No one can serve two masters

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Luke 16:13

Have you ever been in a position at work where you feel caught in the middle of internal politics? When I was a retail manager I seemed to find myself in this position pretty much every day! My day-to-day manager would ask me to do something, and then the store manager would visit on his daily walk round and ask me to do completely the opposite! I felt like a ball being pitched between two people, or like a small child playing “Piggy In The Middle,” the one trapped at the centre. I didn’t know what to do, because it seemed whatever I did I would get it in the neck from one or other of my bosses.

Sometimes being a Christian can feel like that. We try to follow God, to live as he would wish, to work for his glory, but at the same time we live in a world that has turned its back on God. One of the key issues that can be at the heart of the battleground of faith and life in the “here and now” is that of money. As Christians we know that all we have has been given to us by God. We know that we have to be careful stewards of his gifts to us. And we know that we should give money away, to our churches, to charities, to those less fortunate than ourselves. But at the same time, we have to pay the rent, pay our fuel bills, pay the phone bill, put petrol in the car, and feed ourselves. What’s more, in 2013 we find ourselves in a situation where salaries are stagnating or even falling, whilst our bills go up and up. How can we possibly be expected to give money away when we find life such a struggle?

Today’s verse gives a clear warning about our attitude to money. Jesus talks of money being a “master.” He warns us that, as I found in my retail days, it is impossible to serve two masters. If we allow money to dictate our lives, if the acquisition of it becomes the focus of our existence, if it drives all that we do, then it has become our master, and we cannot honestly follow God. Instead, we need to ensure that God is our master, that it is he whom we love, and that it is he who drives all that we do. If we love and trust in God, we trust in his provision, and therefore we do not need to make the acquisition of money the focus of our lives. A tough principle to live by at the best of times, but even more difficult when living in an economic downturn. I’m sure I’m not the only person who needs to pray about this in the coming days!

The compassion of a father

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

Luke 15:20

A few weeks ago, my wife Claire visited Orlando to present at an international conference. I was really pleased for her – a really great opportunity for her professionally, but also just a fantastic experience to visit Florida. She was away for just over a week, and it was the longest time we have been apart since we got married two and a half years ago. I was surprised by just how much I missed her whilst she was away, and I was so happy to see her again when she (eventually – thanks BA!) returned home.

Now, in our extended reading today, there are some wonderful parables, and I would encourage you to read the passage in its entirety (just click on ‘Expand passage’ above), but time after time, the verse I have selected for today’s Daily Reading hits me right between the eyes as I read it. The image of a father constantly scanning the horizon, hoping and waiting for the return of his son, is extremely powerful. The father’s response to finally seeing his son almost brings a tear to my eye; he sees him, runs to him, flings his arms around him, and kisses him. He is just so happy to see his son again, the son who he feared he might never see again. Yet here he is, he has returned! The father here, of course, represents God, who is eagerly awaiting every person on this planet to return to him. And when, as sinners, we do turn back to God, he is just thrilled beyond words. What a powerful picture of God’s love for you, for me, for everyone!

Let’s give thanks today for the love that God constantly shows us, for the immense compassion he has for us. Let’s try to live as better children of God. And let’s encourage those we encounter who have yet to turn to God to do so. He is waiting for them with compassion in his heart and a ready embrace!

Hate your loved ones?!?

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 14:26

I currently live some distance from my family. Whilst I live in London, my parents, brother and sister, grandparents, most of my aunts, uncles and cousins live in East Anglia. As a consequence, I don’t get to see them quite as much as I would like. I’m very fortunate, however, to share a holiday home with my immediate family, which we tend to use quite a lot in the summer months. On a hot, sunny weekend, there can be quite a few of us there, and it’s a great time to catch up with them.

As someone who is quite close to my family, today’s verse struck fear in my heart before I fully understood what it meant. Surely Jesus cannot expect us to hate our families; surely this contradicts the overwhelming message of love we find in the gospel? Well, I understand that in this verse “hate” actually means “love less.” Jesus is telling his followers that they must love their families, their partners, and themselves less than they love him. That’s still quite a challenge. I love my family a great deal, and I love my wife even more. Jesus says that if we are truly to be followers of him, though, we must love him even more than these!

Once again, some difficult words today. Perhaps you’ll join with me in praying that my love of Christ will continue to grow day by day as he strive to follow him more and more closely.

Those who humble themselves will be exalted

“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 14:11

Pride is one of those things that I struggle with. I’m sure many of us do. Is it okay for us to be proud of doing a good day’s work or completing a project successfully? We’re often asked about pride in job interviews: what is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? Is it okay to answer questions like that as a Christian? I was really proud when my novels were published; surely this is only natural isn’t it? Does that make me a bad Christian?

Jesus talks about people ‘exalting’ themselves in our verses today. He says that ‘all who exalt themselves will be humbled’. This is quite tricky language, but a quick search on Google suggests that exalt means, ‘to hold (someone or something) in very high regard; think or speak very highly of’. The warning that Jesus gives, then, is perhaps to those who hold themselves in high regard, who try to lord it over others, perhaps by virtue of their position or perceived position. Jesus warns people who take this attitude: they will be humbled. How will they be humbled? In the context of this passage, those who ‘exalt themselves’ will find it very difficult indeed to ‘eat at the feast in the kingdom of God’. If we want to join God at this feast, we must take the opposite attitude: we must seek to lead humble lives. If we do, then we will be exalted by God himself, who will call us to be with him.

I’m not sure that this passage suggests that there is anything inherently wrong about being proud of our achievements, but it does make clear that it is wrong to think too highly of ourselves, and to try to elevate ourselves above others. After all, if we consider Jesus as our ultimate role model, he led a humble life and ultimately was humiliated in death. If we seek to follow his example, we should endeavour to be humble too. Then, just as Jesus was exalted by God to his right hand in heaven, we too will find ourselves exalted to heaven. What an exciting prospect that is!

The Narrow Door

He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”

Luke 13:23-24

When Claire and I moved to London, we had great difficulty trying to find somewhere to park our car. We eventually secured a space in our apartment block’s garage, however this requires an impossible ninety degree turn to get into it. The space is also so narrow that if there was a car in the next space, neither we nor the people parking in that space would be able to get in or out of our cars. Fortunately for us, the neighbouring space is currently empty, and Claire is an expert at tight parking, having grown up in a busy city, so she can just about manage to get the car into the space.

In today’s verses, Jesus tells his followers that getting into heaven is very difficult indeed. He tells them that to enter God’s kingdom requires a great deal of effort, since the door is very narrow. Many people will try to get through the door but will find that the treasures of this world that they have gorged themselves on have resulted in them being unable to get through that narrow door. In order to pass through the door it is necessary to follow a careful spiritual diet, avoiding the temptations of the flesh and striving to serve Christ by loving God and loving others. Only then will it be possible to pass through the narrow doorway and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Many believe that by simply living a good life, being nice to people and giving money to the poor is enough to gain entry to God’s heavenly kingdom. It is these people who will find themselves disappointed. It is worth remembering just how narrow this doorway is in the coming weeks as we seek to live out the Gospel in our daily lives.

Punished by God?

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

Luke 13:1-3

I’ve been preparing my pupils recently for their Common Entrance History exam.  Part of the exam is a source exercise in which they have to interpret a range of evidence.  We’ve been looking over an exercise relating to the Black Death of the 1340s.  One of the pictures we’ve looked at shows God in a cloud sending arrows tainted with the Black Death to kill off sinners.  This was a common idea at the time; the plague was sent as a punishment for all those who offended God.

Interestingly, in today’s verses, Jesus contradicts this idea that having bad things happen to you is a punishment from God. Some of his followers tell him about an incident in the Temple when several Galilean pilgrims were killed by the Romans. Clearly people had been discussing this, and saying that these poor worshippers must have been evil, sinful people.  Jesus says that this is most certainly not the case.  God does not punish people in this way.  He also warns those listening to him. Sinners will be punished.  Sinners will ultimately perish.  There is hope, though.  Those who repent of their sin, who turn to Christ and accept his death as the penalty for their wrong doing, will not perish.

Two vital lessons, then, in these few verses.  Firstly, when we find ourselves going through difficult times in our lives, we are not being punished by God.  He might be leading us through situations that hurt, but that is in order that we are shaped to be more like his son, which will ultimately be for our good, and the good of God’s kingdom.  Secondly, we are reminded of the need for us to repent of our sin if we do not want to perish.  Equally, we must urgently get the Gospel message out to those of our friends and family who do not believe if they are to avoid God’s judgement.

Be Ready For Service

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.”

Luke 12:35-36

I’ve just made arrangements for one of my friends (who, for the purposes of this reflection will remain nameless!) to pop round to our flat tomorrow evening for dinner.  Now, this friend has a very senior and important job and works phenomenally hard.  As a consequence, his movements can be a little unpredictable.  There have been quite a few occasions when he has promised to arrive at a certain time, but then has been ridiculously late.  I usually take his promised arrival time with a pinch of salt and sometimes, when he doesn’t arrive on time, I’m not ready: the sitting room may be untidied, or the dinner uncooked.  I suppose if I was a better host I would ensure I was completely ready for my friend’s arrival.

In today’s Bible verses, Jesus talks of servants being ready for their master when he returns from a wedding banquet.  Good servants, I should imagine, are always poised for the return of the master, ready to open the front door to him as soon as he arrives.  I can’t imagine good servants having to scurry around doing last minute tidying as their master knocks!

Of course, Jesus is teaching his disciples through a parable here.  He is the master, they are the servants, and the wedding banquet is heaven.  Jesus makes clear that, after his death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, he will return.  He tells them that when he does return, they must be ready for him.  They must look out for his return at all times, even in the dark of night.  They must ensure that they are constantly aware that one day he will return, and they must wait expectantly.

This message is one of great hope for us, but there is also a warning.  Jesus will return.  He will come back and lead all those who have accepted him as Saviour to the great wedding feast.  But he also warns that we must be ready for him.  We must live lives worthy of him, and strive to be Godly in all that we do.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Luke 12:34

What do you value most about your life?  Perhaps it’s your home: you might have worked very hard indeed, putting in lots of overtime and squirrelling away every penny you have until you could afford to put down a deposit on the home of your dreams.  Maybe it’s your car: perhaps there’s a particular model that you have always wanted, and you’ve finally managed to buy it.  Maybe your Sunday afternoons are spent washing, cleaning, polishing and chamois-ing.  Perhaps you’re like me and are a bit of a gadget fiend, lusting after the latest bit of tech that promises to simplify life.

On one level, there’s nothing wrong with any of these things.  We all need somewhere to live, a car is a necessity for many, and gadgets that are useful and make us more efficient are often a good thing.  In today’s verse, though, there is a warning to us all – especially those of us who live in the materialistic western world.  Do you treasure your home, your car, or your gadgets above all else?  If you were told to sell your house to rent something smaller, and give the money away, could you do it?  Similarly, if you were asked to sell your car and rely on public transport, or offload your gadgets, and give the money to feed the starving in Africa, would you be able to?  It is where we invest our time and money that reveals the state of our heart, and, if we are Christians, our heart should be devoted to serving God.  We should trust that God will always provide what we need to live, and should demonstrate God’s love by giving to those who are more in need than we are.  What’s more, it should be obvious to those who see us that our hearts are devoted to God, not to the treasure that materialistic societies value.

The short verse we look at today is hugely challenging, and I write this reflection as one who is greatly challenged by it: I certainly need to heed Jesus’ teaching in this area more than I currently do.  Maybe that’s something that you and I can prayerfully reflect on in the coming weeks.

Acknowledge Christ before others

“I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.”

Luke 12:8

I’m a teacher, and have just enjoyed a week off; our school’s half term holiday. One evening during the week, my wife and I went to the cinema to see “Wreck It Ralph.” Claire enjoyed the film but I must confess to dozing off in the middle! As we were leaving the screen, I noticed one of my pupils queuing up to pay for his pick and mix. I quickly ushered Claire out of the cinema, hoping that we wouldn’t be spotted. It wasn’t that I was ashamed of my wife and my pupil meeting, but it’s always a little awkward meeting children I teach out of school.

In today’s verse, Jesus talks about the fantastic future that lies in wait for those who acknowledge him before others. Sometimes we can be afraid to speak of our faith and to tell our friends about Christ. This might be because we’re embarrassed, but perhaps more likely it is due to the fact that we think it might be rather awkward to do so. Jesus says in this verse from Luke’s Gospel that if we speak about our faith to those we encounter, he will acknowledge us publicly before God when he returns. This should give us a real motivation to speak freely and publicly about all that Jesus has done for us. In doing so Jesus will present us to God as his friends whom he loves and whose penalty for wrong doing he has already paid. In short, if we speak openly about Jesus and our trust in his death and resurrection, Jesus will lead us into heaven.

Why not try in the coming days to speak openly about your faith to people you know? And if you have any useful tips about how to do so, please do share them, along with your thoughts in today’s passage, in the comments below.

“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”

Luke 11:43

I used to volunteer with a Hospital Radio Station.  It was great fun.  I really enjoyed working with a friendly bunch of people, putting radio shows together, and presenting on the air.  By the time I moved away from the area, I had my own regular show in which I was allowed to play pretty much whatever I wanted, and build my show just how I liked.  I like to think that I was producing great quality radio, week after week after week.  Of course, though, I fell into the trap that many hospital radio volunteers fell into.  For me, my role was all about selecting the best records, choosing the best jingles, and devising the best features.  Of course, though, I had missed the point.  Hospital radio should not be about the volunteers, but about the patients.  The really wonderful thing about hospital radio is visiting the sick, particularly those who otherwise would not get any visitors, chatting to them, trying to cheer them up, and playing the music that they loved.

In the verse singled out for today’s Daily Reading, Jesus is particularly scathing about the Pharisees.  He believes that they have missed the point too.  They are keen to be seen to be following even the tiniest of detail of the Law, yet they have missed the bigger picture.  Being a good follower of God is not about the types and quantities of herbs you offer in sacrifice, it is about something much bigger.  Following God is about loving justice.  It’s about having a passion for fairness, for standing up for those who are being victimised, for supporting those who need to be cared for, for ensuring that no-one goes hungry.  Perhaps most importantly it is about knowing, and displaying, the love of God.  The Pharisees, though, were more concerned about themselves, and being seen to be holy, than they were about showing people God’s love.

The world we live in today is profoundly unfair.  It can also be a very unloving place.  As I get older, I become more and more aware of just how hard life can be.  The words of Jesus today can be a warning to us too.  Our Christian faith should not be about adhering to rules; rather, it is about knowing God’s love, loving God, loving our neighbour, and standing up for justice.  Let’s try in the days and weeks ahead to really do our utmost to share God’s love with all those we encounter.