The day with dianne Louise

Now they were also bringing even babies to Him that He might touch them, and when the disciples noticed it, they reproved them. But Jesus called the parents to him and said, "Allow the little children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for to such as these belongs the kingdom of God. Truely I say to you, whoever does not accept and welcome the kingdom of God like a little child does, shall not in any way enter it at all. Luke 18:15-17 This is one of those times when you need to read and pause. Does this scripture challenge you or bless you? It will challenge you if you are into works, becoming legalistic, judgemental, stiff in your worship and really, deep down, not free. However, if you are skipping on the inside and rejoicing in knowing the Lord, you are behaving like a little child. Enjoy! Just like a Geiger counter discerns the presence of uranium, take this scripture, go somewhere quiet, by yourself and meditate on it, chew it over, ask the Lord to reveal the you inside. ...

He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and we're confident that they were righteous and scorned and made nothing of all of the rest of men: " Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee took his stand ostententaciously and began to pray thus before and with himself. 'God I thank you that I am not like the rest of men- extortion era, swindlers, unrighteousness in heart and in life, adulterers- or even like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week and I give tithes of all I gain.' But the tax collector, merely standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, 'O God, be favourable, gracious and merciful to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am.' I tell you this man went down to his home justified and forgiven and made in right standing with God rather than the other man, for everyone who exalts himself will be hum...

Also Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not turn coward. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither referenced and feared God not respected and considered man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'protect me from my adversary.' And for a time he would not; but later he said to himself, 'though I have neither reverence or fear for God nor respect or consideration for man, yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will defend her lest she give me intolerable annoyance and wear me out by her continual coming.'" Then the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says! And will not our God defend and protect His elect who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf? I tell you, He will defend them and protect them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find persistence in faith on the earth? Luke 18:1-8 I believe thei...

Then He told the disciples: "The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you won't see it. They will say to you, 'Look There!' Or 'Look here!' Don't follow or run after them. For as the lightening flashes across the sky, so the Son of Man will be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by is generation. And just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: people went on eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage until the last day Noah boarded the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It will be the same way as it was in the days of Lot. People went on eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building. But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulphur rained from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, a man on the housetop, whose belongings are in the house, must not come ...

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God will come, He answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable: no one will say, "Look here!" Or "There!" For you see the kingdom of God is among you." Luke 17:20,21 The Pharisees were looking for a 'King,' and Jesus was telling them He was there already, and He was demonstrating the kingdom of God. Because they were programmed to look for an actual King, they rejected Him, the King of kings. If we typecast what Jesus should be and do, what his disciples should be and do, we miss an opportunity to have a relationship with the King. Always, when we want things on our own terms, we miss the mark. We cannot demand God behaves according to our tradition or our predilections. By insisting that we control how an event should take place, we miss the beauty of the sunset, the freshness of the new day. As Chrsitians we can be guilty or being offended with God because things did n...

As He went on His way to Jerusalem, it occurred that Jesus was passing along the border between Samaria and Galilee. And as He was going into one of the villages, He was met by ten leppers, who stood at a distance. And they raised up their voices and called, "Jesus, Master, take pity and have mercy on us!" And when He saw them, He said to them, "Go at once and show yourselves to the priests". And as they went, they were cured and made clean. Then one of them, seeing he was made clean, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. And he fell prostrate at Jesus' feet, thanking Him over and over. And He was a Samaratin. Then Jesus asked, "We're not all ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was there no one found to return to recognise and give praise to God except this alien?" And He said to him, "get up and go on your way. Your faith has restored you to health." Luke 17:11-19 The leppers all recognised Jesus as Lord and master. We know the area...

Which one of you having a slave tending sheep or plowing will say to him when he comes in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? Instead, will he not tell him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink'? Does he thank the slave because he did what was commanded? In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded to do, you should say, 'We are good for nothing slaves; we've only done our duty.'" Luke 17:7-10 Oh how far removed we are from these times! Imagine trying to behave like this now, we would have the unions after us. Also, being a mushy female, I would ask the servant to come and sit down and eat. I would not dare tell them to keep working and serve me. How shameful! We must remember that there are still some places where this behaviour may still exist. However, progressively it has been done away with. I think this is good but then it stops us from reali...

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." And the Lord answered, "if you have faith even so small like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be pulled up by the roots, and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you." Luke 17:5,6 Have you been in a place when something you want to see happen, say a healing, will not come and you look within and find unbelief? I have. What is the answer? I am sure the disciples here realised that although they had seen and done many mighty things there is always the one thing that challenges them. The above verse comes straight after Jesus' teaching on forgiveness, how if our brother sins against us seven times in a day and then repents, we must forgive. I wonder if this is what the challenge was? Or perhaps the epileptic child they could not see set free? Whatever the cause, they recognised a lack. Yet Jesus here is saying, "You only need a little faith to move this tree into the se...

Be on your guard. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day and comes back to you seven times, saying, "I repent," forgive him." Luke 17:3,4 There you have what to do when your brother or sister sins against you. Rebuke them! If they repent, forgive them. Jesus did not say go away and tell everyone about their sin. He did not say go to the courts. He said, "Rebuke them!" A lot of the time we are unable to confront because we ourself have sin in the shape of offense and we know that if we do rebuke them we will not do a good job, because we have an unclean heart. The freerer my heart is the better able to confront I am. This week has been a week of confrontation. Tomorrow is Friday and every day now I have had to confront someone. Tonight I was confronted by an accusation against a councillor. Tomorrow I must confront the councillor and discover the truth so that I can stand by t...

And Jesus said to His disciples, "Temptations are sure to come, but woe to him by or through whom they come! It would be more profitable for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were hurled into the sea than he should cause to sin or be a snare to one of these little ones (lowly in rank or influence). Luke 17:1,2 Some bibles use the word offences instead of temptation, however it is more applicable here. Causing the innocent or naieve to sin is serious in God's eyes. This includes seduction, calling black white, deception, using a platform to peddle falsehoods, as in a teacher, politician or pastor. John Grisham writes books about the legal profession and some have been converted to movies. He tends to cover the dark side of police, politicians, businessmen etc. in one of his books: Rogue Lawyer, he talks about the corruption that the police department in his city go to to cover up their failings and mistakes, to the point of indicting a man for murder. People w...

There was a certain rich man who habitually clothed himself in purple and fine linen and revealed and feasted and made merry every day. And at his gate there was carelessly dropped down and left a certain utterly destitute man named Lazarus, reduced to begging alms and covered with ulcerative sores. He eagerly desired to be satisfied with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover, the dogs even came and licked his sores. And it occurred that the man reduced to begging died and was carried by the Angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out saying, "Father Abraham, have pity and mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame. But Abraham said, " My child, remember that in your lifetime you fully received comforts and delights, and Lazarus in like manner n...

Yet it is easier for heaven to pass away than for one dot in the law to fail and become void. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman who is divorced from her husband commits adultery. Luke 16:17,18 Today divorce is now as bad inside the church, as outside and so is the desire to 'move on' and find someone new. Over the past 10-29 years there has been a slide away from truth in marriage, to the gospel of self. Yet, here, Jesus is saying, the law is still the law and being 'saved' does not whitewash the sin, it amplifies it. It is interesting that Jesus states the above after dealing with the love of money and how we cannot love two masters. He must have had good reason. Perhaps there was a need for someone to hear it. I know a who,e lot of someone's who need to hear it and refuse and call me harsh and out of date. Jesus wants our hearts. If He has our hearts we will be less inclined to be selfish and want to write o...

" until John came, there were the Law and the Prophets; since then the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone strives violently to go in (would force his own way rather than God's way into it.) Luke 16:16 Sound familiar? Today more than ever apostasy reigns. I  watch the happenings in America and it appears a lot of ministers and churches are turning to the soft gospel, love conquerors all. As James says: 'Be doers of the word, obey the message, and not hearers only, betraying yourselves (into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth.)' us love is important, but the love Jesus brought was full of life changing power. He confronted sin, forgave sin and taught repentance, lovingly. Jesus said, 'The truth will set you free!' Not the soppy, lovey dovey, watered down, anaemic, powerless gospel that is being preached. We are accountable for the gospel we preach. If we condone sin and call it good, we are held responsible. We ...

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, we're listening to all these things and scoffing Him. And He told them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God's sight. Luke 16:14,15 Jesus previous teaching was on the fact that you cannot serve two masters, money and God. The Pharisees loved money, to dress well and the things money could buy. The apostle Paul was one such man bu when he was apprehended by Christ and the truth of the gospel, he changed dramatically to the point he could say: whether I am rich or poor I am content. As we follow Paul throug the epistles (the letters) we see a man so different from the Pharisees. You might say a changed Pharisee is a good Pharisee. Jesus, lovingly and plainly cut through all the lies the Pharisees told themselves and others about their wrong attitudes and station in life, it was all based on lies and corruption and Jesus was ...

He who s faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little thing is dishonest and unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the case of unrighteousness mammon, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not proven faithful in what belongs to another (whether God or man), who will give you that which is your own (that it, true riches)? No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Luke 16:10-13 One thing, among many things, have I noticed. If I yield to a desire (temptation) to be lenient towards a dog, a child, myself even, in a matter that would be wiser to be tough, a new line is drawn, one that will be fiercely defended. If I allow myself to think a little indiscretion will not harm, that habit allows the indiscretion to grow because it is guarded by a lazy spirit, ...

He also said to His disciples: "There was a rich man who received accusation that his manager was squandering his possessions. So he called the manager in and asked, "What is this I hear about you? Give me an account of your management, because you can no longer be my manager." Then the manager said to himself, "What should I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I'm not strong enough to dig and I'm ashamed to beg. I know what I'll do so that when I'm remover from management, people will welcome me into their homes." Luke 16:1-4 What is interesting in this story is that the manager did not deny the accusation and was truthful in his self appraisal. He did not feel sorry for himself but went to work on a strategy that would save himself. The strategy had to be accounted so we can assume it was a legitimate business transaction, as in discounts of some sort. The owner sees the transactions and then praises the manager for his ...

There was a certain man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, "Father, give me the part of the property that falls to me". And he divided the estate between them. And not many days after that, the younger son gathered up all that he had and journeyed into a distant country, and there he wasted his fortune in reckless and loose living. Luke 15:11-13 Some of us are fortunate enough to receive an inheritance, I did, from my grandmother. Only recently did I fully understand that nothing was left to my mother by her mother, yet she left her estate, which was not large, to the grandchildren. My mother used the funds to help buy us all a home and when it came time for us to inherit, she sold the home, which we had since moved away from and it was being rented out. It hurt my mother to not receive an inheritance as mum was faithful and endured much from my grandmother who, in latter life drank and often went into a diabetic coma as a result. The son in this st...

"Or what woman, having ten silver drachmas, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and look carefully and diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she summons her friends and neighbours, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the silver coin which I had lost.' Even so, I tell you, there is joy among and in the presence of the Angels of God over one especially wicked person who repents. Luke 15:8-10 Today I think the thing we lose most is car keys, wallets for men and perhaps jewellery for women, I know I have lost my share and praise God found most. Yet there is a loss that is a headline grabber, a lost or stolen child. In Australia there was a little boy playing at his grandmother's house who disappeared. Police combed the nearby forests, suspects family and neighbours and continue to search. Every now and then he again appears on Facebook, to remind us. The day this child is found alive and well is a day of great rejoici...

All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to Him. And the Pharisee's and scribes were complaining, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!" So then He told them this parable:" What man amoung you, who has 100 sheep and loses one of them, does not go out after the lost one until he finds it? When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbours together, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!' I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don't need to repent." Luke 15:1-7 Religious people don't like sinners, they have a false sense of their own righteousness, often they are self-righteous, which is sad because this stands in the way of them receiving the love of God that is experienced in repentance. I rejoice that the sinners were attracted to Jesus, thi...

Salt is good, but if salt has lost its strength and has become saltless (insipid, flat) how shall its saltiness be restored? It is fit neither for the land or the manure heap, men throw it away. He who has ears to hear, let him listen and consider and comprehend by listening. Luke 14:34,35 Jesus is talking about us, those who say we believe. Perhaps Judas should have listened to this. He was there but did not heed the warning. Why do you think that was? He probably thought more of himself and his own ability than he should. Remember Peter fell into that trap but came back, Judas didn't. The preceding lessons tell us how we slip. Our priorities become other than Christ. Our family, our business, our pleasure all become more important than Christ, we become dull of hearing and gradually lose our saltiness, our flavour. How do we stay salty? Jesus told us the key: abide in Him. As I abide, I am saturated with His ways, His presence, His purposes, His thoughts, His agenda. I love the w...

"For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn't first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish, all the onlookers will begin to make fun of him, saying, 'This man started to build and wasn't able to finish.' Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with 10,000 to oppose the one who comes against him with 20,000? If not, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. In the same way, therefore, everyone of you who does not say good-bye to all his possessions cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:28-33 Jesus would agree with those who say, "Do not make it easy for people to ask Christ into their lives, instead let them seek and struggle a little, then when they find Him they will be truely grateful." I can identify! I searched for Christ for 15 years, through the Cathlolic c...

Whoever does not persevere with his own cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:27 There are three elements here: We do have a cross to bear We must actively embrace it by picking it up We must then follow Christ Most of us go through life trying to avoid anything that looks like a cross, right? Yet what troubles us most is perhaps our cross. Mine is isolation from family, being misunderstood and rejection. Yet, can I tell you a secret? When the pain is at its worst I embrace it and yield and sacrifice my desire for it not to be there to the Lord saying, 'I give you my desire and lay it down, I pick up my grief and will carry it, for your glory, now, may Your kingdom come in me. I expect to see fruit from this sacrifice!' The beautiful thing is, I do see fruit, breakthrough, blessing. My prayer above covers all these elements. It has only taken me forever to understand, realise the process and know what my God wanted to do through it. I also had to kill self-pity. Th...

" If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother ( in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude towards God) and likewise his wife and children and brothers and sisters- yes and even his own life also- cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:26 Does his challenge you? How many of us put family on a pedestal, above all else?  Matthew 10:37 puts it this way: whoever loves father and mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me. Selah! I know people who do this, I could have been prone to this, but God intervened. The people this refers to live for family and rarely go outside of the family circle. This means the never reach out but become insular. The first time I came to Tamworth, the church I now attend had this problem. I actually saw a spirit in the corner, it was large and fat, in other words well fed. It took radical pastoring to break its power. The people were very insular, I asked the Lord the name of the spirit, He sa...

But Jesus said, "A man was giving a great supper and invited many; And at the hour for the supper he sent his servants to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for all is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses and to beg off. The first said, 'I have bought a piece of land, and I have to go out and see it; I beg you to have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine and put my approval on them; I beg to be excused.' And another said, 'I have married a wife, and because of this I am unable to come.' So the servant came and reported these answers to his master. Then the master of the house said in wrath to his servants, ' Go quickly into the great streets and small streets of the city and bring in here the poor and the disabled and the blind and the lame.' And the servant returning said, 'Sir, what you have commanded me to do has been done, and yet there is room. Then the mas...

Jesus also said to the man who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbours, lest perhaps they might invite you back in return, and so you are paid back. But when you give a banquet or a reception invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, the blind. Then you may be blessed because they have no way of repaying you and you will be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. Luke 14:12-14 I have been guilty of inviting over people from church so that I could get the stone rolling and be invited back, yet it never went far. Perhaps it was because the people were blind and lame, although they did not appeared so.  The times I step out and invite without thought of repayment I am blessed. I am an invitaholic (I know, I made that up). Yet I will continue to invite people because that is who I am. I believe God is leading me out on the ice again. In other words faith is up to something. I sense i...

Now He told a parable to those who were invited when He noticed how they were selecting the places of honour, saying to them: "When you are invited by anyone to a marriage feast, do not recline on the chief seat in the place of honour, lest a more distinguished person than you has been invited by him. And He who has invited both of you will come to you and say, "Let this man have the place you have taken.' Then, with humiliation and a guilty sense of improprietary, you will begin to take the lower place. But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when your host comes in, he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at table " Jesus was teaching a few things here:  Humility and the benefits of it Strategy I had always assumed that Jesus was admonishing the Pharisees, silly Pharisees, who were always looking at ways to condemn Him and failing to accept His beauty at face value. Ye...

" O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who continue to kill the prophets and to stone those who are sent to you! How often I have desired to gather your children together around Me, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken! And I tell you, you will not see Me again until the time comes when you shall say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Luke 13:34,35 What I see here is a heart that loves the unlovely. Even though Jesus was rejected by His own, He still loved them and wanted to draw them to Himself. Yet their hard hearts resisted Him. This word is prophetic. When the Jews welcome Christ they will see Him again. Oh what a joyous time that will be! Amen! A relationship with Christ brings joy. He is so good. He is the best! Amen! The Lord has more love for us that we could possibly imagine. I was able to share my joy in my relationship with my Jesus with my cousin who is 80. Now that was fun!

He went on His way through towns and villages, teaching, and journeying towards Jerusalem. And some one said to Him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Luke 13:22-24 The key to entry is a willing to find the narrow door. Jesus elsewhere tells us that narrow is the road to life and wide is the road to destruction. Those on the road to destruction are seeking eternal life just the same but want it on their own terms, with all the trimmings they believe is their right. However, the narrow road is on the Lord's terms, trusting for the trimmings He wants to give. The many assume that He is miserly and won't give but if they control the ride, they get the much. However, I can tell you this is wrong. Those who trust the Lord and seek His face have benefits that many would die for. The first being His face. I have just had a God controlled ...

And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened. Luke 13:20,21 If you have ever made bread you can attest to the amazing work that yeast does in the flour, a small amount suddenly doubles. The yeast changes a few cups of flour to a living mass, much lighter and tastier than plain flour. I know God was drawing me to Himself for a long time. In the finally moments He placed me in a group of nurses, amidst which two were believers. We just happened to become friends and hang out in the same group. Meanwhile God was at work in my heart until the finally moment arrived when I knew my sin and He brought me in. God is quietly at work in the hearts of the unbelievers, using the believers to pray and minister to the lost. His process works, can be trusted and relied on. Today I go to a new place to see relatives not seen for the longest time. The last time I saw my cousin she w...

He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and he birds of the air made nests in its branches." Luke 13:18,19 The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. Now, I don't know about you but I imagine the kingdom of God as a place of might and power and able to do anything. Yet here, Jesus compares it to a humble seed. How great is a kingdom that can identify with a lowly seed? What security is this? The next thing we see is the man plants it, in his garden. Ok, the man takes it and plants it, in his own garden. What is my garden? The place where I do life, it is malleable, moveable, dynamic and alive. How do I sow the seed? Could I suggest I sow it with the words of my mouth? I sow either life or death. However, the inference here is a life-giving exercise. The seed grows and produces a tree in which the birds of the air can dwel...

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues n the Sabbath and there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years, she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because He had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done, come on those days and be healed and not on the Sabbath day. Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? Luke 13:10-16 Jesus successfully shamed the leaders and gave hope to the bound. Sticking by the letter of the law may have tickle...

And He told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vine dresser, "Lo, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?" And he answered him, "Let it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put on manure. And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down." Luke 13:6-9 This story illustrates a few things: The owner, God, comes expecting fruit There is a cost for unfruitfulness The vine dresser, Jesus, pleads for us and places manure around us He sees how He could perhaps get us to grow At the end of the day, if we are unfruitful, we get the chop.  We are expected to grow fruit. The fruit that is expected is that we believe in Him and do exploits. He encourages us to produce fruit with manure. Be mindful that manure stinks, it will not be a pleasant experience....

There were some present at that very time who told Him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And He said to them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered thus? I tell you No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think they were worse offenders than all those who dwell in Jerusalem? I tell you No; but unless you repent you will likewise perish. Luke 13:1-5 We can assume that the sins we see in others cause calamity to strike and somehow overlook our own. Jesus was here, basically, telling the listeners that repentance was necessary. There was a calamity that befell the national capital in the years after Christ's death and resurrection, thousands died in a Roman suppression. Self-righteousness is a disgusting disease that endeavours to trap us. If we see ourself speaking poorly of others, we a...

"And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out till you have paid the very last copper." Luke 12:57-59 Having a hot head causes us to rush into self- justification, self- righteousness and self-preservation. We may attempt o preserve our image now but by overstepping the mark we are made foolish. The righteous indignation does not equate to righteousness under the law. Laws are cold and clinical and not emotive, it is us who are emotive. Being rash is tied to emotional turmoil and leads us to destruction. Humility is the path to righteousness, always. We can humble ourselves or be humbled by God. Humbling ourselves is less painful than being humbled. Acting rashly hurts our family and friends, they will have to do without us, whi...

"When you see a cloud rising in the west, you sat at once, 'A shower is coming', and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'There will be a scorcher tomorrow', and it happens. You Hypocrits! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky; but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? Luke 12:54-56 Now, I didn't quite know this, but now I do. The key thing to learn is knowing how to interpret this present time, the past two days has found me at a financial conference where there was a lot of talk about current and future markets and being able to interpret the signs. Today, more than ever we need insight, understanding and wisdom, along with discernment. I am currently staying with friends in SA and we had lively discussion around the dinner table about what the markets are doing. Constantly after taking in the information at hand I go to my Lord, it is His show after all. Being wise in my own eyes is futile. Am...

"I have a baptism with which to be baptised, and how greatly and sorely I am urged on until it is accomplished." Luke 12:50 Jesus came for one thing, win us back from Satan and open the door into right fellowship with the Father. Whilst He was walking toward Calvary He taught, performed miracles, brought together a bunch of misfits and created the bones of the army of believers who would go forth in His Name. He also made friends, ate meals, and spent down time with the disciples. I am here for one thing, and so are you. I am here to win disciples to Christ but on my road is a business that the Lord has called me to. He is in the process of enlarging me and giving me greater vision, all so I can influence more people and win more to Him, as well as fund His cause. This is my only cause. Yes I will have down times along the way. Today I fly to Adelaide for a two day conference for work. Afterwards I am going to go camping and diving with a new friend, catch up with old friends...

"I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish that it were already kindled." This verse deals with judgement at the second coming. By saying He wished it was already kindle, perhaps He was referring to all that went in between, including His impending suffering. I have been reading a lot about planets and stars lately, probably because I have bought a telescope. There was a particular discussion around the significance of Jupiter and how it shields us from bad stuff, but also attracts other stuff, I might say okay stuff. There was another article that showed that the larger planets don't seem to have a set rotation around the moon. They somehow move in and out, according to a pattern, whereas the smaller planets, earth included are fixed. There are many theories as to why this happens, I know it is God. Yet the book of Revelation tells us there is coming a time when the stars fall and large burning objects, I suppose comets or meteors fall in the sea and on lan...

"Lord," Peter asked, "are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?" The Lord said, "who then is the faithful and sensible manager his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food at the proper time?mthat slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded. I tell you the truth: He will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if the slave says in his heart, "My master is delayed in coming, " and starts to beat the male and female slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk, that slave's master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his masters will and didn't prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten. But the one who did not  know and did things deserving blows will be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. ...

" Be ready for service and have your lamps lit. You must be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once.  Those slaves the master finds alert when he comes will be blessed. I assure you: He will get ready, have them recline at the table, then come and serve them.  If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn, and finds them alert, those slaves are blessed. But know this: if the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have not left his house be broken into. You also be ready, the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect." Luke 12:35-40 This is a truth we are yet to accept because every time there is a devastation we think, it might be now or very soon. Yet this tells us, we will not expect it. He will come when we are at peace and perhaps at ease. It is not saying we should lose sleep and stay up all night, but rather be in tun...

Then He said to His disciples: "Therefore I tell you, don't 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 is more than clothing. Consider the ravens. They don't sow or reap: they don't have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren't you worth much more than the birds? Can anyone of you add a cubit to his height by worrying? If then you are not able to do these things, why worry about the rest? Luke 12:22-26 Do we worry? I'd say we do. I must be honest and say I find myself anxious at times and the anxiety usually surrounds provision. I remember going through a period of two years with just one pair of dress shoes. There were times when this fact chafed me and I had to praise the Lord I had shoes to wear and that they still looked good. It was a test for me and then suddenly I was able to buy a few new pairs at a bargain price. The Lord was interested in my attitude. Being gratefu...