Thurs.’s Devo - Jesus’ Triumphal Entry

Read Luke 19:36-44 Jesus is entering Jerusalem on a donkey and the people are spreading their garments on the path for him to walk on and praising them as their king. Have you ever wondered why the people were on the mountain along that path? They were there as a part of the celebration of Passover. Every year the priests would lead the passover lamb that was going to be slain for the people’s sin down that path. The people would praise the lamb and celebrate. The lamb would be led to the temple to be prepared to be sacrificed. All day long the priests would sacrifice lambs that the people brought and the last lamb to be slain would be this passover lamb. It was slain at the same time Jesus died on the cross. Jesus walked down the same path right behind the passover lamb because he was the Passover Lamb in the flesh. So the people were still there and they responded to their spirit inside that had to praise Jesus. When the Pharisees saw this they were upset and told Jesus to make them stop saying these praises to him. Jesus replied that if he told them to stop then the stones would immediately cry out. Scientists have come to discover that rocks hold memories and recordings of all they have heard. Sounds funny but they have been able to hook rocks up to certain machines and they play back what they have heard. These rocks had been there since God said, “Let there be” and they knew the truth. If the people hadn’t have praised God the rocks would have done it. The Bible says that all creation groans in expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. (Ro. 8:18-20) Then Jesus prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem because they didn’t know the time of God’s visitation to them. Lord, you are about to invade earth with heaven. May we be looking for your visitation and not be guilty of missing you.

Wed.’s Devo - The Colt

Read Luke 19:28-35 Jesus continues his climb to Jerusalem. He is approaching Bethphage and Bethany at the mount of Olives. Bethphage means “green fig house”. The Jews were truly a green fig house. They were the house of God that had no clue what God was doing and had drifted so far from him that they couldn’t recognize him when he came in human form. They were like unripe fruit. Bethany means “house of affliction” which was what Jesus was going to receive. After his death many of his disciples would know this affliction. While he was on this mountain overlooking these towns, Jesus sent two of his disciples to find a colt that was tied and not ridden. They were to untie the colt and bring it to him. If the owner asked them what they were doing they were to tell them that the Lord needed him. It happened just as Jesus said: they found the colt, loosed him, answered the man’s question and brought it back. I often wonder about the insignificant people in the Bible like this man who owned the colt. Did he know by revelation that someone was going to come for his colt? He was created for that moment in time. I wonder if he ever knew the significance of that colt and who was going to be sitting on it. Also, why did Jesus need a colt that had never been ridden? I think it is because Jesus’ mission was to loose people who were tied up and do something supernatural in their life. To ride a colt that had never been ridden was supernatural. Lord, when we feel insignificant help us to remember this man who raised the colt that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem to become our Passover lamb. We truly are significant to God and his plan if we choose to walk in it. May we do that today.

Tues’s Devo - Preparing a Kingdom for Us

Read Luke 19:11-27 Jesus is approaching Jerusalem where he will die so he gives them a parable to explain the kingdom of God since they though it was coming soon. In his parable there is a man who went to a far away country to establish a kingdom and then return. He called in his 10 servants and gave them each a pound and told them to use these to trade until he came back. The townspeople hated him and sent word to him that they didn’t want him to rule them anymore. When he returned he called his servants in for an account of how well they had used his money. The first man had gained 10 more pounds and he gave him 10 cities in his new kingdom. The next servant had gained 5 so he gave him 5 cities. But, one man came and gave him back his pound because he said he was a tough master who reaped where he didn’t sow so he had kept it in a napkin so he wouldn’t lose it. The master was furious and told him he could have at least put it in the bank to gain interest. He took his pound and gave it to the man who had gained 10. When the people complained he said if you have then you shall be given more, but if you don’t have then what you do have will be taken from you. Then he had the townspeople who hated him killed. In this parable the master is Jesus who is leaving to set up his kingdom for them to come to later. While he is gone he had given his followers the gift of salvation to share and multiply on the earth. The townspeople are the enemies of God who hate God and don’t want him to be their king. If we take this gift of salvation and share it then we will be rewarded later according to our works. If we don’t then it might be taken from us. In the end their will be a judgment. Jesus told them to let them know that there is a time period of waiting for the master to build his kingdom and our job is to occupy doing the works of Jesus till he comes back. He will come back and ask for a reckoning. Lord, show us how to “occupy” till you come back.

Mon.s’ Devo - Zacchaeus

Read Luke 19:1-10 Jesus is passing through Jericho and the crowds were filling the streets to see him. A rich man named Zacchaeus wanted to see him but he was very short and couldn’t see above everyone’s heads. He decided to climb a sycamore treed to be able to see. The Holy Spirit told Jesus about him and when he got to the tree he looked up and called him by name. He told him he was coming to his house to stay. The people complained that he was choosing to go eat with a sinner when they should have been awed that he knew he was in the tree and called him by name. By Jesus singling out Zacchaeus and giving him notice, it changed his heart. He wanted to totally change his life and give to the poor and right all his wrongs. Jesus saw this for what it was - repentance. He told him that salvation had come to his house. Jesus told the people that this was his mission. He came to search out the sinner and save them. True repentance is not just asking Jesus to come into your heart it is allowing the Holy Spirit to take over your heart and cleanse it. Salvation begins a process of sanctification where you truly become a new creature. Old things and old desires are passed away and new desires replace them. The test of true repentance is the desire to want to change. Our new man hates sin and loves righteousness so we have to train ourselves to walk in the new man’s desires instead of the old man’s. Lord, may we always be glad when a sinner comes into the kingdom and may we choose today to walk in our new man. Jesus gave them a parable to explain God’s timing about his kingdom coming to earth.

Fri.’s Devo - From Darkness to Light

Read Luke 18:31-43 Have you ever felt like you were throwing your pearls before swine? You pour out truth to people that don’t seem to understand or hear. That is what Jesus did day after day. Today we see him telling the disciples what is about to happen in Jerusalem to him and they don’t comprehend it at all. He tells them he is going to be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, hated, spit on, scourged, killed and raised on the third day. That was the whole plan in a nutshell and they didn’t understand any of it and to it was hidden from them. Yet Jesus told them because he knew that the Holy Spirit would be able to bring it back to them if he just spoke it. Sometimes we need to just put things out into the atmosphere for a time ahead. On his way to Jerusalem he passed through Jericho, the first city the children of Israel had to conquer when they crossed into the promised land. Jesus was about to cross over into his promised land but first he needed to do something symbolic here. There was a blind man begging by the side of the road. When he found out that Jesus was passing by he cried out for Jesus to have mercy on him and heal him. The disciples tried to get him to be quiet but he cried even louder. Jesus commanded him to be brought to him and asked him what he wanted. He said he wanted to see and Jesus healed his blindness and he glorified God. This was a precursor of what Jesus’ death would do. It would open blind eyes of those who God had chosen and they would praise God. When they defeated Jericho the first time they went at night with lights under earthen vessels. They broke the vessels and blew trumpets and the walls came down. This blind man was the broken vessel living in darkness that Jesus broke to let light come into his eyes. His mouth became the trumpet to proclaim praise to God. Through his conversion the walls of Satan’s kingdom were breached. Lord, break our earthen vessels that your light and praise may break forth.

Thurs.’s Devo - How to Enter the Kingdom of God

Read Luke 18:18-30 A rich ruler came to Jesus to ask how to be saved. He first tried flattery calling Jesus “good”. Jesus rejected the flattery and gave God the glory. When Jesus told him to follow the commandment,s the man said he did. So now we see he is self-righteous. So Jesus gave him one more opportunity to humble himself and told him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor. Then God would give him his treasures and he could follow Jesus. Finally the man’s heart has been exposed. He can’t do it and leaves sad. When Jesus sees his reaction he says that it is hard for a man with riches to understand the true riches and enter into the kingdom of God. He compared it to a camel trying to go through the eye of a needle. There is an actual “eye of the needle” that is a narrow low gate that the camels couldn’t get through unless they got down on their knees and crawled. He wasn’t saying it was impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God but just that he would have to come in on his knees - humbly. When the disciples heard Jesus’ response to the rich man they asked him the same question: “who can be saved?” Jesus responded that what was impossible with man was possible with God. So his answer was anyone who humbled himself could be saved. Peter reminded Jesus that they had given up everything to follow him and Jesus said that because they did, they would receive much more in this life and in the next. Lord, may we come to you on bended hearts and knees.

Wed.’s Devo - The Humble

Read Luke 18:9-17 Today we have a parable about people who trust in their own righteousness - the Pharisee, and judged others - the tax collector. The Pharisee was thanking God that he was not like other people and especially this tax collector. He went on to list his religious acts of piety he practiced. At the same time the tax collector was praying humbly for mercy from God. He knew he was a sinner. Jesus said that God heard his prayer and forgave him but the Pharisee was not justified. If we exalt ourselves before God then he will have to humble us, but if we are humble before God then God will exalt us. In the next story, the disciples do the same thing the Pharisees did. People were bringing their babies for Jesus to bless and touch. The disciples thought this was a waste of Jesus’ time. Jesus rebuked them and told them that the kingdom of God was made for the humble and helpless. They needed to be as humble and helpless as these little babies to be able to enter God’s kingdom. It is hard not to compare ourselves to others we see who seem to be making mistakes and not following God the way we think they should. But God sees the end of that person. I think of Paul who was so self-righteous and hated and killed Christians because his eyes were blinded to the truth. Jesus took the blinders off and God humbled Paul to become one of the greatest apostles of all time. It is hardest to see that happening to one of the members of our own family but with God all things are possible! Lord, humble us to see ourselves and others through your eyes.