Dear Precious Friends,
On this 10th day of December we are in the Read a Chapter of Luke a Day Challenge/Blessing and it is impossible for me to pick just one area when this Chapter is FILLED with incredible Pearls of TRUTH just like ALL THE CHAPTERS!! So I will pick 2 and try to be as Brief as possible which you now know is IMPOSSIBLE for me!
Let's start with the most important Command from our Lord!!
Luke 10:27 You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And, Love your neighbor as yourself.
Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' was a legitimate question that this man, who was an expert in the Mosaic Law asked the Lord Jesus. The Lord did not answer directly but responded with a counter-question. “'What is written in the law?' He asked him, 'and how do you read it?'
Oh his quick reply came directly from perfect Law of Moses and with keen enthusiasm this clever lawyer was proudly able to respond with the correct answer: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and you must love your neighbor as yourself.
'You've answered correctly,' Jesus told him. But then the next words that came from our Savior's lips were shattering, for He continued 'Do this, and you will live.' DO THIS and you will live!! DO THIS and you will inherit eternal life. Love the Lord your God with ALL of your heart, ALL of your soul, ALL of your strength and ALL your mind, and love your neighbor as you love yourself - and if you DO THIS you will live.
But in our fallen, sinful state we realize that we can never, ever love the Lord our God as He requires. Jesus was graciously pointing out that inheriting eternal life through the works of the Law was an impossibility for fallen sinners. For who in this world can honestly say that from birth to death that they love the Lord their God with ALL their heart, ALL their soul, ALL their strength and ALL their mind?
The first commandment alone requires total dedication to the Lord throughout our whole life. The demands of this one commandment alone require 100% commitment 100% of the time for 100% of our life - and the plain fact is that the standard that God requires for entrance into eternal life is impossible - theoretically impossible, practically impossible and spiritually impossible. Keeping the Law is impossible for you and impossible for me - just as it was impossible for this expert in the Law, who proudly considered that keeping the works of the Law would gain him a ticket to eternal life. But instead it shows man's desperate need for a Savior.
No one but Christ has ever.. nor could ever attain to the impossible, perfect requirement of the Law, which only serves as a schoolmaster to point us to Christ - the Law is an ideal that is unattainable by human effort. The Law of God is an impossible standard that convicts sinners of their need of a Savior - it is a tool that God has designed to show mankind that we are all lost and all in need of a Savior.
Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me that I can never attain to the perfect standard that You require for entrance into eternal life, but I praise and thank You that Jesus paid the price for my failure to attain to the perfect standard of the Law and in so doing has given me forgiveness of sin and life everlasting - simply by grace through faith in His finished work on Calvary - to Him be all praise and glory for ever and ever, AMEN.
Luke 10:42 There is really only ONE THING worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it and I won't take it away from her...
The Lord Jesus reminds us that without Him, we can do nothing. Our dependence upon His person and His provision is what He is seeking from all His children, if we are to grow in grace and produce good fruit to His praise and glory. One of the biggest dangers in our spiritual walk is to render Him service without receiving from Him the sufficient strength to carry out the task.
Mary of Bethany is found on three occasions simply sitting at the feet of the Lord Jesus, communing with her Savior, listening to His word - looking to Him, learning of Him, loving to be with Him, and pouring out her worship to Him - and in so doing her spirit was refreshed and her soul revived. Jesus told us all that one thing is necessary - and Mary chose the better part.
Work that we do for the Lord is good and important.. indeed we are told that God has prepared good works for us to do and we are also told that we will be rewarded on our works but our work and witness for Him must be balanced with meaningful worship.
Unless we sit at His feet and spend quality time communing with our Lord as a priority.. our life will be fruitless, our work will become tedious and our witness will be void of power. Work that we do for the Lord is good and profitable, but it must be combined with worshipping at His feet - looking to Jesus, listening to His Word and seeking that deep and intimate communion with Him that Mary found - as she sat at His feet and looked to her Savior.
Let us never set out to work and witness unless we have first sat at His feet and worshipped.
Heavenly Father we desire to be faithful to you as You command us to do. I pray that we would choose the better part and sit at Your feet day by day so that ou spirit may be refreshed and my soul revived - and so we may be used by You as a vessel for Your praise and glory, in Jesus name we pray, AMEN.
(Knowing Jesus)
