Category Archives: Essential 100

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The Emotional God

Essential 100—Read:
John 11:1-57

“When Jesus saw Mary weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. ‘Where have you put him?’ he asked them. They told him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, ‘See how much he loved him!’” (John 11:33-36, NLT)

Jesus felt things very deeply—and I am so glad he did.  Jesus was fully human, yet fully God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. His whole incarnational purpose was to live among us (John 1:15) in order to bring God close (Isaiah 7:14), reveal who God is and what God is like to us, his creatures (Colossians 1:15,19-20), and through his redeeming sacrifice bring us back into a right relationship with our Father and Creator (Colossians 1:21-22).

In coming to Planet Earth to reveal God and redeem man, we do not find in Jesus an uncaring, distant, emotionless Deity, we find one who knew full well what is was like to be one of us. Therefore, he was the perfect bridge between the Divine and the fallen. In his earthly journey, God the Son experienced—and expressed—a wide range of emotions that were uniquely human. Just in John 11 and 12 alone, we see several occasions where humanity “leaked” from Deity:

He got angry and upset: “When Jesus saw Mary weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.” (John 11:33, NLT)

He expressed unmitigated grief and the free flow of tears: “Then Jesus wept.”  (John 11:35, NLT)

He refused to be pacified when an issue was unresolved:  “Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. ‘Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.’” (John 11:38, NLT)

He got fed up:  “Jesus replied, ‘Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial.’” (John 12:7, NLT)

He felt concern over the future: “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came!” (John 12:27, NLT)

In other Gospel accounts, we discover Jesus expressing other quite human emotion:

He was frustrated with his disciples’ thick-headedness: “Jesus asked them, ‘Are you still so dull?’” (Matthew 15:16, NLT)

He was overcome by the weight of responsibility: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Mark 14:34, NLT)

He felt irrepressible joy: “At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.’” Luke 10:21, NLT)

Jesus, the perfect God-man, was able to feel things uniquely human: Sorrow, anger, frustration, spiritual exhaustion, and a tremendous capacity for joy.  But are those emotions uniquely human?  No, in truth, they are completely Divine. These feelings are not of just human origin; rather, they are feelings that originate within the very being of a feeling God, who has simply placed them within the genetic code of that part of his creation he holds most dear—human beings, which includes you and me.

The fact that you and I feel simply reminds us that our Creator feels.  What that means, among other things, is that we belong to a caring, compassionate God.  God the Father feels—he even dances over you with delight (Zephaniah 3:17); God the Son definitely feels, as we have just seen; God the Holy Spirit feels—he can be grieved and pleased (Ephesians 4:30, Galatians 6:8). That is good news, because it gives him an unfettered capacity to relate to our feelings and us great confidence to come before a caring, understanding God to express our deepest feelings. Hebrews 4:15-16 says,

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Yes, God feels. Jesus clearly demonstrated that.  So come confidently to a caring God to pour out your deepest, most inmost feelings.  His great promise is that you can exchange your feelings for his mercy, your emotions for his grace, your tears for his comfort, your fears for his strength and anything else you are carrying, good or bad, you can turn over to a Father who can definitely relate.

Now that is something you can feel really good about!

“Spiritual experience by definition is an internal awareness that involves strong emotion in response to the truth of God’s Word, amplified by the Holy Spirit and applied by Him to us personally.” ~John MacArthur

Reflect and Apply: This present moment might be a good time to take God up on the incredible offer he made to you in Hebrews 4:16!

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Defeating Demons

Essential 100—Read:
Mark 5:1-30

“When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him…When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!’ For Jesus had said to him, ‘Come out of this man, you impure spirit!’” ~Mark 5:1,6-8

It’s amazing to me that we acknowledge the existence of demons in Jesus’ day, and perhaps we are open to the possibility that they are “alive and well” in some remote places in the third world, but we pretty much act like they are extinct in the good old US of A in our day.

George Barna, a Christian researcher and pollster, once asked people to respond to this statement in a national survey:  “Satan, is not a living being, but is a symbol of evil.” Among those who claimed to be born again, 32% agreed strongly, 11% agreed somewhat and 5% didn’t know. So of the total number responding, 48% either agreed that Satan is only symbolic or weren’t sure!

His findings would suggest that around fifty percent of believers reading this blog, in spite of what the Bible clearly teaches, think of the devil as a boogie-man from a spiritual fairy tale, not a real being bent on destroying you.

Here is the Biblical reality: Satan and his demonic legions are indeed, alive and well on Planet Earth.  Satan is the enemy of God, he opposes every good work, and because he can’t do anything to God, he chooses to attack what is precious to God: You and me.

We’re in a war, friend, and it is high time we wake up, wise up, armor up, and “man up” to the devil and his demonic hordes. Rather than acting like demons don’t exist, how about we start taking a stand where we discern their influence, and begin to kick their sorry tails the heck out of Dodge—just like Jesus did wherever he encountered them.

You might say, “I’d rather not…I don’t think I want to personally take on the Prince of Darkness, thank you very much!” Listen, you were created to be actively involved in the ultimate conflict between good and evil, between the forces of God and Satan. you were made for this conflict, born again for the battle. That is who you are!  And your spiritual identity not only demands that you take sides in this fight, it ensures you will be victorious. You have the both the authority and the power—given by Jesus himself. In Mark 16:9, the very first sign Jesus said would follow those who believe: “In my name they will drive out demons…”  So why not join the fight you were guaranteed to win!

So if you are interested, here is what can you do to engage in the defeat of demons:

Recognize that Jesus promised you as a true believer authority over the power of Satan and his demons.

Ask for an understanding heart as to what it means to operate in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 4:14-19)

Declare war against Satanic darkness wherever it exists and you discern it in your world and begin to take the offensive. (Luke 4:14-19)

Take authority—enter Satan’s place of stronghold and opposition to disarm him through the power of the Holy Spirit, with the weapon of prayer (Acts 6:4; Ephesians 6:18) by the authority of the Name and Word of Jesus (Luke 11:20-22, Acts 16:16-18, Ephesians 6:17) and plunder the devil’s possessions, delivering those who have been captured by him (trophies) and returning them (spoils of war) to the Lord. (Luke 11:22)

Now I know that sounds like a lot, and you may not be battle ready—yet.  But you can be.  So pray, learn and get ready.  At some point, you can take God’s authority to execute God’s will in God’s power! And the great news is, your victory is guaranteed, because you are actually battling in the victory Christ has already won.

I like a fight I know I’ll win!  Don’t you?

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight. ~C.S. Lewis

Reflect and Apply: Take some time to reflect on the following verses and pray over the accompanying steps for being battle-ready: One—ask for discernment to recognize the spiritual nature of this war. (Ephesians 6:12) Two—live an upright and committed life before God. (Romans 12:1-2) Three—ask for faith to oppose the enemy effectively and specifically. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) Four—proclaim the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 6:15; Acts 1:8) Five—challenge Satanic opposition through the power of the name of Jesus (Acts 16:16-18), the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17), pray in the Spirit (Acts 6:4; Ephesians 6:18), and fasting (Matthew 6:16). Six—pray for and desire the manifestation of the Holy Spirit through gifts of healings, tongues, miracles, signs and wonders. (I Corinthians 12:7-11; Acts 4:29-31) And seven—begin to take God’s authority and execute His will in His power! (Matthew 16:18-19)

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A Reason For Suffering

Essential 100—Read:
John 9:1-41

“Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” Jesus answered, “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins. This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” ~John 9:2-3 (NLT)

Suffering—where does it originate? When someone gets sick, contracts a disease, or is born with a disability, is that the result of personal sin—either theirs or their parents?  Has the devil inflicted the suffering upon them? Did God cause it?

When we, or the people we love are forced to endure suffering, we get pretty passionate about finding answers to those questions. When Jesus responded to his disciples’ question about the origin of suffering in the particular case of the man born blind, he pointed out that neither sickness nor suffering are the result of a specific sin.

Now, in a general sense, because we live in a world broken by sin, bad stuff that was not a part of God’s original plan for human beings happens. To be sure, the Bible does teach that I can bring some physical suffering on myself.  If I do not follow God’s principles, my body will experience the consequence. If I do not eat right, sleep enough and exercise regularly—which is sin, since my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit—then I should not be surprised when my body reacts with an infirmity. If I do not listen when God’s Word says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but pray about everything” and I worry a lot—which is a sin—if I get an ulcer, then I am to blame. If resentment builds in my spirit—which is a sin, since I am not to allow bitterness to take root and defile me—the doctors will tell me that what is eating me will not only eat away at my mental health, but it will take a bite out of my physical health as well.

So when it comes to suffering and sickness, I need to pay attention to the sin-factor in my life. And when sin is at the root, then the book of James instructs that confession and prayer is the appropriate response to my suffering:

“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (James 5:13-16, NLT)

However, not all suffering is the result of sin. Jesus blew that idea out of the water here in John 9 when he talked about the man born blind and clears up the notion that the blindness was the result of neither his nor his parent’s sin. Sometimes God permits suffering in your life simply because He wants to heal you and let it be a testimony to the world.  John 11:4 tells the story of Lazarus, who was sick and near death. In that case, Jesus said, “The purpose of his illness is not death, for the glory of God.”

Of course, God doesn’t heal every sickness; if he did, none of us would ever die and go to heaven, where we will experience the final and ultimate healing. But for sickness that is within the Lord’s will to heal, James 5:14 says that we are to do a couple of things:  One, we are take the initiative and summon the spiritual leaders of the church. And, two, we are to have those elders anoint us with oil and pray. This prayer for healing is to be done “in the name of the Lord.” The “name” represents Christ’s authority, which is the basis for all healing. When we offer prayer for healing under these conditions and in that manner, James says, “such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well.” (James 5:15, NLT) In other words, God is the healer, not the person praying. Let’s never forget that! In this age of flamboyant faith healers, sometimes you get the idea that it is their ability and spirituality that gets the job done. It is not; God alone deserves the credit.

That brings us back to what Jesus said about suffering and sickness: Sometime it is not the result of sin. It is simply so that God’s power and glory can be revealed in the restoration!  If you, or someone you know, are in need of Divine healing for a physical sickness, bring it to God in faith.  And whether you are miraculously healed or called upon to patiently endure, let it be for the glory of God alone.

“Why do the righteous suffer? Why not? They’re the only ones who can take it.” ~C.S. Lewis

Reflect and Apply: If you are suffering from an illness, study James 5:13-18 and follow what it says.

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Water-Walking Faith

Essential 100—Read:
Matthew 14:22-36

“So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.” ~Matthew 14:29

No matter where you go in the Bible, you’ll find that memorable stories of faith always involved risky steps of daring obedience.  So it is in this story where Peter leaves the other disciples sitting in the relative safety and comfort of their boat, takes a few steps of faith on the water in the middle of a storm, and walks out to meet Jesus, becoming the first person—and only human being that I know of—to literally walk on the water.  Peter, a mere mortal, just a common Galilean fisherman, joined Jesus in a very elite club of which there were only two members: The Water Walker Club.

Now this is more than just another one of those incredible Bible stories we read as kids about the superheroes of the faith. This is a story meant to inspire water-walking faith in common, ordinary, garden-variety believers.  And within this particular story are several important lessons that Peter’s adventure can teach other mere mortals like you and me that we will need to keep in mind when we finally get up the courage to step out of our boat of comfort to take those bold and daring steps of faith to obey God:

First, the wind won’t stop blowing just because you take a step of faith. In fact, the storm may pick up a little.  The truth is, faith needs a storm to be faith, or it is not faith. But the great thing about storms is that although Jesus doesn’t promise to keep you from them, he does promise to be with you in them. And in fact, it is the very resistance of the wind in those storms that provides the lift needed for faith to soar.  So take that step of faith into the storm and watch what happens.

Second, when you take your step of faith into the raging storm, you will need to remember the one command that God most often gives his people:  “Fear not!” Did you know that there are 366 “fear not’s” in the Bible?  That is one for every day of the year (including an extra one for leap year).  I don’t think that number is by mistake—I think God knew that you and I would need to be reminded every single day not to give into fear. Every single day, including today, God is reminding you to choose faith instead, because fear and faith cannot coexist in those who would be water walkers.

Three, when the storm is raging, your assignment is simply to keep our eyes on Jesus—and just keep walking toward him.  “Don’t give up” is another repeated command in the Bible.  To join Peter in the water walker club, you will have to make the determination to stay focused on the One who is the Master over the storm—because it is Jesus alone who will see us through.

Is there an area of faith where you are being tempted to give up because you have come into some unexpected and impossible circumstances?  That is the perfect condition, my friend, to exercise water walking faith. So don’t give into fear and keep your focus on Jesus, because yet another heroic faith story is about to be written!

In the 1950’s, the name Florence Chadwick was synonymous with women’s championship swimming.  She was the first woman to swim the English Channel–both ways.  In fact, she did it three times, each time going against the tide.

But one of her distance swims was not so successful.  She failed to reach her goal, all because she lost sight of it.  Florence had set out on July 4, 1952 to swim the 21 miles from Santa Catalina Island to the California mainland.  But on this particular morning, the 34-year-old found the water to be numbingly cold, and the fog was so thick she could hardly see the boats in her envoy, which were along side her to scare away the sharks.

As the hours ticked off, she swam on.  Fatigue was never a serious problem…it was the bone-chilling coldness of the icy waters that threatened her.  Finally, more than fifteen hours after she started, numbed by the cold, Florence asked to be taken out of the water, unable to go on.

Her mother, in a boat beside her, urged her to go on, as did her trainer.  They both knew that the mainland had to be close, very close.  Yet Florence quit.  She got into the boat and fell short of her goal.  The boat traveled just a short distance until the coastline could be seen.  Florence had stopped only a half-mile short of the finish.  Upon realizing how close she had come, she dejectedly cried, “If I could have seen the shore I would have made it.”

If you are going to be a faith walker…or a water walker…

…Get ready for the storm

…Choose faith over fear

…Keep your eyes on Jesus

…And above all, never give up!

“Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don’t get discouraged and give up.”  ~Galatians 6:9 (Living Bible)

Reflect and Apply: Pray this prayer today: “Lord, bless me with water-walking faith.  Enlarge my capacity to trust you, even in the storms.  And let me be used of you in ways I never though possible.  In Jesus name, amen.”

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The Great Sabotage Campaign

Essential 100—Read:
Luke 9:1-36

“So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.” ~Luke 9:6

I’ve got to tell you, I am more than a little bothered as of late by the way the American church is doing Christianity! It seems a far cry from what Jesus had in mind. I think we are far more concerned with doing whatever it takes to attract people into the fellowship of believers (some don’t even like to call the spiritual community to which they belong a “church” anymore) than in calling for the radical transformation of their lives, which among other things, requires total surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Just think of how the typical church in America today makes its appeal to the community: You’ll love our music—the band sounds just like Coldplay. Our pastor is great—he’ll remind you of David Letterman, only funnier. We’ve got some great programs, too—your kids will think they’ve died and gone to Disneyland; your teenager may win an iPad—we have a drawing for one every week; and we will help you improve you marriage, make you more successful in business, show you how to make money, and help you to feel really good about yourself…oh, and we’ll treat you to a latte from our Starbucks’ franchise in the lobby.

No kidding, I was sent an advertisement not too long ago for a start up church back east that promoted itself as a church for the really busy. The outstanding feature of their advertisement was the half-hour service—10 minutes of worship, 12 minutes of the word, 3 minutes of application, and 5 minutes of fellowship—no fuss, no muss.

Nothing like rearranging your life around the priorities of the kingdom, wouldn’t you say? Maybe their mission statement could be, “If you’re too busy for Jesus, just come to us—we’ll fix that!”

That is a far cry from the radical plan Jesus gave the disciples for invading enemy occupied territory, sabotaging the dominion of the god of this world, and bringing Planet Earth and its inhabitants back under control of  the rightful Ruler:

Then Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. (Luke 9:1-6)

Building the kingdom is not a matter of entertaining people into your church. The more we do that, by the way, the more the world finds the church irrelevant. Rather, building God’s kingdom is about invading your neighborhood, workplace, school or social circle—“whatever house you enter”—in the power and authority of Jesus Christ, casting out demons, healing diseases, and declaring to those who have been under Satan’s dominion that there is a new Sheriff in town.

Maybe I sound a little grumpy today, but come on, don’t you think it’s time we start depending on the power and authority of Jesus rather than being hip to build the kingdom of God?

“Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is.  Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign in sabotage.” ~C.S. Lewis

Reflect and Apply: “Lord, forgive us for entertaining people into the church. Empower and embolden us to call people to the radically transformed life that you offer through the preaching of the cross. Rather than being funny and likable, cool and edgy, authenticate our witness with signs, wonders and miracles. Make us true kingdom agents of your Kingdom—for your glory alone we pray!”

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Lost and Found

Essential 100—Read:
Luke 15:1-32

“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” ~Luke 15:7

The message of Luke 15 is unmistakable: Lost people matter to God!

Jesus tells three parables that make up the entirety of chapter 15: The parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. Each story features something lost—something of such value that no expense and no effort are spared to see to their return.

At the end of each of these three stories Jesus uses a line to speak of the unmitigated joy expressed in their recovery:

“There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:7)

“Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)

“It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.” (Luke 15: 32)

Again, the message is clear: God’s highest priority is the reclamation of lost people. They matter to God. And all of heaven celebrates their return.

Likewise, there is a clear application of utmost importance here for you and me: Since lost people matter to God, they ought to matter to us as well. No expense and no effort should be spared to aid in their recovery. And we ought also to celebrate what heaven celebrates—the return of even one sinner to God.

But with these stories comes a clear warning: Watch out for what we might call the EBS—Elder Brother Syndrome (see Luke 15:25-30). EBS resents the attention and effort made in the recovery and repentance of the sinner. Sadly, it is so easy for God’s children to slip into it. Elder Brother Syndrome grows out of self-righteousness. It questions the authenticity of the sinner’s repentance. It refuses to rejoice at what heaven celebrates. Mostly, it couldn’t be further from what is at the very the heart of heaven, and our Father who resides there.

The call of Luke 15 must be our calling, too! What God prioritizes we must make our priority! If heaven celebrates repentant sinners, we ought to throw a party when one finds salvation. Lost people matter to God; they must matter to us as well!

If they don’t, then see the Great Physician. You likely need treatment for Elder Brother Syndrome—maybe even a heart transplant.

“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”  ~Charles Spurgeon

Reflect and Apply: Here is a simple prayer that could make a huge difference in the way you do life in the coming days: “Lord, use me today to lead some lost person to faith in you!”

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The Real Good Samaritan

Essential 100—Read:
Luke 10:25-37

“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’” ~Luke 10:33-35

The Good Samaritan is one of the best known and loved of all of Jesus’ parables. It is refreshingly simple yet so profoundly compelling that it inexorably draws us to become a part of the story. That is why it is universally revered as a model of compassionate activism for the human race—although we need to keep in mind that the story is really about God’s compassion that led to our salvation.

But back to human compassion: Just what is it? There are two parts:

One, compassion is a feeling that comes from our deepest core when we witness another’s need. The Bible says, “Jesus was touched with the feelings of our weaknesses.”

But two, compassion is the action that follows the feeling. Not only did the Good Samaritan feel deeply but he acted decisively on his feelings: He went to the man and bandaged his wounds. It is not enough simply to feel sorry for someone; feelings have to be followed with actions. Compassion is about doing for people.  When it is only a feeling, it is sentiment, not compassion. When it is not motivated out of whole-hearted love for God and people, compassion is short-lived, perhaps even self-serving.

So what does this compassionate, selfless love-in-action look like?  The Samaritan’s response to the wounded man in Luke 10:33-35 paints the clearest picture possible:

It was proactive: The Samaritan didn’t wait for the man to call out for help.  He took the initiative.

It was personal: He risked his own safety to care for the victim, treated the wounds from his own supply, put him on his own donkey and paid for his hospitalization with his own money.

It was pure: No one else knew what the Samaritan did. The priest and Levite were long gone. The victim was in a coma, the inn keeper didn’t get his name. It was motivated by selflessness; it was unconditional.

That strikingly mirrors Jesus’ love-in-action toward us, and models the love-in-action toward others to which we are called. That is the inescapable conclusion of verse 36: “Now which of the three was the victim’s neighbor?” 

Now here is the hinge to this story: Notice how Jesus reversed the question the expert in the law had asked, “who is my neighbor?” But Jesus asked, “who is the victim’s neighbor?”  Jesus told this story not to show who our neighbor is, but how to be a neighbor.

The Bible expert tried to define the limits of responsibility, but Jesus refused to restrict the limits of love. Jesus said, “Don’t ask who your neighbor is; just be a neighbor to anyone who needs your help—without wanting anything in return.” That is an obvious and appropriate application of this parable: We are called to spiritual neighborliness, to be conduits of compassion to anyone in need of God’s love who has been placed in our path.

So an appropriate question to ask fro this story is, “For whom do I need to be that Good Samaritan?”

Yet this is another very important point here—the more important point—that we must not miss: Since this is really a picture of God’s saving compassion, what Jesus is really saying is you are that victim—of sin and Satan. And you desperately need the compassionate touch of The Good Samaritan. You have been beaten, robbed and left for dead by the thief (John 10:10). Maybe you are like the Bible expert in the story that led to this parable (Luke 10:25,29), working hard to earn what Jesus has already purchased, and the thief is beating out of you what should be the joy of God’s grace! Perhaps you are like the priest or Levite (Luke 10:231-32), just going through the motions of spiritual duty, and the thief has robbed you of the experience of Divine love. Or maybe you are that traveller who was beaten and robbed (Luke 10:30),who by the hands of hurtful people and because of harmful circumstances, the thief has left you for dead.

But the Good Samaritan came to give you life—abundant life right now—and eternal life when this one ends. The beaten, bleeding, dying man could do nothing to earn or deserve the Good Samaritan’s compassion, and neither can you. His help, his rescue, his salvation is a gift of grace—grace greater than all your suffering, sickness and sin.

And all you can do it receive it as a gift of grace!

“Eternal life isn’t received by what a person does. It is humanly impossible to meet God’s standards. Religion is all about doing, but it is insufficient. Saving faith results from what has already been done. What man can’t do, God has done.” 

Reflect and Apply: It could be that you have been deeply wounded. The thief, through hurtful people and harmful circumstances, has left you for dead. You have been victimized by the thief, whose sole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. But the Good Samaritan came to give you life—abundant life right now—and eternal life when this one ends. All you can do is receive it as a gift.  Why don’t you!