Judge not and be not Judged

Verses: Luke 6 : 37 -42

My thoughts about the verses:

We are to not judge others.  We are to look inward at ourselves and determine what we need to do to better serve God.  Looking at others and condemning them for what they have or have not done is condemning ourselves.   We need to help those that need help.  When we help others we are returned the same.  Yet, we shouldn't do any of this for our reward.  Instead what we must do is to help others, not judge others because we are a child of God.

The parable is very interesting.  There are two parts.  The first deals with disciples.  The student will never be better than the teacher.  Yet, if they study they can be as good as the teacher. You have to remember that Jesus was talking about those that were spreading the good news while he was on Earth.  Can anyone be better than the Great Teacher?  Simply put no.

Today we need to surround ourselves with others that study and dedicate their life to God.  We have to be careful who teaches us the Good News.  If we only learn what one person teaches us we will never be better than the teacher.  Yet, if we study hard and ask for God's help we can be a teacher that helps others learn about Christ.  So when you pick someone to follow and learn from make sure that they are teaching you the entire truth.  Remember that God will lead you down the path you need.  The Bible will come alive for each person and we have the ability to learn something new each time we read it.

The second part is more about judging others.  Now think about this a moment.  We are to think about what is wrong with us before we judge others.  It is easy to see someone's flaws but it is hard to see our own.  We immediately think that others have issues.  Yet, we miss the issues in our own life.  What Jesus wants us to do is look at ourselves and determines what we need to fix ourselves.  Then and only then can we help others.  We cannot be effective as Christians if we are only concentrating on flaws of others.  When we fix what is wrong with ourselves we can discover how others truly need to be helped.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for giving us the Great Teacher.  Dear God we thank you for helping us overcomes our obstacles.  We ask you to help us not judge others.  Help us to freely give to those that are in need.  Help us do well for others without thinking we will get something in return.  In your name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you judged others?  Have you seen the flaws that people have?  Have you seen the flaws that exist in your own life?  Are you willing to work on bettering yourself?  Are you willing to do all this without expecting anything in return?

Children of God must treat others with love and kindness

Verses: Luke 6 : 27 - 36

My thoughts about the verses:

This topic is a hard pill to swallow.  We all know the saying an eye for an eye.  When someone does you wrong get them back.  Revenge is so sweet.  We have all lived like this in some point in our life.  We take out our anger on those that hurt us.  We try our best to strike back and fight those that have harmed us or our loved ones.

Yet, Jesus tells us not to be revengeful.  That we should treat others we love and kindness.  Not just those that we love but those that we consider our enemies.  God wants us to cherish not only those that show us love but those that despise us.  To be a true child of God you must be willing to turn the other cheek and let the past stay in the past.

Yet, we are all humans and this is a hard challenge for us to undertake.  Imagine a world where people loved everyone.  A world filled with people who show peace and kindness to each other.  I often think of innocent little children.  Think about a small child and the fact that all they see in the world is new. They do not see hate they do not understand envy.  What they understand is returning love to anyone who smiles at them.

I am one of those people that go crazy when I see a little one.  I love how they smile and laugh at things that we do not see as funny.  My spirit is lifted when they do their first laugh and take that crucial first step.  If we were all like children we would understand that love is what makes the world go around.

Yet, something happens as we go from this innocent state to adult.  We lose our naivety we start seeing the world through clouded glasses.  We get angrier faster.  We see people’s faults and often point them out.  We forget how to love someone that has done us wrong.  We lose our innocence.

I believe this is what Jesus was talking about.  Not for us to be weak and be pushed around in this world.  Rather to find join and peace.  We need to show others the true meaning of love.  To share kindness to even those hate us.  For the world to grow in love of God we as Christians must love the world.

Imagine how much the world would change if we showed love instead of fighting back.  Imagine a world where revenge never occurred.  I kind of like thinking this way gives me back a little of the innocence I have lost.  The next time someone hurts you do not strike back instead show them kindness.  Do unto others good things without expecting anything in return.  It will make you feel good and overtime we can change the world one person at a time.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for loving us just the way we are.  Thank you for giving your life to set us free when we did not deserve it.  Help us show brotherly love to those around us.  Help us see the world without the glasses of hate and anger.  Help free us from our desire to have revenge over those that hurt us.  In the Name of the Risen Savior we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you sought revenge because of something that happened to you?  Are you willing to forgive those that hurt you?  Are you willing to love those that are your enemies?  Are you willing to give without expecting anything in return?  Are you living the life of a Child of God?

The blessings and woes foretold by Jesus

Verses: Luke 6 : 20 - 26

My thoughts about the verses:

I wanted to start this by saying that Jesus isn't saying that you must be poor to be forgiven.  What Jesus is pointing out is that is harder to center your life on God when you have everything you need.  You feel like you can do everything on your own.  Those that do not have their needs met seek out others for help.  Because of this it is easier for a poor man to ask for God's help.

Think on this for a moment.  Has there been a time in your life that your basic needs were not met?  In those moments were you not humbled by God.  Did you turn to God to ask for help and guidance?  Has there been time in life where everything seemed to be going good?  Perfect job, loving family, nice home what did you do in those times?

See what Jesus is trying to tell us is that we need to focus on God first.  We need to be like those that are suffering.  For when you suffer you turn to God.  We need to focus our attitudes and actions on pleasing God.  We need to understand that we cannot do this on our own.  We need to be thankful for all the gifts God has given to us. At the same time those that are trying to get their basic needs met must turn to God.  Not to be angry because they do not have.  They need to ask God to provide abundance to their life. They must not think that they are not worthy of God's blessings.  When their needs are met they must thank God for their new blessings.

See it is a continuous circle in life.  There are times of struggle and times of fulfillment.  Times when nothing seem to be going right and times when everything is going as you planned.  Yet, no matter which one of these situations you are in you must turn to God.

God will be there and help anyone to receive the most wonderful gift of salvation.  Yet, you must ask for the gift.  True it is free but the decision to receive is your own choice.  Jesus was showing the people how they must not envy what others have.  Our focus needs to be on committing our lives to God.  Once that is fulfilled the rest of your life will go smoothly.  You can be rich or poor to get into Heaven.  Yet, worldly riches will not get you there.  Life's tragedies on the same hand do not get you to Heaven.  We all get there the same way and that is through the blood of Jesus.

Prayer:

Thank you God for the good times in our life.  Thank you for sending Jesus so that we may be cleansed from our trespasses.  Help us when we are struggling so that we might find joy.  Help us in times of abundance so that we can leave worldly possessions behind and concentrate on Heavenly rewards.  For it is in the name of the Most High we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you struggling in meeting your basic needs?  Are you living a "good" life because of your good fortune here on Earth?  Have you turned yourself over to the love of God?  Have you accepted the blessing that God wants to give you?  Are you holding onto the things of the Earth and putting God last?  What do you need to do today to grow in the abundance of life that Jesus wants to give us freely?

The calling of the Apostles and the healing of the disciples

Verses: Luke 6 : 12 - 19

My thoughts about the verses:

We often intermixed the term apostle and disciple.  We think that this is one and the same.  Yet, there is a difference.  An apostle is someone that follows and teaches something with all of their heart and soul. A disciple is a student of Jesus and the Bible.

Those that accept Jesus are called to be disciples.  We should all desire to learn more and more about the one that we call our Savior.  The apostle on the other hand is someone that not only follows the teaching of Christ, but also teaches the story of Jesus.  They are called to spread the Good news and accept this calling.  They study with all of their heart at the same time they find great joy in telling others the good news.

Does this mean that only certain people are called to be apostles while everyone else is called to be disciples?  No we are all called to reach out to those around us.  Yet, there are those that do not go out and talk to those around them.  They are afraid that they will be made fun of or relay wrong information.  These individuals are content being disciples and not reaching out of their comfort zone. These individuals often need a healing that comes overtime.  They have accepted God yet because of things that have happened in their past they have to go through a healing process. Overtime they may be able to come out of their comfort zone.  This doesn't mean that they are not saved it just means that they are dealing with their own stuff as they study and get closer and closer to God.

Those that are Apostles feel that they must share or they do not feel content.  They are driven by the things that they study to share as much as they can.  They have dealt with their own issues.   They are so driven that they feel discomfort if they are not sharing the good news.  We will one day become apostles as we are healed and move closer to God.

The big thing to see that at this time Jesus only chose 12 of the many disciples to be apostles.  The need for apostles was to teach not only in their homeland but to others.  The disciples are those that accepted the word and were learning a new life.  The fact is that we all go through times when we need healing and rest.  Yet, as you mature in the word your desires to share will come stronger. What does this mean for us?  Study, pray, meditate on the ways of God.  When it is your time to spread the Good news the passion inside will not let you do anything but share.  Until then study so you can be ready when God calls you to lead others.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for sending Jesus.  Thank you for always being with us.  Thank you for healing us from our past and present conditions.  We ask you to be with us as we study your word. Help us grow closer to you. When it is our time to spread the Good News give us the strength and wisdom to share with others.  In the name of the Risen Savior we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted Christ into your life?  Are you studying the word to get closer to God?  Have you turned your life over to God so that you can find the healing power you need in your life?  Are you ready to reach out to those that need the same healing, forgiving power of God?  What is God asking you to do today?

What is lawful doing good or harm on the Sabbath?

Verses: Luke 6 : 1 - 11

My thoughts about the verses:

First we have to understand Jewish culture.  The Sabbath was a time when no work was done.  The Sabbath  was a time when people rested and concentrated on connecting with God.  Remember that on the Sabbath God even rested.  So it was a continuation of that moment and time.  The Sabbath was a time when all were not to work.  The Sabbath is a time to study and meditate and pray to God.

Yet, here is Jesus breaking the law.  The disciples are first going through a grain field.  They are hungry and they begin reaping the grain to eat.  The Pharisees take the opportunity to point out to Jesus that the disciples are breaking the law.  Why are they feeding their self and working when they should be resting.

Jesus reminds them that even David broke the law.  David had fed his men the bread that only the High Priest was allowed to eat.  Jesus was pointing out that the very King that was thought to be the King of all ages had broken rules.  How could they justify what David had done and not justify what Jesus and his companions had done.  He then adds to the statement that the Messiah is the ruler of the Sabbath. You can almost see the Pharisees faces going red.  Yet, they could not do anything because what was spoken was truthful.

Then another Sabbath comes along and Jesus is at the temple teaching the people.  A man comes to him who has a hand that doesn't work.  The Pharisees got very excited they had heard about all the healing that Jesus had done throughout the land.  They were hoping that Jesus would heal this man and they would have something to use against him.

Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking.  He took the opportunity to question their attitude about what was lawful and what was unlawful.  He calls the man to his side and asks a simple question.
What is more lawful doing well on the Sabbath or doing harm?  Any one hearing this question would immediately know that doing well was much better than doing bad.  This not only applies on the Sabbath but at any time.  So after asking the man this question he heals the man and the Pharisees once more have no way to react to Jesus's perceived disobedience of the law.

Many of us today think that there are rules that we must follow.  We believe that there are certain things that we can or cannot do.  We use the Bible to justify the decisions that we make.  We determine that the law justifies this decision.  We judge others who do not follow the rules the way that we interpret them.  Over the years we have punished this group or that group because we feel that they are not living within the law.

Yet, as Jesus pointed out things changed with the arrival of  the Messiah.  We are no longer confined to the laws of the past.  We must ask ourselves will this cause harm or good for others.  If we are hurting others we are living outside the will of God.  We are to concentrate on helping those in need.  We are to reach out beyond our comfort zone and provide assistance to the masses.  No longer are we to keep the good news among a small group.  We are to spread the good news so that all can receive the gift of healing that is needed just for them.

Prayer:

Thank you God for sending Jesus.  Thank you for showing us how to live.  Thank you for giving us a new covenant.  We ask dear God that you help us reach out beyond our comfort zone.  Help us find a way to help those in need.  Dear God be with us so that we do not harm others.  Help us to do good to all we come in contact with.  In the name of the Holy One we pray.  Amen

Questions:

What is lawful doing good or harm?  Have you judged others because they are doing something that you feel is outside the law?  Have you resisted helping those that are different from you?  Have you come to the understanding that a new covenant was started when Jesus came into the world?  What can you do today to help someone in need?