God Speaks
“There will always be temptations to sin,” Jesus said one day to his disciples, “but woe to the man who does the tempting. 2-3 If he were thrown into the sea with a huge rock tied to his neck, he would be far better off than facing the punishment in store for those who harm these little children’s souls. I am warning you!
“Rebuke your brother if he sins, and forgive him if he is sorry. 4 Even if he wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, forgive him.”
5 One day the apostles said to the Lord, “We need more faith; tell us how to get it.”
6 “If your faith were only the size of a mustard seed,” Jesus answered, “it would be large enough to uproot that mulberry tree over there and send it hurtling into the sea! Your command would bring immediate results! 7-9 When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, he doesn’t just sit down and eat, but first prepares his master’s meal and serves him his supper before he eats his own. And he is not even thanked, for he is merely doing what he is supposed to do. 10 Just so, if you merely obey me, you should not consider yourselves worthy of praise. For you have simply done your duty!”
11 As they continued onward toward Jerusalem, they reached the border between Galilee and Samaria, 12 and as they entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, sir, have mercy on us!”
14 He looked at them and said, “Go to the Jewish priest and show him that you are healed!” And as they were going, their leprosy disappeared.
15 One of them came back to Jesus, shouting, “Glory to God, I’m healed!” 16 He fell flat on the ground in front of Jesus, face downward in the dust, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a despised Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the nine? 18 Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?”
19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”
20 One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God begin?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God isn’t ushered in with visible signs. 21 You won’t be able to say, ‘It has begun here in this place or there in that part of the country.’ For the Kingdom of God is within you.”
22 Later he talked again about this with his disciples. “The time is coming when you will long for me to be with you even for a single day, but I won’t be here,” he said. 23 “Reports will reach you that I have returned and that I am in this place or that; don’t believe it or go out to look for me. 24 For when I return, you will know it beyond all doubt. It will be as evident as the lightning that flashes across the skies. 25 But first I must suffer terribly and be rejected by this whole nation.
26 “When I return the world will be as indifferent to the things of God* as the people were in Noah’s day. 27 They ate and drank and married—everything just as usual right up to the day when Noah went into the ark and the Flood came and destroyed them all.
28 “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot: people went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building— 29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the hour of my return.
31 “Those away from home that day must not return to pack; those in the fields must not return to town— 32 remember what happened to Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever clings to his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall save it. 34 That night two men will be asleep in the same room, and one will be taken away, the other left. 35-36 Two women will be working together at household tasks; one will be taken, the other left; and so it will be with men working side by side in the fields.”
37 “Lord, where will they be taken?” the disciples asked.
Jesus replied, “Where the body is, the vultures gather!”
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Enticing or causing someone else to sin is taken very seriously by God. If anyone who sins against us repents, we are to forgive them even if it is seven times a day. The apostles asked You to increase their faith, but it is not the size of our faith that matters, but the “size” of the God we trust. Workers should not expect their bosses to serve them but faithfully and humbly carry out their duties without expecting thanks; however, those in supervisory roles should show appreciation for faithful service. Atta-boys go a long way in ensuring cheerful service. The point of the report of Jesus cleansing ten lepers is that only one returned to thank Him and praise God, and he was not even one of God’s chosen people. We, whom God has chosen and adopted, need to demonstrate continual gratitude. In no way do I deserve the blessings God has bestowed on me. The Kingdom of God will be obvious to all but totally unexpected with most people just going about their daily lives. When we see the body of Christ (the church) being attacked by dark forces from many directions, we will know that the end is near.
Prayer: Dear Father God, thank You for forgiving my sins on the basis of Jesus’s suffering and death. Please help me to be aware of doing or saying anything that would entice or cause anyone else to sin. Please help me to be quick to forgive anyone who repents of sinning against me, because Christ died for their sins as well as mine. May my faith increase as I witness the greatness of my God.
I declare that any faithfulness on my part is only because You, Holy Spirit, initiated and carried it out through me. I thank You, Lord, for all the ways You are healing me and those I care about. We don’t deserve Your loving provision and healing, but You give it anyway because that is who You are. You are love. Establish Your kingdom rule in our hearts. I want to preserve my life so I completely give it over to You, Lord. Your body (those who trust and obey You) is being attacked from many directions and in many locations around the world. The end must be near. Come, Lord Jesus, come soon. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will ask God to make me aware of any way in which I might be leading someone to sin and to help me stop and lead them to righteousness instead.
- I will purposely forgive ______ (a specific person) for sinning against me.
- I will write a thank you note to God and keep it in my bible to remind me to be grateful for His blessings.
- I will pray daily and watch for the Lord’s return.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.