Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 13:22-35.  Let’s go!

Luke 13:22-24 (NIV) 
22  Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 
23  Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 
24  “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.

On verses 22-24:  What is this narrow door that Jesus is talking about?  The narrow door is trusting in Jesus Christ.  It is “narrow” in that not as many people go through it.  As Jesus says in verse 24, instead of trusting in Jesus, many people unsuccessfully try to be saved by their own good works (“many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to”).   When Jesus says, “make every effort to enter through the narrow door”, don’t misunderstand this to mean that somehow we must by our own effort and strength reach God on our own; rather, we must make every effort to hang onto faith in Jesus, rather than slipping into the trap of trusting in ourselves.  Jesus says something similar in Matthew 7:13-14.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 13:10-21.  Let’s go!

Luke 13:10-17 (NIV) 
10  On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,
11  and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.
12  When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”
13  Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
14  Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
15  The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?
16  Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
17  When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

On verses 10-17: God had commanded the Jews to work six days and rest on the seventh (Exodus 20:8-11) so that their strength could be restored and their joy replenished.  But the Pharisees and teachers of the law misinterpreted this command by teaching that even things like praying for a sick person’s healing was considered “work” and could only be done during the first six days but not on the seventh.  Infected by the Pharisees’ teaching, the synagogue ruler publicly rebukes Jesus for healing a woman who was crippled by an evil spirit for 18 years.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 13:1-9.  Let’s go!

Luke 13:1-5 (NIV) 
1  Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 
2  Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 
3  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 
4  Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them–do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 
5  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” 

On verses 1-5:  There are a number of powerful lessons we can learn from this passage. I look forward to sharing them with you at a THRIVE service today.  See you there!

Luke 13:6-9 (NIV) 
6  Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.
7  So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 12:49-59.  Let’s go!

Luke 12:49 (NIV) 
49  “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

On verse 49:  What fire did Jesus come to bring?  Some scholars think the “fire” here refers to Jesus judging the world one day.  Others think that this fire refers to the Holy Spirit whom God the Father would send upon the church later in Acts 2.  Perhaps it’s both.  In any event, in order for that “fire” to happen, Jesus would first have to go through a “baptism”, described in the next verse.

Luke 12:50 (NIV) 
50  But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!

On verse 50:  Jesus was baptized in Luke 3, so what other “baptism” would Jesus still need to undergo?  The baptism Jesus is referring to here is his coming suffering and death on the cross.  Here we see the humanity of Jesus and “how distressed” he is as he awaits the time of his betrayal, crucifixion and death.  I appreciate how real and transparent Jesus is as a leader about his feelings and his struggles.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 12:35-48.  Let’s go!

On verses 35-48:  Here Jesus shares a parable (or what some may consider to be two parables) about the kind of servant that pleases God.  How do we apply these parables from Jesus to our lives?  Here are four ways we can do so:

1. See yourself as a servant of God.  Until Jesus comes again you want to have the mindset that “God does not exist to serve me.  I exist to serve God.”  No matter what your current occupation is or what season of life you may be in, think of yourself as serving God when you carry out your responsibilities.  As the apostle Paul would say, carry out your daily responsibilities “as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23).  See yourself as a trustee of the time, the talents, and the resources that God has entrusted to you, knowing that one day you will be accountable to God for what you did with what He gave you (v48).

2. Give your best when you work.  Whether you’re serving at church, or serving at home, or serving at school or work, be known as someone who gives their best.  Don’t be a mediocre servant who gives half-hearted, half-baked service.  Others and God can smell a mediocre effort from far and away whether or not they call you on it. As Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart”.