22 He went on teaching from town to village, village to town, but keeping on a steady course toward Jerusalem.
23-25 A bystander said, "Master, will only a few be saved?"
He said, "Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you'll sit down to God's salvation banquet just because you've been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives. Well, one day you're going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you'll find the door locked and the Master saying, 'Sorry, you're not on my guest list.'
26-27 "You'll protest, 'But we've known you all our lives!' only to be interrupted with his abrupt, 'Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don't know the first thing about me.'
28-30 "That's when you'll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You'll watch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God's kingdom. You'll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God's kingdom. And all the time you'll be outside looking in—and wondering what happened. This is the Great Reversal: the last in line put at the head of the line, and the so-called first ending up last."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Years ago, I was in New York City on a business trip. An associate and I took a taxi to 5th Avenue one February evening and walked up and down the sidewalks, taking in the sights and sounds. Someone had told us to be sure and step inside the Pierre Hotel and see the opulence. We did just that, and while we were there, we made a stop at the restroom. In a nearby ballroom, we could see a really posh party was in progress, and there were elegantly dressed women in the restroom freshening their makeup and chatting excitedly. We soon discovered that Arista Records was hosting a party for Grammy nominees… the Grammy Awards would be presented the following evening.
Realizing that we might spot several celebrities, we made our way outside to the hotel’s entrance, where bodyguards were bracing the crowd and keeping us at bay while the celebs came and went from limousines that arrived and departed. We had been advised by seasoned travelers to New York to “blend in,” and we knew enough to keep our mouths shut and not divulge our southern accents. I had my camera, and I quietly snapped photos of Cindi Lauper, Dionne Warwick, Luther Vandross and others. Standing next to us were three young people who were heckling the crowd and being loud and obnoxious – and at times obscene. I assume they were local residents.
Several times, a bodyguard came by and cautioned this trio to “cool it.” He asked them to step back and keep quiet. As soon as he would walk away, they would start heckling again and making lewd noises and comments. Finally, the bodyguard asked them to leave. He told them that “guests only” were allowed to stand along the ropes. One of the boys turned and pointed at us and said, “They aren’t guests. Why don’t they have to leave?” (The young man had asked my friend if we were staying in the hotel, and without thinking to ignore the question, she had quickly replied that we were not.) The bodyguard said, “They ARE guests… and they are not bothering anyone. You are causing trouble, and you must leave.” Finally, the three gave up and left - or at least they moved down the sidewalk a ways. We truly were not staying in this hotel, but because we were “blending in” and behaving appropriately, the man extended the grace of treating us as guests and allowing us to stand and gawk at the celebrities.
I guess I went the long way around to say that just being in the crowd or “being a native,” does not give you license to behave badly. Going to church and hanging out with Christians does not cover your sins. Memorizing the Lord’s Prayer and partaking of Holy Communion will not get you into heaven. Being a “good person” is not enough. It’s one thing to know who Jesus is, but quite another to KNOW Jesus! The first one may get you ahead somewhat in life, but the latter gets you “on the guest list” for a seat at the Lord’s table in Heaven!
As much fun as it was to be a part of that crowd and see the musical artists and celebrities in person, the Celebrity I really want to greet is Jesus. Every photograph and memory I have of that trip pales in comparison to thoughts of the “red carpet” welcome in Heaven that awaits ME someday. I plan to be on the “Guest List” to end all guest lists, and I am doing everything I can to ensure that I am included. What about you? Shall I save you a seat?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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August 30 ~ Luke 13:20-21
20-21 He tried again. "How can I picture God's kingdom? It's like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread—and waits while the dough rises."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
My nearly 96-year-old grandmother has made bread since she was a young girl. It would be amazing to try to calculate how many hot rolls she has created… how many loaves of flaky white bread she has sliced and buttered. She knows just how hot to get the water to activate the yeast, and she knows just how long it will take for the dough to rise to make the perfect fluffy bread that will almost melt in your mouth when baked. If the dough does not rise well or long enough, the bread will not be good. If the yeast is overheated OR too cool, it will not activate properly to create dough that expands and rises and ultimately bakes into fluffy, crusty bread.
In God’s Kingdom, we could be considered the yeast. If we allow God to work in our lives, the temperature and the “action” will be just right, and our “bread” will be the acts of service we perform in Jesus’ name, the lives we touch and the souls we reach for Him. If our yeast lies dormant, or if we allow it to ”overheat” with sin, the result will be flat and unappetizing… and unpleasing to God. The only thing to do with flat dense bread that doesn’t rise is to throw it out or toss it to the birds. So it is with our souls. If we don’t activate the “yeast” of our soul with salvation through Jesus Christ, we will end up on the junk heap of hell, pecked clean by the vultures.
Imagine the sweet, fragrant aroma of freshly baked bread. I can’t think of many things that are more universally appealing. This is how we Christians are to God. When our lives are committed to Him, rooted in His word and His will, our “yeast” produces a pleasing aroma to God. Our “bread” glorifies His name and our witness yields results that rise and expand like the yeast one works into dough for bread. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” If we are the body of Christ (and thus, destined to be part of the “bread”), I want to do my best to always produce “good yeast” for His Kingdom. What sort of “yeast” are you producing?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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August 29 ~ Matthew 4:1-11
1-3 Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: "Since you are God's Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread."
4 Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: "It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God's mouth."
5-6 For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, "Since you are God's Son, jump." The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: "He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won't so much as stub your toe on a stone."
7 Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: "Don't you dare test the Lord your God."
8-9 For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth's kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, "They're yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they're yours."
10 Jesus' refusal was curt: "Beat it, Satan!" He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: "Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."
11 The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus' needs.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
If you look around, you can find someone who seems to have trouble heaped upon trouble. I know a woman whose husband fell over dead of an apparent heart attack. A little more than a year later her son was diagnosed with a brain tumor that is slowly taking his life. She knelt to look at a plant in her garden last summer and a copperhead bit her foot. She has spent this summer by her son’s bedside, watching him slowly decline as the brain tumor takes over, and just last month, she fell and fractured a hip. These are only the things I am aware have happened. I am sure there have been several more. And yet, this person continues to persevere. I can think of others who have endured one hardship after another… illness, death, financial loss, stresses and struggles with children and family dynamics, maybe even divorce or some other sort of personal breakup. Some cope better than others… some cave under the pressure.
I recently sat in the outpatient waiting room of our local hospital with my grandmother, waiting to have her pacemaker checked. I observed countless people entering the waiting room for various appointments. Many were chemotherapy patients who had come to receive treatments. I was struck by one lady who was probably in her mid-50’s. She hobbled in on a cane, and her breathing was strained and came in short gasps. But she was dressed in jeans and a pale yellow sweater, and her makeup was impeccable… every hair was in place. Her hands were manicured and her toenails were brightly painted, peeking from her sandals. What especially drew my attention to her, though, was her smile. It never left her face, and you could clearly see that she was a positive person who was not letting her infirmities and her ailments defeat her.
What does this have to do with this passage from Matthew? As I told someone who is facing huge challenges, Satan is using every trick in the book to trip us up and make an inroad. He will tempt us as much or more than he tempted Jesus. We must recognize WHO is creating our stresses and compounding our problems and use every Spiritual tool at our disposal to navigate the choppy waters Satan is trying to create.The key to handling stresses and challenges comes in the three answers Jesus gave to Satan:
- "It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God's mouth."
- "Don't you dare test the Lord your God."
- "Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."
Troubles and challenges WILL come to all of us. We may not be literally bitten by a snake, as my friend, nor face the seemingly endless barrage of illnesses and deaths some families seem to endure. But Satan WILL try to trip us up, and we have to be ready. AND… when “the chips are down,” we must not stop looking UP! We must spend as much time as possible in God’s word and in prayer. We must focus more on time for worship and fellowship with other believers. We must seek the support and encouragement of fellow Christians. We must never give up! We must keep focusing on Jesus, and only Jesus (single-heartedness)!
Settle this issue in your own life. Tell Satan to “Beat it!” Then let angels come and minister to you, just as they did to Jesus. Let God and His agents meet your every need!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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