Lesson learned again...Bible reading week 15, day 1

Let's move on to the devotional of the day.  We have finished the book of Ecclesiastes and on Wednesday we will dive into the book of Lamentations to see what we can find.

I have observed that if Jesus gives a major teaching, it is soon followed by an example of it.  That example is usually a physical event that He walks through.  I think it is going to happen again.

We have just heard Jesus make an assessment of this generation (Luke 7:31-35) and if they are going to play or join up with Him and the gospel.  Many say "no."  Even though they are given options with the common opportunity to participate, they stand off and fold their arms and reject the whole idea.  The gospel has been presented to them (the game) and it came from John the Baptist and Jesus in very different ways.  Jesus described it in the passage as playing wedding and funeral as the little children imitate the grown ups going through these events.  The group of "nones" in our day is ever growing and not being affiliated is touted as a virtue but Jesus says otherwise when you are referring to Him.  The wise ones, where wisdom wins is with the children who join up and play with Jesus.  They except the game (the gospel) and truly become children of God.

Our next passage to cover is Luke 7:36-50.  Your homework is to see if you can see this major teaching of Jesus woven in this next account.  You will be introduced to two different people, Simon the Pharisee and the woman known as a sinner.  There are other things to learn in this passage but I think you will find someone playing with Jesus and someone who isn't.

Sometimes when I come across a truth that God reveals it makes me sorrowful for the many who don't play the game.  They sit on the sidelines and don't get into the game.  They get hung up on style and miss the subject altogether.  The numbers of the unaffiliated is growing.  Here are the stats:  65+, 15% unaffiliated; 50 to 64, 21% unaffiliated; 30 to 49, 29% unaffiliated; and 18 to 29, 41% unaffiliated.  It makes me appreciated our young adults who occupy the front row every Sunday who have decided to be affiliated with Jesus, to play the game rather than fold their arms and say "na, I don't want to have anything to do with anyone or anything."  In respect to Jesus, that would be a very unwise move.  Many are going that route and it is depressing.

But like Jesus' teaching, many times in my life I get a physical example of it not long after teaching it.  It happened yesterday afternoon as a small group of us gathered to hear from a young lady who has taken Jesus' hand.  Jesus has asked her to play and she is now being used to invite others to play to.  Here sat a "next generation" that was made me feel like I need to play a little harder or see that I am getting comfortable sitting on the bench.  I needed to see that and I needed to hear that.  She was following the wisdom of Jesus and going wherever God lead and while waiting was serving Him wholehearted even if her present job was at a local lumberyard.  Jesus showed me a #wisdomwins person just like He was describing to me in the Scripture of the morning.  This young woman wanted more of God, the creator of the game, and put herself in places to know more of Him and serve Him.  It opened up doors that are not our conventional America way of doing things or order that we follow and she was seeing God work.  It was more important to her to know of God than to know anything else.  Wow!  I was so glad that I got to see a physical example of what Jesus was talking about and also for me to keep playing the game with Jesus.

Remember your homework this week and look over the passage of Luke 7:36-50 and see if you can identify this major teaching of Jesus in physical form.   Let us pray.

"Lord, Your word is alive and active and observable.  Help us to be on the look out for it.  Help us to put ourselves in a place to be exposed to it.  Thank you for Anna and for our young adults who are going counter culture by seeking after You.  Help us to lead them also by our own example.  Amen."

Pastor Adam