February 2nd, Monday: Luke chaps. 15-16

Luke 15

These parables are Christ's defense of His ministry, explaining why He fellowshipped with sinners and even ate with them.

He saw what they were.

They were sheep that had gone astray and needed the Shepherd to bring them home.

They were lost coins, stamped with the image of God, needing to get back into circulation again.

And they were disobedient sons who were wasting their inheritance and needed to come home to the Father.

Jesus saw how they got that way - see, sheep are foolish animals and naturally go astray.

But the spiritual shepherds of Israel has not faithfully ministered to them.

The woman lost the coin because of carelessness.

The son was lost because of his willfulness.

The father did not search for the boy, but let him learn his lessons the hard way and discover how good it was back home.

We'll see that He saw what they could be.

Jesus always saw the potential in people.

The sheep could be brought back to the flock and bring joy to the Shepherd.

The coin could be found.

And the son return and lovingly serve his father.

There is hope for every sinner, because Jesus welcomes everyone

Luke 16

Money - it's proper place.

Stewards should use wealth for their master's good, and not for their own pleasure.

God wants us to enjoy His gifts.

But He also wants us to employ them wisely.

We can serve God with money.

The man had a rude awakening when he had to give an account of his stewardship.

Then he learned to be wise and to invest wealth in people and in the future.

See, we do not buy friends, but we can make friends for the Lord by the wise use of money.

Will people welcome you to heaven because your stewardship made it possible for them to hear the gospel and be saved?

It was John Wesley who said, 'Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.'

There's another quote, 'Money is a wonderful servant, a terrible master and an abominable god.'

We can try to serve money and God.

The Pharisees tried it but it really cannot be done.

How can you serve both righteousness and unrighteousness, what is greatest and what is least, what God honours and what He abominates.

The world measures people by how much they get, but God measures them by how much they give.

We can let money be our God.

The rich man did not go to Hades because he was rich.

No, he went there because money was his god.

Abraham was a wealthy man, and yet he is in paradise.

See, money can help send people to heaven, or it can help send people to hell.