03/06 Luke 16:1-8
Jesus told this story to his disciples: “A rich man hired a manager to handle his affairs, but soon a rumor went around that the manager was thoroughly dishonest. 2 So his employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about your stealing from me? Get your report in order, because you are going to be dismissed.’ 3 “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? I’m through here, and I don’t have the strength to go out and dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4 I know just the thing! And then I’ll have plenty of friends to take care of me when I leave!’ 5 “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ 6 The man replied, ‘I owe him eight hundred gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Tear up that bill and write another one for four hundred gallons. ‘ 7 “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take your bill and replace it with one for only eight hundred bushels. ‘ 8 “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the citizens of this world are more shrewd than the godly are.
CAREFUL
Jesus calls us to lead a careful life. The Bible will give us the wisdom we need to deal with daily challenges. We have to be wise in well doing and listen to the Lord.
Author - Clay Corvin
03/05 Luke 15:31-32
“His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you and I are very close, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!'”
LOVE
Jesus loves you and me. He calls us to love others as we love ourselves. You cannot love someone if you carry a grudge against him or her. Ask the Lord to forgive you and move on. Love one another.
03/04 Luke 15:28-30
“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve worked hard for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the finest calf we have.’
JOY
There is joy in heaven when one sinner turns to Jesus. Can you imagine the joy when a sinner/reprobate bends the knee to Jesus? Make sure that the emotion in your heart is joy when someone that has bedeviled you over many years comes to Jesus. Jesus is Lord and we aren’t.
03/03 Luke 15:25-27
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the calf we were fattening and has prepared a great feast. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
WHAT?
Has the Lord done something in your life that stunned you? Do you see yourself as privileged? We are indeed privileged, each one of us, and the Lord loves each one of us without reservation but we don’t control the Lord. He works wonders all around us and we don’t get to decide whom the Lord will help and what kind of help the Lord will give. We belong to Him.
03/02 Luke 15:20-24
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. ‘ 22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
FOCUS
Jesus calls us to focus our life and heart on Him. The Lord in turn focuses His attention on us. We are never alone. We are not at wits end. Jesus has our best interests in His heart. He never thinks ill of us. He is always working for our best good. Remember this in this midst of life’s chaos. Take comfort that the Lord loves you and is seeking your best good. Jesus loves you.
03/01 Luke 15:17-19
“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man.”‘
CHANGE
It will take a serious life event to change some peoples mind. We are truly blessed when we listen to the Lord and let Him change us. Jesus loves you and me and He is seeking our best good. But I must be willing to listen and to obey for His change to take hold in my life. Save the grief and follow the Lord.
02/28 Luke 15:14-16
About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. 16 The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
DESPERATE
Desperate situations may cause us to make foolish decisions. Don’t let pride destroy you. When you have walked away from the Lord you can always come back. Stop where you are and ask Jesus what to do. He will hear you and He will respond to your request. Bend the knee and obey Him and you will discover the best way that you should go. Follow the Lord.
02/27 Luke 15:11
To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. 13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living.
SELF
We get into great difficulty when we let “self” make life decisions. Are you facing a great challenge? Make sure that you get before the Lord and let Him give you guidance to make your life decision. Jesus knows the end from the beginning and He will give you the best direction for what you should do.
02/26 Luke 15:8-10
“Or suppose a woman has ten valuable silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and look in every corner of the house and sweep every nook and cranny until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her because she has found her lost coin. 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
JOY
Joy in the presence of the Lord when one sinner repents. Sin is much more devastating than we ever realize. It breaks our relationship with the Lord. It cuts us off from hearing His direction. Our arrogance causes us to be deaf, blind and foolish. Yet the Father seeks us, His grace flowing towards us and when we repent Heaven rejoices. Lord help me to see my sin and repent and turn back to you.
02/25 Luke 15:3-7
So Jesus used this illustration: 4 “If you had one hundred sheep, and one of them strayed away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine others to go and search for the lost one until you found it? 5 And then you would joyfully carry it home on your shoulders. 6 When you arrived, you would call together your friends and neighbors to rejoice with you because your lost sheep was found. 7 In the same way, heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
LOST
Jesus came to save the lost. He is searching for them every moment of every day. He would that no one be left behind but everyone must make their own choice. Remember we are responsible to share the Gospel but we are not responsible for the decision. Jesus is Lord.