Luke 11:43-44
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
As we continue to listen to the prophetic declarations Jesus issues to his dinner companions, read Luke 11:43-44 noting the sadness and urgency in Jesus’ tone.
Sometimes love involves confrontation. If you love someone and see them heading off a cliff, love will demand that you warn them of the impending danger. The Pharisees have missed the mark in their attempts to remain true to God and have substituted empty religious activities for true faith, and Jesus is boldly alerting them to the disaster that lies before them if they continue in this direction.
And it is not only the present company who are in danger. These leaders are supposed to be the shepherds of God’s people, but because they have lost sight of God’s heart, they are misleading the sheep. They are addicted to the praise and respect of the people, and they don’t realize that inside they are spiritually dead.
Take a moment to consider how often you sense Jesus pointing out something in you that needs to be redirected or transformed. Is your first reaction denial or guilt? Or do you recognize the love of Jesus immediately? Talk this over with Jesus.
Read Luke 11:43-44 again.
It is good to respect those who are further along in their faith and those who have dedicated their lives to helping others grow in their walk with Jesus. But when we fail to realize that even the most inspiring, dynamic leader is still a broken human being, we do a disservice to ourselves and to that leader. When we look to our leaders to be super-human, we set them up for spiritual pride and we set ourselves up for crushing disappointment.
The antidote to spiritual pride is the recognition that we are all on a spiritual journey and none of us has arrived at our destination. The only leader who will never fail, never disappoint, and never falter is Jesus himself. Those ahead of us on the journey should be pointing us to him – not to themselves. And we need to do the same for those behind us.
Imagine the journey of life as a path with Jesus as the destination. Picture any spiritual leaders for whom you have respect up ahead of you on the path. To whom are they directing your attention?
Then look behind and notice who’s following you.
Now get quiet and listen to Jesus for a while.
What might Jesus want you to learn or do as a result of his warning to the Pharisees?
What will you do about that?
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The Everyday Jesus Follower’s Guide ebook can help you learn how to recognize God's voice, how to read and understand the Bible, how to develop deep spiritual friendships, and how to become the person you were meant to be. Use it alone, with a friend or in a small group.
