Overview of: LukeToday's Reading:
Luke 13:1 – 14:35
"Embracing or Rejecting the Kingdom"
Focus Verses: Luke 13:18-21
18 Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches." 20 Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."
Insight:
Once the Kingdom of God gets a little foothold in your life, it takes over. A mustard seed might be the smallest thing a gardener could plant, but eventually it dominates and becomes bigger than anything else in the garden. A minuscule amount of yeast in a large amount of dough will eventually work its way through the whole batch. It changes everything!
Response and Action:
I desire the mustard seed and the yeast of the Kingdom of God to take root and take over in my life. Like the gardener, I must exercise my desire by giving the mustard seed a place in my garden. Like the woman making bread, I must mix the yeast into the dough of my life. I am doing this through faith in Jesus, following him, praying, taking in the Scriptures, obeying, surrendering, thinking, applying, living, and seeking the Kingdom first.
If I am faithful to plant and mix, I will the seed and the yeast (the truth and life of the Kingdom) become the most dominant and influential element of my life. The transforming power of the Kingdom of Christ will change everything.
O God, I long to be receptive and fertile soil for the seed of your Kingdom. May the power and grace of your Holy Spirit work its way through every aspect and dimension of my life. I want your ways to be my ways. I want my heart and mind to be controlled and shaped by your truth. Guide me, give me wisdom, and transform me that I might delight in your will and walk in your ways to the glory of your name. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.
Old Testament for Today: Hosea 10:12
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.
In Context: Hosea 10
Proverb for Today: Prov. 10:30
"The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land."
Recommended Reading:
Revolution of Character: Discovering Christ's Pattern for Spiritual Transformation
by Dallas Willard and Don Simpson
