But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. —Luke 19:41-42 What has ever made you weep where your chest was heaving and tears streamed down your face? More than likely if you have been in that situation it was over the death of a loved one. Jesus was overlooking the city of Jerusalem as He rode toward it on a donkey. It was what we call Palm Sunday or the Triumphant Entry. As He…

For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost. —Luke 19:10 Have you ever lost something and you looked and looked and searched and searched for it until you found it? It could have been your wallet, cell phone, keys… something that you really valued. Remember how you felt when you found it? You rejoiced! Well, this is what happens when one person repents and calls on the Name of the Lord Jesus. There is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents! I am part of a special evangelistic event that is taking place at the State Prison this week. Last night 15-20 men…

How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! —Luke 18:24 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will…

But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith? —Luke 18:8 If you have a lack of trust in people then you will think they have some ulterior motivation behind what they are communicating. Surely, you think, they are really hiding their real intent and then you begin to build scenarios in your mind of what they are really up to. Or it could be that you don’t trust yourself and you withdraw from communicating truthfully or communi…cate things that are not really accurate about yourself— you sensationalize to feel accepted. Either way, this is destructive to sincere communication in relationships.…

Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! —Luke 17:1 Who are those people tempting others into drugs, drunkenness, sexual immorality of all kinds, atheism, love of money and countless other vices? According to the verse above these people through whom temptations come are in deep trouble if they do not repent of their ways. Jesus said that “temptations are sure to come.” Buy, He also said, “woe to the one through whom they come!” In Mark 9:42 Jesus put it this way— “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them…

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. —Luke 16:10 Here is an abiding principle! Help a child become responsible in the “little things” before being given more responsibility with “bigger things”. Actually, this is true of adults as well. If a person cannot be responsible in “little things,” how can they be trusted with “bigger things?” This principle needs to be learned from one’s youth in life’s multifaceted purposes: in relationship with God, in relationship with people, in relationship to finances, in relationship to authority… When this basic…

When he finally came to his senses… —Luke 15:17 We people so many times just do not think right about many things. It is amazing how illogical our minds can be at times. Just this morning I was reading about the Goniurellia tridens fruit fly http://www.creationmoments.com/radio/transcripts/fly-ants-its-wings and the amazing design of ants on its wings as part of its defense mechanism. How is it that if I told you that a picture on a piece of paper just evolve you would think I had lost my mind, but when we look at this fruit fly and see the amazing identical pictures imprinted on its wings, people just say it evolved…

In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! —Luke 15:7 Ever lose something that was really valuable to you and then you found it? Remember the joy that you experienced over finding it? What relief I had when I found the wallet that had slipped out of my pocket. I was also relieved when I found my cell phone while digging a trench for an electrical line with a backhoe. Surely it must be under that dirt pile somewhere. Nope, there it was just off the side…

Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? —Luke 14:34 Ever put salt on an apple? The sweetness of an apple gives a striking contrast to the powerful taste of salt. That salty flavor truly perks up the taste buds when combined with the sweetness of an apple. We who follow the Lord Jesus Christ are to be like salt— a positive flavoring and stark contrast in society. Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). What flavor are you and I bringing to our part of the world? Do we stand out in contrast to those…

But they all began making excuses. —Luke 14:18 Ever have an invitation to some event or to somebody’s home and you made an excuse so you did not have to go? Maybe it was because you had something “better” to do or that you already had “plans.” It could have been because you just did not want to go. What is your excuse or what are people’s excuses for not coming to Jesus when they are invited? Here are a few I know of: I just don’t believe that stuff (As if there is not enough evidence). That’s good for you, but not for me (As if they are somebody…