Monthly Archives: January 2026

LUKE’S GOSPEL…BE FAITHFUL – 33

Bible Study, ,

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak…You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭35‬-‭38‬, ‭40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus often taught his disciples to be ready for His return. What did He mean by “be ready”? 

Some people think that to be ready means to prepare for a siege…clothes packed, provisions gathered, in a safe place somewhere in the mountains! 

When we read Jesus’ story, being ready is not about being equipped to face what might happen. It’s about getting on with the job at hand. “Faithfulness” is the operative word. His coming, whenever it happens, must interrupt us while we are busy doing our duties. We are not to sit down and wait for His coming. We are to carry on with the work He has given to do, that is, taking care of His household, whatever form that may take. 

Jesus honours faithfulness. He often spoke of faithfulness as being what pleases God. The Greek word “pistis” and its Hebrew counterpart, “emunah”, can mean fidelity, steadfastness, reliability, and in the context of Hebrews 11…illustrating verse 1…

“Now faith(fulness) is (evidence of the) confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…faithfulness under pressure was what commended the ancients.   

“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭36‬-‭38‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Faith can either mean adherence to a creed or constancy in relation to the truth of the creed. When we believe what God says and live faithfully by what He says no matter what pressures our faithfulness encounters, God is pleased and rewards our faithfulness. 

Consider Jesus’ parable about the talents. 

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey… “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭14‬-‭15‬, ‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It was not the amount of money the first two servants gained that the master applauded. It was their faithfulness to use what he had entrusted to them to gain more. 

When we are faithfully doing whatever Jesus has given us to do in taking care of His household, it does not matter what time of the day or night He returns. We will be ready to receive Him and joyfully to hand over to Him what we have done. 

Serving God’s people takes many forms. Jesus assigns us tasks in keeping with the gifts and talents He has given us. No task is greater or more important than another because, together, we form the team that fulfils the task. If one person fails, some needs remain unmet. How important, then, that each member of the family does and sticks faithfully to his/her own task. 

“The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭42‬-‭43‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When Jesus returns, will He find you, me, ready to give an account because we have been hard at work to ensure that our part of the task He has assigned us is done faithfully?

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…TYE WAY OF THE KINGDOM – 32a

Bible Study, ,

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We have been examining the purpose of our needs in the context of prayer and God’s way of doing things. God’s economic system is to create a current by giving to those in need so that God, in turn, meets our needs. 

This leads me to another important consideration. If this is God’s way of meeting our needs, why did Jesus teach His disciples to pray…

“Give us each day our daily bread.”

Was He contradicting Himself? Not if we understand a little bit about the Hebrew mind. 

At the mention of “daily bread”, a Hebrew-thinking person would have associated daily bread with the manna God provided daily in the wilderness. All the details of their ancestors’ deliverance from Egypt would have been a part of their thinking and remembering. 

Let’s go, for a moment, to the aftermath of Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand recorded in John’s gospel. 

“The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭22‬, ‭24‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As usual, the people bypassed faith in Jesus by demanding a sign. The sign Jesus gave them was exactly what had happened and what they had seen the previous day. He had given them bread to eat by the miracle of multiplying five small barley buns. 

“Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭32‬-‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now, let’s go back to Jesus’ prayer…”give us today our daily bread.” Just as the Father provided daily manna in the wilderness, so Jesus is the bread from heaven whom we must “eat” daily to nourish our souls. Jesus went on to make this shocking statement…

“Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭49‬-‭51‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 What was Jesus saying? Using the symbolism of eating bread, He said that we must “eat” His flesh, that is, take in the reality and meaning of His body given for us so that, through His death, we may have eternal life.  

So, in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus was not contradicting Himself. He was pointing to our need to feed daily on what He has done for us through His death. We must ask the Father to feed us on His Word…Jesus, who is the Bread of Life…so that we can live and grow in this eternal life He has given us through His Son and in the life of the kingdom over which He is King  and Lord. 

If it not necessary for us to ask God to meet our needs, for what must we ask when we have needs? 

“But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why not ask the Father to give us a generous heart like the heart of Jesus? When we give freely to another in need, we create a space for God’s generosity to flow to us. 

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE WAY OF THE KINGDOM – 32a

Bible Study, ,

“Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? …But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭22‬-‭26‬, ‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬ 

I have skipped over much of Jesus’ teaching about money because, first, He summed up our attitude by explaining that we will serve what we love…God or money. Second, our use or misuse of money shows us where our priorities lie. We store our wealth in banks to serve ourselves in place of storing it in heaven to serve others. 

Our attitude to money also influences our prayers. We so often lose track of real issues in our praying because our lack, that is, our needs, preoccupy us. Jesus commented that when we do this, we think like pagans. They are bent on chasing money to satisfy both need and greed. However, as God’s children, He has pledged to take care of our needs. If God cares about birds and flowers, what about us?

So, how do we factor our daily needs in our real world into our lives as citizens of God’s unseen realm? 

Our first consideration is…how seriously do we take Jesus’ words? Did He really mean that God is concerned about what we  eat, drink, and wear?

Second, if we mustn’t focus our prayers on our needs, how do we get our everyday needs met? Jesus’ prescription is simple…change your focus. If God is always about His kingdom…His rule in the hearts of His people, this includes His economic system, the way to use our money…then so must we. 

“And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭29‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God’s economic system is so radically different from the world’s that we struggle to believe that it’s true. The world’s way is to gather and hoard. God’s way is to give and receive so that the resources keep circulating according to need. This way of handling our money demands radical confidence in the faithfulness of God. 

God’s way of doing things is based on generosity. Jesus said…

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭38‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, in God’s realm, when we do money His way, He takes care of our needs when we take care of the needs of others. When we follow Jesus’ instructions, He catapults us into a way of life…freedom from worry…that we could never dream possible. 

Our needs, therefore, are not intended as a roadblock, to sidetrack us in our prayer lives, but as a stepping stone to trigger a greater understanding and experience of how God’s kingdom works. When we take care of the needs of others, and God, in response, takes care of ours, what better way to love the Lord Jesus than by loving His people!

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…REAL OR FAKE? -31

Bible Study, ,

“When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you. “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭37‬-‭42‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Heart attitude was everything to Jesus. What irked Him most about the Pharisees? Their “outer man” and their “inner man” didn’t match. They were fake! They looked genuine on the outside but rotten inside, like a rosy red apple on the outside with a worm at the core! 

Jesus used some explicit words to diagnose the heart “disease” of these religious men, words like “greed, wickedness, neglect”. They were schizophrenic…split between  a righteous exterior and a rotten interior. What was the real problem? They wanted the applause of people for their “righteousness” as well as fulfilling the evil desires of their hearts for money at the same time, without anyone knowing.  

Jesus called them “hypocrites”. 

“Appearing outwardly righteous to others, while actually being full of uncleanness and self-indulgence—that’s the definition of hypocrisy (Matt. 23:25-28).” (Source: Google – Jesus’ definition of a hypocrite)

Jesus narrowed down the source of the Pharisees’ hypocrisy to “greed and wickedness” and the solution to “be generous to the poor”.  Why did He make their attitude to money and the poor  the focal point of His  condemnation, and generosity to the poor the evidence of a clean heart? 

Time and again, Jesus exposed our attitude to money as the real object of our love…What or whom  do we serve?

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The entire ungodly world system is driven by money. Paul accurately diagnosed the root of wickedness…

“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬-‭10‬

Just as people are fake when they blame others for their sin, so also they are phoney when they claim to love God but really serve money. Why, then, according to Jesus, is being generous to the poor a sign of a “clean” heart?

Loving money and being generous are opposite and conflicting attitudes. Generosity is an attribute of God. Only when His grace intervenes to change our hearts from greed to generosity can we be real by showing whom we really serve. 

The Pharisees were fake because they developed a facade of righteousness by their actions that disguised their greedy and wicked hearts. Their fastidiousness about obeying the law covered up the wicked thoughts and attitudes of their hearts. Inside, they loved money and used it to serve themselves. 

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭22‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Believers are just as vulnerable to this trap as are unbelievers. We can only be genuine, not fake, if what we think and what we do match.   

Again, let’s pray, like David…

“Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To b continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…WINDOW OF THE SOUL – 30b

Bible Study, ,

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!…”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭23 NIV‬‬

Jesus said, according to Luke, that people are full of darkness when they judge others for their sin but fail to see how sinful they are. Just like Jonah…who hated the Ninevites for their wickedness but forgot about God’s mercy…

However, in Matthew’s gospel, he included Jesus’ teaching about the eye of light in His “Sermon on the Mount” discourse. 

According to Matthew, Jesus said that the way we view our money will reveal whom we really love. If we see our money as a servant, we will love God and use money to serve Him. If we love money, we will use God to serve money. 

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, Matthew’s version of Jesus’ judgment on the Pharisees’ attitude to money was…they used their “generosity” to parade their righteousness. 

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus said, ”Use your money to show that you love God.” 

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Both of these examples help us understand how vital it is to evaluate what is important to us in life through the lens of truth.  Luke says that we can judge others by our own standard of righteousness, seeing ourselves as not guilty and better than others. Matthew says that we can see our money as our master and serve it by being hoarding it or we can serve God by using money to serve others. 

There is a way to keep our wealth safe by storing it in the “bank of heaven” where it cannot erode or be corrupted…that is, by using it to serve others. This may seem foolish and contradictory. How can we grow our wealth giving it away? 

As always, life in God’s kingdom involves a partnership with God in faith and obedience. We need faith, to accept that what God says is true and obedience to act on it even if it seems foolish. God’s ways are not our ways. His economic system is based on His own character of generosity… “righteousness” in Hebrew…doing the right thing in every situation. 

So, even King David could say…

“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously…I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37‬:‭21‬, ‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

With a perspective that sees need rather than greed, the eyes of the heart can see farther, wider, and deeper…and can share God’s heart for those who suffer regardless of who they are. The system of God’s kingdom is simple…if you meet a need when you have a need, God’s provision flows to you to fill the gap. It’s called “currency”. 

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭

To b continued…