Day 308 (Saturday) - Luke 19:28-21:9

Jesus doesn’t seem to ever pull any punches when it comes to the religious leaders and teachers of his day. He is sharp with his truth about their intentions as well as their hypocrisy. As I look at the church today, I see many of the same issues and I suspect that it has always been that way in every generation. I am part of the problem. Some days it seems so clear and I know what I need to do and then the next day I become complacent and lethargic with the convictions of some other time.

Day 307 (Friday) - Luke 17:1-19:27

What is life about? Why are you even here? Is there any purpose for you taking up the precious oxygen from the rest of us? Have you done anything with your life? Do you have a good reason for getting out of bed? Would anyone miss you if you were gone? If you died today, what would God say to you? I resonate with the text today and the question that come from the persistent widow, the rich young ruler and Zacchaeus. Today I turn 40 and the questions above are my questions. I want to work hard at getting it right. I want to be willing to give up everything to pursue God. I want to climb to the top of the tree because not only will I see Jesus, but he will see me!

Day 306 (Thursday) - Luke 14:12-16:31

After Jesus teaches about the Shrewd Manager he makes some comments about who can be trusted with little and who can be trusted with much. So, if God does not give us greater responsibilities until we pass the little tests it shows us two things. First, it shows us God is interested in our performance and sees it. Secondly, it shows us what is important to God. Some have been frustrated with the Ted Haggard, Jimmy Swaggard and Jim Bakker types, who have so much but lead a double life, not following the call of God for the Kingdom. I’m not so sure God is interested in the kingdoms these men were building; I believe God has much greater tasks that will never envelope a 100,000 square foot facility or have tens of thousands in attendance. What can you be trusted with?

Day 305 (Wednesday) - Luke 12:13-14:11

Jesus spends quite a bit of time teaching us that we should not worry. For me, worry seems to be a fact of life. I worry about if I worry too much! The reason I worry is I want a life of easy with very little suffering. I want to fulfill my dreams and I want to be liked by everyone! This is in complete conflict with the life of a Christ follower. I might do better if I started worrying about those things and started worrying less about my twisted ideas of God’s provincial care over my life.

Day 304 (Tuesday) - Luke 10:17-12:12

The focus of the Good Samaritan is on the commandment Jesus gave to love your neighbor and to explain through the parable who your neighbor is. Who is your neighbor? A true neighbor is one who is willing to look past the differences that traditionally divide us and to love unconditionally and without prejudice. So how are you doing?

Day 303 (Monday) - Luke 8:26-10:16

In Christian circles, it seems the conversion is always the main goal and though this is a good goal, it is not always lived out properly. Because churches want to sell Christianity, they preach easy messages of health and wealth or emphasize grace in contrast with nothing. The problem is that the life of a Christian is anything but easy…it’s hard and may cost you everything that is important to you. Job lost his family and suffered. Stephen was stoned for proclaiming Christ. John the Baptist lost his head for serving God exactly like God called him to. There is a cost for following Jesus, but to preach that would mean less money in the offering plates and isn’t that what it’s really about?

Day 302 (Sunday) - Luke 6:27-8:25

The sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with the “one year’s wage” perfume, is a powerful story. The woman is in the room because uninvited guests were regularly allowed to stand on the sidelines and listen to the conversations of influential guests. The problem is this is a sinful woman and her sinfulness (probably prostitution) disgraces the room. Sometimes I feel like the outsider listening in on what God is up to. It is in those moments I need to remember that God will accept me, just the way I am.