PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Luke 6:24-26
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“But woe to you who are rich…” (Luke 6:24)
If you focus on these words just by themselves, they are hard to hear.
I normally blur them into the background, and dwell on the nicer words.
But separating these words for today’s devotion makes them hard to ignore.
Rich, comfortable, well-fed, happy, well-spoken of… this is us, this is me.
Is Jesus pronouncing God’s final judgment, or warning about future hard times?
In 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed, these things came true.
It was a temporal experience, and Jesus warned them it was coming.
Should I be worried, are these warnings against me as well?
Maybe, maybe not – but what is the truth that lies behind them?
Worldly comfort, wealth, happiness and success are illusory and deceptive.
Those who experience them are blinded by them, and lose sight of God and good.
I hear Jesus challenging my perspective on life, on my comfortable christianity.
If we really took Jesus seriously, we would live more radically than we do.
Have we watered down and compromised Jesus’s message to suit our own comfort and ease?
PRAYER
Lord, as hard as it is to swallow, this seems like me. Does my heart need to be warned as well, and is my faith too comfortable?
This verse really got me to reflect on my life. The Christian life calls us to sacrifice, to lay down/surrender our lives to God, but does my life actually reflect any form of sacrifice? The question asked: “Does my heart need to be warned as well, and is my faith too comfortable?”, caused me to ponder on the way in which I might be too comfortable in my faith. I say I believe in God yet, do I sacrifice my time for Him, do I sacrifice my pride to speak His truth, do I sacrifice my ways for His ways?
To me this is a warning – not to see what God has entrusted to me as mine – but rather to hold on loosely while being a good steward – not wasteful while at the same time not hoarding and thinking that my stuff, my assets is my primary security. The “woe” is a warning to me – and I need that from time to time when my generosity and sharing is not what it should be. Woe even more if I think that what I have is ‘my’ achievement – rather – looking at it with a grateful heart – and enabled now to share and bless others. The ‘woe’ reminds me that I need to do that more!! I’m blessed – but with it comes the ability to share!
Vae-tudes are also very interesting! Don’t hear too much on them but boy does 26 stand out. Lord help me remember to remain humble when people speak well of me, thank you for giving me the strength to push through the pride and know that there is much to be done.
The suffering has to do with my faithfulness to Jesus. Am I one who is suffering for my faithfulness or have I compromised yo gain the world’s favour? I need to remain faithful despite the consequences. As His disciple, all for Jesus.
Jesus, all for Jesus
All I am and have and ever hope to be
Jesus, all for Jesus
All I am and have and ever hope to be
All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into your hands
All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into your hands
For it’s only in your will that I am free
For it’s only in your will that I am free
Jesus, all for Jesus
All I am and have and ever hope to be