Luke 21:3-4

March 9, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’” (Luke 21:3-4)

In these verses, Jesus focuses on the heart when he says, the “poor widow has put in more than all of them.” Clearly, an accountant would take exception to Jesus’ claim, unless he allowed Jesus to mean what he meant.

Jesus qualified his comparison by evaluating her heart as demonstrated by her level of personal sacrifice. Presumably, the rich put significantly more money into the offering than she did. Yet Jesus said, “They all contributed out of their abundance.” Now, I don’t think this was necessarily a blanket criticism of the wealthy. Rather, I think Jesus was elevating the widow’s sacrifice to the level of appreciation it deserved…in Jesus’ paradigm.

In Jesus’ evaluation of our actions, He considers the heart more than we might. In fact, we are unable to accurately measure the hearts of others. But in this story, Jesus gives some guidance on how to measure a person’s heart. Sacrifice. What is the personal cost (or risk) in our effort for the Lord? As for the widow, “she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on.”

Father, please help me to have a greater heart of sacrifice for your causes. Help me to risk more for your name’s sake. Please grow my faith in you and help me to have a decreasing faith in the things of this world. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Faith, good enough, humility, Jesus Said, John, Life in Christ, New Testament

Luke 19:10

March 7, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

What a beautiful purpose statement: to seek and save the lost. That’s what Jesus did for me.

The context of this statement is the story of Zacchaeus, the diminutive tax collector. The shock, possibly scandal of a tax collector being forgiven of his sins, precipitated this declaration.

I can imagine that onlookers had the spirit that tax collectors were beyond salvation. The reason I can imagine that is that it is what I still do. This hard spot in my heart is revealed at moments I don’t expect; just like it was last week. I was subbing in a class at a “difficult” school. When I entered, two boys were huddled on the floor near the Chromebook cabinet with their devices tethered to the charging cords.

These kids were dirty, had bad haircuts, dressed in tattered clothes, and were out of place. I consider myself pretty good at interacting with kids from all backgrounds, but God helped me see that there is still some work to be done in my heart.

As the day progressed, I had several interactions with one of the boys; the other was out of the class most of the day for behavioral counseling or academic help. I had repeatedly corrected my one friend who was struggling to stay on task. He kept talking with the kids near his new workstation. He kept switching tabs on his device to look at dragons. He couldn’t find the required paragraph to complete his assignment. It was one thing, then another.

Finally, enough was enough. I told him he had to return to his desk, which was in a pod with other kids. He didn’t want to be with them, and they didn’t want to be with him. He figured out a compromise, and the next thing I knew, he was sitting at a table with me.

Again, I think I am objectively good at interacting with kids from every economic, social, and ethnic background. But the critical spirit can hide undetected deep in the heart. After he sat down beside me, he seemed to lock in on his work. I noticed how unbelievably dirty he was. Head to toe. Finger tip to finger tip. I recalled about 10 minutes earlier when he sneezed a big blob of goo on his hand, then discreetly ate it. Even while having a pleasant conversation with him, my mind was making note of all the things “wrong” with him.

I stopped chatting with him because he was locked in on his work, and I wanted him to stay locked in. He couldn’t abide the silence, though, and started humming, then softly singing “Jesus loves me, He who died, / Heaven’s gate to open wide. / He will wash away my sin, / Let His little child come in.”

Admittedly (and to my shame!), I was surprised such a “troubled” kid would know that song. I asked, “Where do you know that song from?” He answered matter-of-factly, “church.” “You go to church?” I asked with shock, but carefully spoken so as not to reveal the judgmental spirit that had just surfaced from a dark spot in my heart.

He eventually told me he goes to Freeway Church, which is a ministry that I love, love, love! I have had several students from Freeway, and they were always among my best, most dedicated students. Freeway is a ministry for folks who have been incarcerated and/or struggle with addiction. And this kid, singing Jesus Loves Me, was a fruit of Freeway. Hallelujah!

In the very best way and with the greatest respect, I describe Freeway as a bit of an old-fashioned, hard-preaching, repent and be saved ministry. They offer tremendous community for walking through life post-incarceration and post-addiction or on the way to post-addiction. And they believe “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

I must have been red-faced as I realized the judgmental spirit that I had toward that kid. I must have been like those folks around Zacchaeus, thinking he was too far gone.

Father, thank you for rescuing sinners, me included, regardless of the package they come in. Please forgive me for focusing so intently on the external package of this particular kid and for letting me hear those glorious words “Jesus Loves Me.” Thank you for this lesson. Please help me genuinely learn from it.

Filed Under: conversion, devotional thoughts, forgiveness, heart matters, humility, Jesus Said, Life in Christ, Luke, New Testament

Luke 18:31-34

March 6, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.” (Luke 18:31-34)

Here, Jesus was very clear about what is coming. He gave step-by-step details all the way to the resurrection. BUT the disciples “understood none of these things.”

From my seat, it seems easy to criticize the disciples’ shock at the death of Jesus, and more particularly at their disbelief or surprise in Jesus’ resurrection. However, Luke adds this explanation: “This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.”

I’m not sure why the Lord would go this direction. But it is similar to what he did with the two guys on the road to Emmaus after his resurrection: “But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭16‬)

In both cases, the Lord, for his purposes, is keeping them from understanding on the moment. Perhaps, he wanted them to reflect back for clarity while going through the trauma of his death, so that they would find both comfort and meaning in his resurrection.

One thing I see here is to be careful in judging the slowness of people in understanding the things of God. Sometimes the slowness is due to hardness of the heart. At other times, it is due to the Lord shielding the truth from them until a later time.

Father, please help me to be patient with and slow to judge others about their slowness off belief. Help me to faithfully offer your grace to all. Amen.

Filed Under: Death, devotional thoughts, humility, Jesus Said, Luke, New Testament

Luke 14:12-14

March 2, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:12-14)

Jesus makes an important distinction about hospitality. When inviting others to dinner, one should not invite those who have the ability to reciprocate. While this may give the impression of being hospitable, Jesus suggests that true hospitality happens when the guests are unable to reciprocate. In the case of the latter, the gist will be rewarded in glory.

Jesus has an amazing capacity to cut through appearances and reach the heart of the matter, even touching on motives. To that point, this is an interesting example of how we may not look closely enough at our motives. For example, we may regularly host people in our home and be known as very hospitable. But Jesus wants us to check our guest list to see if we only invite the “right kind” of people, the ones who are like us and can repay us with a reciprocal invite. I suppose the repayment could be something other than an invite, as well. Maybe a business deal or public support for something we want?

In our text, he presses us to invite people who might be deemed “those” of people. As in, we don’t have anything to do with “those” people, the ones with no power or ability to repay us with an invitation to their place.

Why does Jesus always press me to look deeper … at situations and my motives? Am I willing to invest time, energy, and resources into those who can not repay me or boost my reputation?

Father, help me faithfully examine my heart and motives. Help me be thoughtful toward those who can not repay my kindness. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, humility, Jesus Said, Life in Christ, New Testament

Luke 10:18-20

February 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.””

The first thing I see here is a claim to be God. How so? When Jesus says he saw Satan fall, he is claiming to have been in existence before Genesis 1:1.* Using similar language in John 1:1 (“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”), John describes Jesus as having existed “in the beginning” just like God did in Genesis 1:1.

After that declaration, Jesus assured the disciples that he had authority over the power of Satan and that he had given that authority to them.

This gift of power over the enemy seems significant and something to rejoice over. However, Jesus was concerned that they might focus on that gift (or power). Thus, he warned them not to rejoice in that authority/power. Rather, they should rejoice in the most fundamental thing, which is that their names are written in heaven. That “free gift” (Rom 6:23) is the foundation for every good thing that Christ gives his children. It seems that Jesus wants them to focus on the most basic thing.

This is a good reminder to me to keep things simple. I’m reminded of the Lord’s warning in Jeremiah 9:23-24:

23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

If I focus on the Lord and his kindness to write my name in heaven, there is less opportunity for me to focus on myself.

Father, help me to cast my eyes and heart upon you today, and thus think less about myself and more about you today. Amen.

*Note: This assumes that Satan fell before the history recorded in the Bible. For my point, though, it matters not if Satan fell before creation or only before the fall (Gen 3). If Jesus saw it happen, he was there.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Gospels, humility, Jesus Said, Luke, New Testament
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