Reading: Luke 18:31-43

Early this morning, as I puttered around making ready to start the fire in our fireplace insert, I started thinking about forgiveness.

Sometimes we have such a struggle giving it!

Finally I got to my Bible reading. It didn’t take long to arrive at verses 32 and 33:

“For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:

And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.”

Despite such rejection, cruelty, mockery, injustice, and pain, Jesus asked the Father to forgive them.

I wrote despite then I thought, “Also because of! He forgave them because of their rejection and cruelty and mockery and injustice and unkindness. They needed to be forgiven. And He needed to forgive them.”

So do I.

I need to forgive.

Despite what’s been done to me.

And they need to be forgiven.

Because of what they’ve done.

“Yeah, but Jesus could do that because He knew He would rise again and win in the end!”

And I won’t?

from Luke 18:38

A little bit more from Luke 18: Same Offer to Me?

Reading: Luke 18:15-30

This is really about the kingdom of God and most people who read this. (The “camels and needles” things is supposed to be a catchy title.)

Most people who read this should take solemn warning at these words of Jesus:

“How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” (24).

By historical standards as well as global averages, most of us who read this are rich. No doubt we even qualify as very rich.

Thus, we should ask ourselves if that wealth imperils our entrance into God’s kingdom. After all . . . .

“For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (25).

So what am I to do?

Put my mind and my heart and my treasure and my affection in the right place.

Anything else?

from Luke 15:20,22

A little bit more from Luke 15: Impossible Possible!