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

Luke 7:4-7, 9

February 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Luke 7:4-7, 9

“And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.’ And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore, I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.’ (4-7)

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’”(9‬)

This story illustrates the difference between faith and works. Let’s build it out. The characters in this story are 1) the Roman centurion and his servant, 2) the Jewish elders, and 3) Jesus.

The first thing that should leap off the page for us is the oddity of the partnership between the elders of the Jews and the Roman centurion. Typically, the conquered have a strained relationship with their conqueror. But, the oddness of this relationship is elevated because of the religious distinctions between Romans and Jews. Yet both considerations are apparently overlooked by the elders of the Jews, who deemed him worthy because “he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” The elders deemed him worthy of Jesus’ attention because he did something significant for them. In other words, he earned it.

Contrast that with the centurion’s thoughts. “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.”

The elders and the centurion saw the need in the same way. Their starting point was the same. Their path to the request was different. The elders said he deserved Jesus’ help. The centurion said he was not worthy to be in Jesus’ presence. He also added that he knew Jesus could heal his servant from afar. While it may not be obvious at the first reading, Jesus viewed these additional words as a demonstration of the centurion’s faith. So much so that Jesus said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

Luke concludes his telling of this story with these words: “And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well” (7‬:‭10‬). Matthew provides a more detailed conclusion, emphasizing the centurion’s faith: “And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment” (Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭13‬).

In summary, we see two approaches to Jesus: 1) works-based, and 2) faith-based. Note that it was the latter that caused Jesus to marvel and remark that he had not seen such faith in all of Israel (Luke 7:9 and Matthew 8:10).

I think we, too, can cause Jesus to marvel when we stop looking at our perceived accomplishments, and focus on him. What can I offer Jesus but a broken and contrite heart full of faith?

Father, help me have a genuine, humble faith similar to the centurion’s. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Faith, Gospels, humility, Luke

Mark 1:7

February 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“And he preached, saying, ‘After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie’” (Mark 1:7).
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The “he” in this verse is John the Baptist, and he understood and accepted his role well. His job was to point to Jesus, not himself. Here, he makes clear that he sees himself as subservient to Jesus. One gets no sense of “self” in John. Again, his job was to point to Jesus.

This reminds me of the groomsmen at so many weddings. In their effort to have fun, they draw all the attention to themselves. A wedding is the bride’s and groom’s day, and the wedding party should do nothing but serve and point everyone’s attention to the bride and groom.

That’s what we see John do here and elsewhere.

Father, help me to have John’s spirit of humility and purpose. Help me to be satisfied in the role you have assigned me, even if others are highlighted. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Gospels, humility, Mark

Habakkuk 1:5-6

January 29, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own” (Habakkuk 1:5-6).

These verses demonstrate God’s sovereignty as He says He is raising the Chaldeans (Babylonians). Daniel 2:21 says that “he removes kings and sets up kings.” In this case, He was raising the Babylonians, who would conquer the Assyrians.

The Lord is raising them up because they “march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own.” And, this is what the Lord will use them to do in Judah.

The statement that most sticks out to me is “For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.” This really provides a distinction between God and man. I suspect He doesn’t tell us more about what is going on in the world because we can not understand or believe what He is doing. I also suspect that we would begin to evaluate the rightness or wrongness of what He is doing based on our criteria, rather than His.

Even in this example of the Chaldeans, some would argue that it is immoral for God to raise a cruel army that takes things that are not their own.

Father, please help me trust in the goodness of your actions, especially when I don’t understand them. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Faith, Habakkuk, humility, Old Testament
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