then, nourishment.

A little saved lamb myself, carrying a tiny rescued kid.

So He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:3-7 NASB)

The Older Brother & The Father’s Love

July 21, 2011 by ScriptureDig 1 Comment

We saw that the older brother didn’t see himself as a sinner, wanted to dispense justice rather than forgiveness, and felt entitled based on his good works. But the last words in the parable are from the father–an invitation. We don’t know what the older brother decided, but we can look at the real life of another Pharisee and see how he accepted the invitation from the Father.

Paul wrote, “…though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless” (Phil. 3:4-6).

Look at all the reasons he had to boast, feel proud, and even feel entitled. How did Paul keep from sinning after looking at his impressive resume?

He wrote, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith–that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his suffering, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil. 3:7-11).

Paul combated the sins of pride and entitlement with the power of the cross. He goes on to say in Philippians that he is not perfect and forgets what had already happened, focusing on what was to come. Like Paul, my list of accomplishments pales in comparison to the life of Christ. When I compare all my good deeds to His death on the cross, I am reminded of what a sinner I am. I’m also reminded of His grace and love. I must continue to preach the gospel to myself.

At the end of the story of the prodigal son, we know the younger brother returned home, repented, and was forgiven by his father. We don’t know if the older brother repented and joined the party. But when I see myself in this story, I can make the choice to stay in my sin or be restored to a right relationship with God.

Lessons from the Life of the Older Brother

July 18, 2011 by ScriptureDig 1 Comment

A few weeks ago here at Scripture Dig we shared our favorite Bible characters. My favorite is Paul, because I can relate to his struggle with wanting a works-based salvation to realizing he’s the chief of sinners who is fully dependent on God’s grace. There’s another Bible character I can empathize with also. But he wasn’t a real person. He’s the personification of so many of us who grew up in church, following all the rules. He is the older brother in the story usually referred to as “The Prodigal Son.”

This week I’d like to take a fresh look at this story from Luke 15:11-32. But we will look at lessons we can learn from the older brother’s actions and responses. If you are like me, it will be convicting. But it is also a story of God’s grace–and that is always good news!

When we look at this story from Luke in its context, we see that the audience was not only a group of “prodigal sons,” but also “Pharisees and the teachers of the law.” It was the second group who was grumbling about Jesus’ relationship with sinners. So Jesus tells them a story about two brothers and their father.

“The parable of the two sons takes an extended look at the soul of the elder brother, and climaxes with a powerful plea for him to change his heart.” (Timothy Keller, in his book The Prodigal God)

The first lesson from the life of the older brother is a lesson the Pharisees and teachers missed when Jesus told this story–we are all sinners.

The “older brothers” in the audience were mad because Jesus was eating with sinners. Those sinners. People who do x, y, z….. Not people like us who do everything right. When you compare yourself to others, it’s easy to become prideful. You don’t struggle with the same obvious sins they struggle with. You make a check list that you know will make you look good:

Go to church- check.

Read my Bible- check.

Pray- check.

Volunteer- check.

Be faithful to my husband- check.

Love my kids- check.

And even on those rare bad days when maybe you don’t read your Bible or pray, at least you do it more often than that other guy. Maybe you did complain about your husband and kids to a friend, but at least you cooked them dinner and served it with a smile.

But God doesn’t judge you on a sliding scale. Matthew 5:48 gives His standard, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” So even on those days you’re feeling “better than _____”, you’re still not perfect.

The audience listening to Jesus’ parable that day didn’t get it. But we can get it. We can see through the wall between “us” and “them” and realize we’re all sinners. Sinners in need of God’s grace. When we realize that need we are able to experience God’s forgiveness and love.

Please have an open heart this week as we look at lessons from the life of the older brother. We can rejoice that not only did the prodigal son return to the open arms of the father, but that there’s room for the self-righteous older brother as well.

Jesus’ Prayer Lesson – Part One

August 3, 2010 by Kathy Howard 13 Comments

Have you ever asked God to teach you how to pray? I have. The disciples also asked Jesus how to pray. Jesus’ response, which we refer to as “The Lord’s Prayer” is recorded in Luke 11 and Matthew 6. Over the next three days we will examine these two passages.

Today, we will consider the general principles Jesus gave about how to pray and how not to pray that are found in the passages immediately surrounding this model prayer. Then tomorrow and the next day we will break down the prayer itself as a guide for our own prayer life.

“Lord, teach us to pray.”

The timing of the disciples’ request is not insignificant. Luke 11:1 tells us that Jesus Himself had been praying. When He finished, one disciple, acting as spokesman for the group, asked Jesus to teach them to pray like He prayed. Jesus’ example and His relationship with the Father had fostered a desire for the same within the disciples. (This truth made me ask myself: “Does my prayer life foster a desire in my children, friends, and family to pray?”)

Motivation

Jesus’ teaching on the proper attitude regarding prayer is similar to His teaching about giving to those in need, which is found in Matthew 6:1-4. In a nutshell, He tells us to examine our motives. Are we praying to bring glory and honor to ourselves or to God? Spiritual “hypocrites” pray to gain respect for themselves and admiration from others. They want others to know how “righteous” they are.

Jesus also told the disciples not to “keep babbling” when they pray. I love the KJV’s translation of “vain repetitions” in Matthew 6:7. Jesus did not mean we shouldn’t ever repeat requests or specific prayers to God. Instead, He wanted us to understand that reciting prayers without meaning or using flowery speech to call attention to ourselves does not bring glory to God.

Prayer done with the right motives is all about God. This kind of praying is sincere and heartfelt. We will not attempt to hide anything from God because we realize He knows it all anyway. We will be focused on God alone and not distracted by other people or things around us.

Boldness & Persistence

Jesus told a parable immediately following His model prayer. (See Luke 11:5-8.) While we should not equate God with the irritated neighbor we can learn principles for prayer from Jesus’ story. First, we can approach God with boldness in prayer. We do not have to hang back or fear His reaction. Jesus’ work on the cross makes it possible for us to “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Heb 5:16). Second, we should be persistent in our prayers. Not voicing “vain repetitions” without meaning, but faithfully sharing your heart and needs with your heavenly Father, knowing He has the power and resources to answer.

Trust in the character of God

Finally, in Luke 11:11-13, Jesus reminds us of the character of the One to whom we pray. If earthly fathers give good gifts to their children, how much more will our heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him? Brothers and sisters, we can fully trust that our heavenly Father has our best interests at heart. He does not hesitate to give us what we need and pour out His blessings on those who ask. Let’s ask!

Do you trust Him? Does your prayer life reflect that trust?

Come back tomorrow for Part Two of The Lord’s Prayer.

Blessings, Kathy

So, what IS the Bible, anyway?

June 7, 2010 by Kristi Stephens 61 Comments

: Image via Wikipedia

I wonder what comes to mind for you when you think of the Bible? What is the Bible all about?

Some people have sentimentalized it as “God’s love letter to me.” While this is true on some levels, it misses the heartbeat of the book. Take a quick scan through Leviticus or Judges and suddenly it doesn’t feel too much like a personal love letter!

I have often heard people define the Bible as Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Again, while the Bible certainly does teach me how to live, the vast majority of passages in this book do not leave you with a clear “do this” or “don’t do this” message.

The Bible can be confusing for many reasons. Many people begin reading in Genesis and expect it to unfold chronologically as a story the whole way through. Then they’re blindsided by Leviticus, and if they manage to push through to Kings and Chronicles they begin to feel as though they are reading repeats of the same stories [sometimes they are!]. Usually people give up at some point and skip to the New Testament.

Then we read through the parables and sermons of Jesus, and to be honest, they don’t always make sense to us. We guess at what they mean, we highlight verses that seem particularly poetic and profound, and then we all play along like we understand. The rest of the New Testament has loads of “underlinable” verses… and we just skip the parts that seem confusing or irrelevant. And don’t even mention Revelation – that book is just weird.

Does that sound familiar to you? I think all of us have felt like this at one point or another!

Let me tell you something that completely changed the way I read and understand Scripture. Learning this helped to unlock some of those “weird,” “confusing,” and “irrelevant” passages for me.

The Bible isn’t about me. The Bible is about God.

The Bible is God’s story. 66 books woven together into an incredibly rich and profound tapestry – some books are full of narrative (history told in story), some are laws, some are prophecies, some are letters to individuals and specific groups. All of them are inspired by God – all of them are included for a reason.

While this book is not a simple story easily digestible in one quick read, it all forms one beautiful and grand narrative. The story of a God who is, who was, and who is to come. The story of a God who created humanity in His image, initiated relationship with them, and loved them enough to go to incredible lengths to redeem them from their own brokenness. If we approach this book with the underlying questions, “what does this mean to me? How does this make me feel?” – we will conclude that it is irrelevant and we will skip to the next part. But if we approach with the questions, “what does this mean? What does this tell me about God and His ways?” – it will revolutionize the way we read our Bibles, and it will revolutionize our relationships with God.

The Bible is not all about me. The Bible is all about God. I don’t read the Bible to make me feel good – I read the Bible to catch a glimpse of the greatness and glory of our amazing God. And yes, that does profoundly affect the way I live. Yes, it gives me a deep sense of the depth of His love for me. But the focus is ultimately on Him – it’s His story, not mine.