Good Shepherd Church

Luke 23:42 And he was saying, "Jesus remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"

If you were to read Luke 23:39-43 you would find the account of the two criminals, who were executed along side Jesus of Nazareth. I've always been taken back by the simplicity of the one criminal who realized that Jesus had done nothing deserving death. But even more than that, He recognized that Jesus' kingdom was not of this world.

On the other side of Jesus hung the other criminal who joined in with those hurling abuse at Jesus. "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" Imagine the hardness of this man's heart. Even in the face of death he is not contrite, there is no sense of remorse for the wrong he has done. And by no means is there a hint of repentance.

Each of these men comitted a crime deserving punishment by death. But what a contrast between the condition of their hearts. God's not looking for perfection in us, He's moving us toward perfection. He knows our hearts, the good and the ugly, don't think you can hide it from Him. Confession is good medicine for the heart. Jesus responds graciously to the criminal who asked not to be forgotten.  

There is abundant and amazing grace available for you today. Confess your weaknesses, your faults, corrupt motivations, and hidden sins to the Lord, His unmerited favor awaits you. Why try and hide something from the One who sees all? Jesus took notice of both the criminal's hearts and He also takes notice of yours. Which of criminals do you want to identify with?

It's all a matter of the heart!     

Luke 22;70 And they all said, "Are You the Son of God, then? And He said to them, "Yes, I am."

Jesus does not take His among the other religious and moral leaders of history. He stands far above them. He never once denied that He was indeed the Son of the Most High  God, Creator of heaven and earth. He certainly is in a class of His own.

Whe Jesus held to the truth of being the Son of God, He was declaring that He was not only equal to the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, but that He is their God. Having held to this declaration the Jewish leaders had grounds to accuse Him of blaphemy, which was punishable by death. They ignore the evidence of the Old Testament and the signs and wonders that followed Jesus. Still in the face of execution and extreme torment Jesus stands His ground. One author writes He was either a madman or He was indeed who He said He was.

There is absolutely no evidence for Him being out of His mind, but there is overwhelming consistent evidence for Him being who He claim to be, the Son of God. Over a period of two thousand years people have been miraculously healed in His name, forgiven of their sins, and lives have been dramatically transformed in the twinkling of an eye. Those who continue to try and disprove His claims, more than often find themselves bowing their knees before Him in adoration.

As Christians are faith is built upon the rock of Jesus' declaration in the face of death, "I am the Son of God." If indeed you and I believe this claim then what He has to say to us in His word is of utmost importance.

All of of us will go about having a busy day today, but nothing is more important than for us to hear His voice as we go about our day.

Welcome Him into your day and keep your ear open to hear the still, quiet voice of the Good Shepherd.                  

Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away."

All of us want stability in our lives. Whether its financial stability, relational stability or job stability, stability is a valued commodity. We are told in today's passage of scripture that heaven and earth are going to pass away. We don't know when that will take place, but we do know this; there are already sure signs of deterioration. We may call it the destruction of the rain forrest or global warming, but the truth is that sin has touched all of creation. Our natural resources are being depleted and even in some western countries water is in short supply. We are standing on unstable ground!

Part of the glorious message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that Jesus Himself brings stability to our lives. He tells us in Luke 21:33 that heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will not pass away. Jesus has told us that He is the only source of eternal life. No other religious leader in all of history has ever made such a bold statement. He tellls us that He has gone on to prepare a place for us that where He is, we may be also. Jesus tells us that he who believes in Him will never be disapppointed. In another place He tells us that he who belives in Him has passed from death to life. We could go on and on concerning the precious promises God has made and secured for through His Son.

Are you looking for stability in your life? Let me encourage you today to call upon the name of the Lord Jesaus Christ. Whatever insability you may be dealing with He has the desire and the power to set you feet upon the Rock.

Have a blessed day!       

Luke 20:20 And they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so as to deliver Him up to the rule and the authority of the governor.

The chief priest and the scribes, the religious leaders in the Jewish community, sent spies pretending to be righteous to see if they could catch Jesus making blasphemous statements. What is interesting to me concerning the spies was that they needed to pretend to be righteous. In other words they were not geneuinly righteous.

We have talked about this word righteous a number of times in our daily devotional, but I believe its meaning bears repeating. Righteousness is that state which God requires in order to withstand His judgment. This quality of righteousness can only be imparted to us from above. As Christians this righteousness comes to us through faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Once that righteousness is recognized and received, it will begin to penetrate our daily behavior. Not only will it affect our behavior, but also how we order our lives. The more we become aware of His righteousness that has been imparted to us on the basis of faith, the more we recognize the counterfeit offered to us in man made religion.

Christians are individuals who has a personal relationship with God the Father through His Son Jesus. Being a part of a particular church or a particular denomination does not necessarily identify you as a Christian. Being baptized or confirmed, doesn't necessarily set you apart as a Christian.

In the scriptures we are called to abide in Christ. Jesus said, "just as the branch cannot bear fruit except it abide in the vine you too cannot bear fruit unless you abide in Me. I am the vine you are the branches." As Christains we are called to abide, that is, center our lives around the risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are to make Him our abode, the place where we dwell.

Let's not settle for anything less that authentic Christianity. The world is full of pretenders and false imitations!         

Luke 19:48 And they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging upon His words.

What an interesting phrase we find in today's verse, "the people were hanging upon His words. There was something in the words of Jesus that brought life to those in His audience. The people were use to the religious teachings of the Scribes and Pharisees, but Jesus' words were different.

At one point in Jesus' ministry Peter said to Him, "Lord you have the words of life." Jesus broke the religious mold of the day. Others taught strict adherence to the law, Jesus taught and demonstrated mercy, truth and love. We must never loose sight of the fact that Jesus was God the Almighty incarnate. In other words, in the person of Jesus, God took on the form of man. When we hear and receive the words of Jesus spoken to us in the scriptures we are hearing the voice of God which brings forth life.

It is vitally important for us today to hang on the words of Jesus, He has the words of eternal life. Allow His word to transform your heart, expose your spirit to His word and allow it to bring the freedom He desires you to have. There is more to eternal life than just a heavenly home. God wants to bring His life into your life right now here on earth.

Grab hold of the words of Jesus, hang on to them, and let them have His way in your life. He has come that you might have life, and have it abundantly!   

Luke 18:38-39 And he called out, saying, " Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me!" And those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

The blind man crying out to Jesus as He passes by is Bartimaeus. Even though those around him seek to silence him, he refuses to be quiet. He has heard the miraculous accounts concerning Jesus and he desperately wants to regain his sight. His act of faith was simply to cry out as Jesus passes by.

We all have needs in our lives. Our needs may be the result of our own neglect or foolishness. Jesus is not One who says, "You've made you bed, now you must lie in it." Rather, He is full of compassion, mercy and truth. By faith we reach out to Him who can handle any need that we may have.

The question is not what is your need, but have your reach out to Him to fulfill that need? You may find yourself trying to fix things on your own. Despair may have filled your heart and you think there is no answer to your situation. You may be stuggling under a load of guilt and shame for the things you have done. Whatever your situation, don't allow yourself to be silenced by your circumstances!

There is an act of faith you must take. It may be as simple as crying out to the risen Savior. It may be a phone call, writing a letter or e-mailing someone, it could be forgiving someone, or the giving of something you hold precious. The Holy Spirit can show you exactly what step of faith you must take. Don't let anyone or anything hold you back from the step of faith you must take. Jesus has come that we might have life, and have it abundantly! 

Jesus said, "If you have faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and be planted in the sea; and it would obey you."     

Luke 17:10 "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'"

Once we have handed over the reigns of our life to the Lord Jesus Christ, we become slaves of righteouness. Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that, just as we yielded the members of our body to sin before conversion, we should now yield the members of our bodies to righteousness.

Today's verse tramps on our toes just a bite. We in western society don't care for anyone commanding us to do anything. After all we're free! Our forefathers fought for the freedom  and one of the ways in which we honor them is to strive to preserve that hard earned freedom.

However, things operate a little differently in the Kingdom of God, or under the government of God. When we invite Christ into our hearts by faith we bring our lives under His lordship. We are not to live to please ourselves, but we are to live to please Him in everything. You and I are not worthy to receive this honor of knowing Him as Lord and Savior, it is only because of God's grace and mercy that we know this favor.

Today's verse reminds us that even after we have faithfully carried out the commands of the Lord that we should still say, We are unworthy slaves." We are always in danger of thinking that our righteous posture before God is the result of something we have done and nothing could be further from the truth. Our righteousness standing is the result of Jesus' finished work at Calvary. Our obedient service to Him is the only proper response a slave can offer to the one who saves us from sin and death.

Lord, it is our privilege to serve you and do what you commmand us!        

Luke 16:15 And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your heart; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God."

In today's passage Jesus is addressing the Pharisees. The Pharisees were a Jewish religious group that placed heavy legalistic burdens on the Jewish people, but they themselves did not ascribe to their own teachings. Jesus often condemned them for forgwetting the weightier matters of the law such as mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

There are some particular truths that we can glean from today's verse. First of all, the religious actives that the Pharisees were involved in were all for show or outward appearance. They wanted to be seen by men as being righteousness. However, in doing so they fell short of the righteousness that God demands and can only be found in the person of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, today's verse tells us that God knows not only their hearts but our hearts as well. Now this can cause fear to set in or comfort depending on the condition of your heart. The best thing you and I can do is to acknowledge the evil that may be in our hearts and confess it to the Father. We're not hiding anything from Him, He knows and sees all. Confession of sin, sinful desires and sinful motives will keep our relationship with the Father clear. Let Him know what your struggling with and solicite His divine help.

Finally in today's verse we discover that that which is highly esteem among men is detestable in the sight of God. Think of the things that are highly esteemed among men? Fame, fortune and notoriety are just a few that come to mind. If these things are esteemed among men, than they are detestable to God. 

As Chirstians, and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are here on earth not to accumulate earthly wealth, but heavenly treasures. We are here to do the bidding of the Father. God has a divine purpose for your life. Success in the eyes of God is fulfilling the purpose for which you were created, whatever it may be.           

Luke 15:14 "Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occured in that country, and he began to be in need."

The parable of the prodigal son is one of my favorite stories in the bible. A parable is a story taken from everyday life intended to teach a particular lesson. I would encourage you to read this account over a few times and allow the Lord to speak to your heart out of it.

The younger son ask for his portion of the inheritance and then proceeds to squander it in wild living. It isn't until he feels his need that he comes to his senses. He feels his need in his stomach because he has no money to live on. Sin will make you poor sooner or later, and the only way to deal with the sin issue is through the One who conquered sin and death, Jesus Christ.

There is a time when we need to help people who are in need and a time when we need to allow their need to bring them to their senses. For instance, people who constantly over spend and find themselves continually under financial stress are not in need of more money, they are in need of a budget. Only after they recognize the source of stress in their life will they recognize the need for a budget. We should not feel obligated to rescue those in need all the time, even if they are our children. Here's a better option, pray for them. The scriptures tells us that the prayers of a righteous man avail much.

Please be careful here, I'm not saying that we shouldn't be compassionate, but I am saying that we should be wise and God is the source of wisdom. There was an important lesson that the younger son needed to learn and the waiting father trusted God enough for the son to learn that lesson.

Is there a need in your life today, is God trying to teach you a lesson through your need. Open your heart today to the master teacher, the Holy Spirit. You don't have to wait years to come to your senses, a turnaround can start today.

Have a blessed day!       

Luke 14:13-14 "But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

The scriptures give us insight into the heart of God. Most of us like to have our friends and relatives in for dinner, but what about those that society has cast aside. This type of giving really demands something of us. This type of living is the proving ground of genuine faith in action.

I really can't say that the type of love and faith we see in the words of Jesus are an ongoing part of my life. I've to some degree scratched the surface of this type of giving, but even using the word scratched might be an exaggeration. What we see in today's verse is really the heart of the Father.

What we don't realize is that what He is asking us to do in this verse in the natural, is what He has done for us in the spiritual realm. We were not poor spiritually, we were bankrupt. We were not just crippled and lame spiritually, we were dead in our trepasses and sins. Our eyes were closed to God, and He has opened the eyes of our heart to see His love and compassion, and has invited us in to His banqueting table.

We give out of what we have received from the hand of the Lord. Ask the Lord today to give you an opportunity to walk out today's verse. Don't be afraid, whatever He presents to you He'll give you the grace to walk out.

"You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous!"    

Luke 13:5 "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

The title on today's devotional was originally, "Repent or Perish" and after giving it further consideration I didn't think it would attract many readers. But now that you've already started reading this let me once again echo Jesus' words, repent or perish. It really doesn't sound like much of an option. Almost like run or die. There are times when truth is presented to us in such a simple that it hits us right between the eyes.

Repent means to change your thinking and do an about face on the way your living. Jesus said, unless we repent, we would perish. He's not trying to make life difficult for us, He's come to give us life. He's not trying to put a bunch of rules and regulations on us to keep us from enjoying life, He's trying to keep us from perishing.

There is not a day that goes by that I can't think of some area in my life that is need of repentance. I may need to turn away from complaining. My mind may get into a track that is not glorifying to God. I may be talking when I need to be listening. I may be neglecting an obligation just because it's unpleasant. I could go on and on concerning the things I need to repent of daily. But I've come to discover this, that repentance brings life. Repentance brings my life into alignment with the way God intends for me to live and He is always and forever interested in my welfare. He knows what is best for me.

Rebellion against God, sin, draws us away from life, repentance restores life. Are you in need of repentance in some area of your life? Don't look at repentance as God standing over you and scolding you until you have a change of heart. Look at repentance for what it really is, a gift from a loving Father who wants His child to enjoy more of life.

Remember, Father really does know best!     

Luke 12:21 "So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Is there a scripture that describes post modern, post christian, western society bettter than the one we are looking at today? We treasure our houses, our cars, our IRA accounts, our country club memberships, designer clothes, and extravagant watches, but are we rich toward God? I don't think any one of the material things we previously mentioned are necessarily evil or bad. However, what corrupts them is making them your riches rather than God.

How can you and I be rich toward God? To begin with we need to remember that all the riches of this life are short lived, they will soon pass away or belong to another, who hasn't paid for them and probably will not treasure them as much as you do. Secondly, the things of this life make us happy for a brief moment, God  blesses us for eternity. 

I want to encourage you today to invite God to join you in your daily activities. Whether it's your speech, work, recreation, or family time, welcome Him into every aspect of your life. Set some time aside, turn off the television, the radio and your cell phone, eliminate all distractions and just read a portion of His word and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. Any time I've done this in my life it has yielded tremendous dividends. Finally, allow God to become the center of your universe rather than just a planet that passes by every seven or eight years.

God's desire is to enrich your life beyond all comprehension. Believe it or not, He knows what is best for you!  

Luke 11:23 " He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters."  

When we place a car in neutral the car's power comes to a stand still. When a car is in neutral, regardless of how much you paid for the car, it is not going to get you where you want to go.

In today's verse Jesus in a very clear manner to those who may be in neutral concerning Him and His claims. "He who is not with Me is against Me." Sooner or later we must all make a decision as to whether we are with Jesus or not.

To be with Him means that we acknowledge Him as Lord and submit our lives to Him and to His Lordship. We relinquish our right to call the shots and honor His word through obedience. When we are with Him, He will touch the most practical areas of our lives.

Secondly, when we are with Him, we will get involved in the same activity that He is involved in, gathering the lost to Himself. Through the message of God's grace, the gospel, people are being called into an intimate and restored relationship with the Father. Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father but through me." On the other hand, if we are not gathering, we are working in opposition to Him and we are scattering. We can gather through our words and actions, or we can scatter.

Let's be careful we're not in neutral concerning our relationship with the Lord Jesus and let's make sure that we are gathering along side of Him.

Jesus came to save that which was lost!

Luke 10:41-42 But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

What was it that Mary chose and Martha deglected.  The context of this account tells us that Martha was distracted by all the preparations of having Jesus come to their house. Being hospitable is not a bad thing, but when the Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords is in your midst nothing else really matters.

Let me put this in a contemporary context. If the President of the United States is coming to your house for lunch his main objective is not to get a free lunch or to check and see if you've cleaned up all the dust bunnies. He has come to visit with his constituent. You'll miss the privledge of his visit if your not focused on him.

Jesus makes a grand statement to Martha that we must be certain not to miss. "Martha, Martha..... only one thing is necessary". Mary choose to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen. Mary knew He had the words of life. While He was present nothing else in the world really mattered. She was in the presence of the One who created the heavens and the earth, she was in the presence of the long awaited Messiah.

There are a lot of distractions in all of our lives. People are always talking about how busy they are or how tired they are from runnning around so much. And all our running around seems so important. But really only one thing is necessary, are we hearing, are we listening to what Jesus is saying to us? What He has to say to us has eternal ramifications upon our life. It's time for many of us to stop, sit and listen to what the Master has to say.

Peter said, "Lord where else can we go, you have the words of eternal life".          

Luke 9;18 And it happened that while He was praying alone, the diciples were with Him, and He questioned them saying, "Who do the people say that I am?" 

Today's verse does not indicate to us that Jesus is having an identity crisis. On the contrary, He's trying to find out from His disciples, who are mixing with the people, if the people understand who is in there midst.

Keep in mind, God the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, has taken on the form of man, in the person of Jesus Christ. By Jesus taking on humanity He reveals God to us in a way in which we can understand. Jesus knows He is the Lord's Christ, the Messiah, who has come to bring salvation to mankind. He has come to reunite us back to the Father and the Father's purposes. Jesus demonstrates who He is by signs, wonders, and finally through His resurrection from the dead.

Later in Luke 9 Peter gives the right answer to Jesus' question, "Who do you say I am?" Peter's response is, "The Christ of God."  Now, even though Peter knows who Jesus is, there comes a time when he denies knowing Him. But more importantly for our sake, there also comes a time when the risen Lord forgives Peter for his denial. 

The most important historical event that has ever taken place or willl ever take place, in the history of mankind is when the eternal God took on the form of man. Without this event, there is no hope for mankind and life becomes a cruel walk toward death. God's Christ (the Messiah) brings hope to mankind. Even as He is eternal, so we become eternal beings through faith in His Christ, Jesus. 

Who do you say Jesus is? A good person, a prophet, a moral teacher, or maybe something else that your mind has conjured up. Millions upon millions of people's lives have been transformed by the living Christ. My own life was transformed instantly when I invited Christ into my heart as my personal Savior and Lord. If you don't see Him as the Christ, then what are you putting your faith in?

I challenge you to examine the evidence of Jesus as the Christ against any religion or any belief system. I believe a fair evaluation will reveal to you that Jesus is exactly who Peter declared Him to be, "The Christ of God."

May the Lord bring light to your eyes as you travel through this day!