Luke 12:13-15
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.
Read Luke 12:13-15 slowly noticing each word in Jesus’ answer.
With the crowds pressing in on every side, Jesus has warned his disciples about the lure of power and prestige and the emptiness that awaits those who pursue those aims. He has also explained that the only life worth living is a life centered on God in complete dependence on the Holy Spirit.
Now, as if on cue, a person in the crowd calls out to Jesus with a request for justice. But Jesus sees below the surface of the plea and immediately calls out the misguided motive of the person’s heart.
Get quiet and still for a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts. Then think about the kinds of situations that cause you frustration and anger and the kinds of requests you bring to Jesus on a regular basis. What might this say about what value most? Talk with Jesus about whatever comes to mind.
Read Luke 12:13-15 again.
The person in the crowd is seeking Jesus in an effort to get something for him or herself – in this case material gain thinly disguised as justice - and Jesus’ answer is not an indication that he isn’t concerned about justice. Jesus sees the real motivations of this person’s heart and knows that the acquisition of money and possessions is obscuring the extreme poverty of his or her soul. The source of life is standing within earshot, and rather than ask for the help he or she really needs, the only thing this person is concerned with is material gain.
Meditate for a while on these words from Psalm 50:10-12:
“…all the animals of the forest are mine,
and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird on the mountains,
and all the animals of the field are mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for all the world is mine and everything in it.”
For the final moments of this time of reflection practice gratitude as you recognize that everything you have, and everything you love and enjoy, is simply on loan to you as a gift from God. You could repeat this prayer over and over filling in the blank each time: “God, thank you for the gift of…”
Then get still and listen to the Holy Spirit.
What might Jesus be inviting you to do or do differently today?
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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.
