Today’s Reading: Esther 1; Esther 2; Psalm 150; Luke 17
Scripture: Luke 17:3 ..."If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."
5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
Observation: Anyone who truly understands what Jesus is asking of him must have this response: "Increase my faith!" In other words, Jesus demands are so far beyond my ability that if God doesn't help me, it's just not going to happen.
In the verses above, Jesus is instructing them on forgiveness. He tells them that the person who repeatedly and intentionally sins against them -- doing something offensive, unkind, mean, or hurtful over and over again -- is to be given forgiveness over and over again if he says "I repent" each time he comes back. Well once or twice is one thing, but Jesus gives them the challenge to do it seven times in one day! Clearly, this is beyond my natural abilities. I have to have God's help.
Application: The message of the Gospel is good news -- God has made a way for me to know Him. But the demands of the life of the disciple are impossible without divine empowerment. Any attempt to do it with sheer human effort, even "enlightened" human effort, is doomed to failure. So why try it on my own? I must give it up to God and let Him empower me to do His will.
Prayer: Lord, I cannot do anything of true eternal significance or lasting value without Your help. Empower me -- fill me and use me. And when I am filled up with You, I can do the impossible. Make it so, Lord.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 comment:
I used the same scriptures + one and took a different tack on it. But you are right, even the stuff that takes a small amount of faith or the simplest thing God asks us to do as a Christian is absolutely impossible without His empowerment. It's ALL by His grace that we live as a believer.
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