11/08          Luke 20:27-36

Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. 28 They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name. 29 Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. 30 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died. 31 Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, who died without children. 32 Finally, the woman also died. 33 So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her!” 34 Jesus replied, “Marriage is for people here on earth. 35 But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. 36 And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection.

CONTROL

God is in control.  He loves us and has a plan for our life and a plan for when we leave this Earth and relocate to live with Him.  His way is perfect.  His way is eternal.  We will never understand the eternal ways of the Lord until we stand in His presence.  God is good and all that He does is good. 

11/07          Luke 20:26

So they failed to trap him by what he said in front of the people. Instead, they were amazed by his answer, and they became silent.

WISDOM
Jesus is filled with all wisdom, mercy, grace and understanding.  His will was to do the will of the Father.  Remember He will give you this same wisdom, mercy, grace and understanding that He has if you will ask Him.  Jesus will equip you to live your life in a way that honors and glorifies God.  He is Lord of all. 

11/06          Luke 20:21-25

“Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. 22 Now tell us—is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 23 He saw through their trickery and said, 24 “Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 25 “Well then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

RIGHT

Do the next right thing.  This will keep you out of despair and guide your steps for Godly living.  The Lord calls us to do right.  We often mess up and despair.  When you mess up DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING and you will find your way back to the Godly path.  Jesus is Lord. 

11/05          Luke 20:19-20

The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the people’s reaction. 20 Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus.

KNEW
Jesus knew what the religious wanted to do.  He knows what you are struggling with and what it will take to fix the problems you face.  Jesus is able.  Remember that you are not alone and the Lord of all is with you. 

11/04          Luke 20:14-18

“But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 15 So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him. “What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to them?” Jesus asked. 16 “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.” “How terrible that such a thing should ever happen,” his listeners protested. 17 Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ 18 Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

ROCK

JESUS is the Rock.  He is a stone that mankind cannot crush.  He is able to deal with any situation.  Jesus calls us to obedience and will not tolerate disobedience.  Yes our God is merciful and gracious but obedience is His direction to us-obey me. 

11/03          Luke 20:9-13
Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years. 10 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. 11 So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away. 13 “‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’

LOST

The Lost always act like the lost.  They are blind in their sin.  They do not know how to do anything other than be against God.  We know Jesus and He calls us to care for the poor and evangelize the Lost. 

11/02          Luke 20:3-8

“Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?” 5 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 6 But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” 7 So they finally replied that they didn’t know. 8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

AUTHORITY
Jesus is the authority.  He knows us.  He cares for us.  Do not fear because Jesus knows the answer to all the questions we have about life.  He is Lord. 

11/01          Luke 20:1-2

1 One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 2 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”

WHO

Who indeed.  God in Christ was ministering to the World.  The Good News is that Jesus came for us, saves us, and makes us a part of God’s family.  It is a free gift that no one should boast.  Jesus is Lord.

10/31          Psalm 72:15

Long live the king! May the gold of Sheba be given to him. May the people always pray for him and bless him all day long. 16 May there be abundant grain throughout the land, flourishing even on the hilltops. May the fruit trees flourish like the trees of Lebanon, and may the people thrive like grass in a field. 17 May the king’s name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun shines. May all nations be blessed through him and bring him praise. 18 Praise the God, the God of Israel, who alone does such wonderful things. 19 Praise his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen! 20 (This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse.)

GLORY

Our God is a glorious, loving, caring, and eternal God.  He loves you and me.  He is a righteous God who is worthy of all of our praise.  He knows everything about us and still loves us.  Jesus died on the Cross to pay the price of our sin and was raised from the dead by the power of God, He and the Father are one, and His free gift of eternal life does for us what we cannot do for ourselves-Jesus brings us into the Family of God.  Jesus is Lord.  Praise the name of the Lord. 

10/30          Psalm 72:6-14

May the king’s rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass, like the showers that water the earth. 7 May all the godly flourish during his reign. May there be abundant prosperity until the moon is no more. 8 May he reign from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. 9 Desert nomads will bow before him; his enemies will fall before him in the dust. 10 The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands will bring him tribute. The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts. 11 All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him. 12 He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them. 13 He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them. 14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him.

RESPONSIBLE

The Lord God is a good God.  He is a responsible God who has our best interests in His mind.  He will see to our care.  He will rescue us.  He values our life and has willingly redeemed us from death and Hades.  He is our Father and loves us beyond our ability to comprehend that love.  He is Lord.