DAY 42
DATE: 2/11/2013
Good Morning! My name is Jeff Tanner and I was asked to give you a devotional thought from the book of Luke chapters 15 and 16.
KEY VERSES: 15:10, 16:13
10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
REFLECTIONS:
As Route 66 takes us into the New Testament we see Jesus beginning to teach the First Generation Church by using what’s called a parable. The definition of parable is a previously taught Biblical principle re-introduced with the use of real world events to teach moral lessons. Of the 34 parables that Christ taught, the ones given in Luke 15-16 are certainly some of the most familiar. As such, I won’t dwell much on the details of each. I will, however, speak to the key verses picked for each chapter. Luke 15:10 tells me that there is joy in Heaven over just one sinner that repenteth. Of the billions and billions of souls that have been and will be here on earth, God knows each and every one of them. He provides each one a path to Him, and when we come to Him in repentance, He is so thrilled that the entire presence of Heaven is filled with joy. I don’t know the exact number of angels or souls in Heaven. This text makes it clear that they ALL were cheering the day each of us repented. I believe that happens both at the day of salvation and also for the saved that have fallen away and then realized their error. The prodigal son realized his mistakes and repented. When his father saw him walking up the drive, the father RAN to him, fell on his neck and kissed him. He was expressing his joy toward his returned / repented son. Imagine how much more joy God feels when we return to Him.
Luke 16:13 tells us that we can only serve ONE master. Question: What gets your attention, your time, your best effort, your creativity? The list goes on and on. The answer is simple. You give all of those things to what’s important to you. So that begs the question – What’s important to you? Is it seeking the things of this world? Or is it seeking the Kingdom of God? As Christians it should be seeking His will, not our will. As humans, it’s all too easy to get caught up in chasing the job promotion, a bigger house, the next cool car (Oh, Me!) All of those things are important. However, they should not be the driving force of our motivation. Everything of this world will eventually pass. The Kingdom of God is eternal. That’s a long time, folks. I’ve found that the more I focus on Him, those other things seem to fall into place a bit easier. I can’t serve two masters. When I try to, one of them always gets the short end of the stick. God wants all of you, not just the leftovers.
APPLICATION:
It seems so simple. God wants all of us, our best effort all of the time. When that does not happen and we fall away from Him, He’s standing at the end of the drive waiting for us to return to Him. Let’s not make Him wait too long.
Thank you for being a part of the Route 66 Bible Reading Challenge. Thanks for reading, and you have a blessed day!
In Christ,
Jeff
Saved: August 1975
Family: Wife Nancy
Occupation: Branch Manager, All-Phase Electric Supply
Life Verse: Ps. 139:23-24
VBC Involvement: Life Groups, Deacon
Hobbies: Aviation, Old Cars, Good Food
Dream Vacation: Italy