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Pretending to be sincere…. (devo reflection)

Luke 20:20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.

The phrase “spies who pretended to be sincere” jumps out at me from today’s scripture. In today’s society, false faces seem to be the norm, but Jesus doesn’t want us to pretend with Him. He wants us to be honest, open, and authentic in our dealings with Him.

Luke 20:21 So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.

Verse 23 tells us that Jesus knew that the spies were duplicitous. He can tell when we are posturing or pretending. He wants us—all of us, the real us, the messy, inconvenient, uncomfortable bits included. We are His beloved children, fiercely loved exactly as we are, and He wants us to draw closer to Him.

Luke 20:22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Lord, Forgive me for the times when I pretend to be sincere. Sometimes I’m frustrated, sometimes exhausted, sometimes distracted, but I don’t ever want our time together to be insincere. Help me to always be present and honest with You. And thank You for Your fierce love, even when I’m not at my best. Amen.

Luke 20:23 He saw through their duplicity….

Have a blessed day.

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I don’t understand, Lord. But I trust You with my life…. (devo reflection)

Mark 11:20-21 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

Today’s scripture is hard for me because I truly don’t understand. Jesus curses a fig tree for not bearing fruit—even though it wasn’t fig season. Why? Then He says that if we believe hard enough, if we pray without any doubt, we can have whatever we pray for. What?!?

Mark 11:22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.

I’m pretty sure we all have things we’ve prayed fervently for that did not come to pass. I can’t believe in a God who sees fervent prayer, yet says, “Nope. She quit praying 5 minutes too soon. No granted prayer for her.” So what’s going on here?

Mark 11:23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

Lord, You tell me to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, and all these things will be given to me (Matt 6:33). Jesus teaches me by example to say, “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). You assure me that Your thoughts are not like my thoughts and Your ways are far beyond anything I could imagine (Isaiah 55:8). I don’t understand, Lord. But I trust You with my life. “Not my will, but yours be done.” Always. Amen.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Have a blessed day.

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“If you…had only known…what would bring you peace….” (devo reflection)

Luke 19:41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it….

What strikes me in today’s reading is 1. Jesus’s tears and 2. His words: “If you…had only known…what would bring you peace….” Jesus wants them to have peace. He tried to show them what would bring them peace. And yet, they didn’t see, didn’t understand. And He wept over the city.

Luke 19:42 …and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

What strikes me is that I “have” Jesus—I know Him. I claim Him as Lord of my life. I seek Him and spend time with Him—and yet, peace often eludes me. I *know* what will bring me peace—total surrender to, total trust in Jesus. And yet I hold on to fear and doubt and worry. Jesus, help me.

Luke 19:43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.

Lord, Thank You for loving me so much that You bring these issues of trust (I need to trust You fully) and control (I need to let go of control so that I can trust You fully) to me again and again. I know what will bring me peace—only You. Help me, Lord. Amen.

Luke 19:44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Have a blessed day.

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Both a hope and a promise…. (devo reflection)

Luke 19:35 They brought [the colt] to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.

The crowd thought Jesus was the antidote for the oppressive rule they endured. Their praise was honest and sincere. Not only did they trust that Jesus *would* save them, they thought they knew *how* He would save them. And when it doesn’t happen the way they expect, their cries become “Crucify!”

Luke 19:36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

Lord, I see myself in this fickle crowd. My trust in You often feels conditional: “I will trust *if* You work in this way.” That did not work for the crowds all those years ago, and it won’t work for me. Thank You for the humility to see what I am doing. Forgive my prideful attitude. Help me, Jesus.

Luke 19:37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

Lord, You are calling me to complete trust in You. Your thoughts are nothing like my thoughts. Your ways are far beyond anything I could imagine. That is both a hope and a promise. Help me to let go of my fear and to fully trust You with this life You have given me. Amen.

Luke 19:38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Have a blessed day.

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Ravens and wildflowers…. (devo reflection)

Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!

Today’s chapter brought up a point I had not really considered before. When I read this section of Luke 12, I think: if God takes care of things as small and inconsequential as birds and flowers, or course He’ll take care of me.

Luke 12:27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

Enns points out that birds and flowers are incapable of worry, that Jesus is saying we should consider them, regard them, be like them in that our trust in Him makes us incapable of worry. Trust in Jesus—in His love, His goodness, His sovereignty, His mercy—to the point that that trust is such a concrete part of our being that worry is impossible.

Luke 12:29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.

Lord, I’ve got a long way to go to be incapable of worry, but I want my trust in You to be so solid, so complete, so profound that I am incapable of worrying. I’ve made progress over the years, Lord, but I still have a long way to go. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Luke 12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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Focusing solely on Jesus…. (devo reflection)

Acts 5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.

Commentary helped to clear up a lot of confusion around Ananias and Sapphira for me. I didn’t understand that they were in control of how much they gave and that the crucial issue here was not how much they gave but that they claimed to give all the proceeds (so they could be perceived as incredibly generous) while in reality, they only gave a portion of the proceeds.

Acts 5:2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

So many modern themes, so many issues I wrestle with personally, are at work in this ancient text: pride, greed, deception, preoccupation with appearances. The story of Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, soaking up His word, and Martha, scurrying around, cleaning like mad, also comes to mind. So often in life we lose sight of the goal—glorifying God as we do His will—and choose the wrong thing.

Acts 5:3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?

Lord, I am “worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one” (Luke 10:41-42). Help me to put aside my pride, my desire for accolades and recognition, and to focus solely on You—Your will, Your work, Your love, grace, and compassion. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Acts 5:4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

Have a blessed day.

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Give me strength…. (devo reflection)

John 18:10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

Jesus knew Simon Peter would deny Him three times. He *knew* it, and yet, He not only still loved Peter, He encouraged Him long before His denial. In Luke 22:32 He says, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

John 18:17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.”

I understand Peter’s cowardice when he wanted to be brave. I understand Peter’s denial when he was scared. It is harder for me to understand Jesus’s love and encouragement even in the face of Peter’s actions, but that’s a lesson I need to take to heart.

John 18:25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.”

Lord, I am like Peter in so many ways—I want to be brave, but I am often afraid. Give me strength. Help me to stand strong in my faith, to stand strong for You always. And help me to love others as You love Simon Peter, as You love me. Amen.

John 18:26-27 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

Have a blessed day.

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In the mundane ordinary of life…. (devo reflection)

Luke 24:30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 
These two unnamed disciples were standing in the presence of Jesus, but they didn’t realize it. Scripture says they were kept from recognizing Him (verse 16), but how many times have I been so wrapped up in my own mess that I missed Jesus in my midst? There is a lesson for me here.
Luke 24:31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 
Interestingly, it was during the breaking of bread, a mundane daily necessity, when their eyes were opened to the Savior in their presence. Again, there is a lesson for me here.
Luke 24:32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Lord, Thank You for whispering to my heart. Thank You for the reminder to seek You always, in my sorrows and pain, in my joys and celebrations, in the mundane ordinary of life. Open the eyes of my heart. Help me to seek You always and in all things. Amen.
Luke 24:35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Have a blessed day.
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Community, not mob mentality…. (devo reflection)

Luke 23:13-14 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him.
This should have been the end of it. Pilate examined Jesus and found no fault. He sent Him to Herod who also found no fault in Him. However, he was still going to punish Him (habit? Placating?) before releasing Him. But the people wouldn’t have it, and Pilate eventually gave in.
Luke 23:15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death.
I’ve said before that we all want to feel seen and accepted. There is a lot of power in that. But mob mentality is also very real and typically very destructive. We can’t just get caught up in the frenzied crowd, yelling for the blood of an innocent Man. Jesus, help us.
Luke 23:16 Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.”
Lord, Thank You for whispering these truths to my heart. You made us for community but not for mob mentality. Help us to seek godly communities that glorify You and not angry mobs out for blood. Help us to use our voices and presence to glorify You and comfort Your people. Amen.
Luke 23:18 But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”
Have a blessed day.
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My prideful attitude…. (devo reflection)

Luke 22:3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 
There is much speculation about what was going on in Judas’s mind around this time. Some speculate that he was trying to force Jesus’s hand so that Jesus’s political power and glory could finally be seen. Maybe he finally realized that Jesus wasn’t the political power he thought he would be and he felt betrayed by his allegiance. I’m willing to bet pride played a role in some—probably large—capacity, regardless.
Luke 22:4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 
Humans are ridiculously prideful creatures. My own pride is often cloaked in bitterness and anger—I thought I was more important than that. I thought I was more respected than that. I thought I was more loved than that. How could I be treated this way?!?—But Jesus knows even this about us and says in verse 32, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Luke 22:5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 
Precious Savior, Forgive me for my prideful attitude, which often lashes out as anger and bitterness. Help me in this struggle. I want to lay my wounded, exhausted pride at Your feet and leave it there, divorced entirely from myself. Help me, and allow me to “strengthen my brothers” along this journey as well. Amen.
Luke 22:6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.
Have a blessed day.