Luke 16
A stark warning indeed from Jesus who teaches from yet another parable - The Rich Man and Lazarus!
John Piper does a great job examining how our heart needs to change to receive Christ to avoid the fate of the rich man as told in this parable. Piper warns us on the love of money and materialism. I think how we spend our time is also critically important because selfishness and our own comforts and desires also prevent us from loving God.
Piper puts it this way: "[t]o recognize and receive Jesus for who he really is, we have to will to do the will of God, namely, pursue the glory of God above all other pleasures in our life".
Key here is that we have to WILL to do the will of God with the definition of "will" being: "intend, desire, or wish (something) to happen."
This goes to the topic of spiritual formation - and Dallas Willard indicates we need vision, intention, and method for this. Method involves practice of the spiritual disciplines, including study, prayer, worship, service, etc.
My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has given me faith and transformed my heart and life - thank You Jesus! I am not worth such blessings. I daily miss the mark. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me turn from my sin towards You and love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind, and love others as You love. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
But Abraham replied, Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And
besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in
place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can
anyone cross over from there to us. v25-26
A stark warning indeed from Jesus who teaches from yet another parable - The Rich Man and Lazarus!
John Piper does a great job examining how our heart needs to change to receive Christ to avoid the fate of the rich man as told in this parable. Piper warns us on the love of money and materialism. I think how we spend our time is also critically important because selfishness and our own comforts and desires also prevent us from loving God.
Piper puts it this way: "[t]o recognize and receive Jesus for who he really is, we have to will to do the will of God, namely, pursue the glory of God above all other pleasures in our life".
Key here is that we have to WILL to do the will of God with the definition of "will" being: "intend, desire, or wish (something) to happen."
This goes to the topic of spiritual formation - and Dallas Willard indicates we need vision, intention, and method for this. Method involves practice of the spiritual disciplines, including study, prayer, worship, service, etc.
My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has given me faith and transformed my heart and life - thank You Jesus! I am not worth such blessings. I daily miss the mark. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me turn from my sin towards You and love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind, and love others as You love. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
