November 11

Luke 22
John 13
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  This quote from the Lord should cause every Christian to take pause.  Most would read this and say, “Of course, we love one another!”  However, love is more than a four-letter word.  It involves action.  How do we treat one another?  Are we always kind to each other?  Is our love evident when the other doesn’t agree with us?  What happens when our brother or sister offends us?  Do we still display love toward them?  Over the past year, during the presidential campaign, I have witnessed many Christians using language toward their brothers and sisters in Christ that is very difficult to interpret as love.  In fact, it would be much more honest to say that they have demonstrated the very opposite of love!  We should be able to differ in opinions without being hateful.  Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray Him, but He still called him, “friend.”  He was still kind to His enemies, even when they weren’t to Him.  Your brother or sister may be wrong in the offense, but if you respond in kind, you are just as wrong.  One wrong doesn’t justify another.  Lord, help us to be more diligent in our love toward one another.  Amen!

November 10

Matthew 26
Mark 14
The last day before the Lord's crucifixion. He leaves His disciples with a sacrament to help them remember what was about to take place, His death, burial, and resurrection. We refer to this as the Lord' Supper, or Communion. For several centuries following this event the church observed this sacrament every Sunday. I don't know why some churches moved away from this tradition. The only reason I've ever been given is that to observe it weekly makes it too common. My response to this is, does praying or giving weekly make them too common? Such a wonderful sacrament as the Lord's Supper should never be taken lightly, or become common.

November 9

Matthew 25
This is one of the scariest chapters in the entire Bible for me.  Jesus says that at the end times He will separate the sheep from the goats.  His judgment will be based on whether or not we have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and sheltered the homeless.  I must admit that I am seriously lacking in these areas.  To balance benevolence with good stewardship is a tricky business.  However, I think we would be much better off erring on the side of compassion, even when we are being taken advantage of.  While there are those who either cannot be helped, or are promoting a scam, unless we can know with certainty, it is better that we offer our help.

November 8

Matthew 24
The primary point of the Lord’s message concerning His return is that we must be ready.  The Lord’s return will come for any of us when we die.  Very few of us know when that day will come.  Even with a terminal illness, doctors predict how long we will live with a high degree of inaccuracy.  The old saying that we should live every day as if it were our last, is good advice.  If we knew that Jesus was returning today or tomorrow, how would we live our lives?  How would we treat each other?  What would we do with our possessions and wealth?  Jesus is telling us that He could come today or tomorrow, and we need to live our lives accordingly.

November 7

Mark 13
This is the passage many people use to support the doctrine of the rapture.  Unfortunately, they miss the verse where Jesus tells them that these things will happen before that generation passes away.  Unless we have 2,000-year-old people running around, the “rapture” has already taken place.  Otherwise, we might be able to see the fulfillment in the first chapters of Acts, or in the spiritual realms which all Christians reside.  I don’t think this is really important, as it doesn’t effect our salvation.  However, it does speak to where our faith is directed.  Is it on things we can see with our eyes, or on those things that are unseen?

November 6

Matthew 23; Luke 20-21
Jesus compares the religious people of His time to whitewashed tombs with dead men’s bones inside.  I once worked at a TV repair shop that really put this on display.  It was the cleanest, most efficient shop I had ever worked in.  Fortunately, I only sat on a bench, repairing what was put before me, and listing what I did.  From there, it went to a supervisor who modified the ticket, padding the bill, in order to get the maximum amount he believed the owner of the product would pay.  The ticket was then given to a salesman who would call the customer and sell them on the repair.  Every repair, as presented to the customer, was a major repair, regardless of the truth.  The truth was that many of those repairs were very minor.  However, because of the clean, efficient process, the customer was never the wiser.  Jesus is saying that some religious leaders do the same thing, deceiving their followers with teachings that neglect the telling of the complete truth.  These kind neglect the weightier matters – justice, mercy and faithfulness.

November 5

 
Matthew 22; Mark 12
Jesus answers those who were against Him, trying to give Him questions He wouldn't be able to answer. Of course, He shamed them with His answers, because these left them without any standing. We need to take a lesson from our Lord. There are those who would attempt to trap us in the same manner, with questions about our faith. We must always be careful in how we answer these naysayers, providing solid Godly answers that demonstrate the love and grace of the Prince of Peace.