Category: Daily Prayer

5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. 7“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
Luke 17:5-10

Jesus has a single lesson in mind with this story, but He makes us think in two different directions to reach the conclusion. It begins with a question about faith, and the disciples desire for more of it. Jesus replies that they don’t need more faith, but they do need genuine faith, a strong and true belief in what God calls them to do.

The second part of the teaching calls to our attention the fact that we are servants of God’s purpose, gifted and directed by Him, with no power or credit of our own. As His servants, we must perform the tasks appointed for us, not for glory or praise to ourselves but because God has made us for this. We must be humble in our effort as we only do that which He created us to do.

We are taught that even a little authentic faith will empower us to do the marvelous deeds that God intends for us. The only thing we need more of is our involvement in the kingdom work and the sharing of His love to all people. Faith is the fuse that will ignite our discipleship!

Gracious God, we are Your servants, only able to do that which You ordain for us. May our faith be humble and strong to accomplish Your will, and keep us in Your love to be spread across the earth. Amen.

10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
Luke 17:10

We have been taught what God expects of us in so many lessons, in so many ways, and yet we still ask “what would You have us do, Lord?” as if we’d never heard. In Deuteronomy 6:5 we hear “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” In Matthew 22:39 Jesus tells us “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Finally, just before He returns to Heaven Jesus commands us “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

These are the duties God expects of us – to love Him, to love each other and to share the Good News with all the world. It sounds so simple, why then is it so hard for us to live out the expectations God has for us? It is difficult because we are always looking for the easy way, a shortcut, some method of gaining the reward without the work.

Don’t let the ways of the world change you, you have been created to change the world! Instead of finding ways to avoid our duty, let us seek those people and situations that are difficult, knowing these are the ones God sends us to find. Jesus didn’t promise it would be easy, He said if we follow Him we must be ready to bear our own cross. When we accept these responsibilities, we become God’s servants, living out the expectations He has for us.

Loving Lord, we have been called to be part of what You are doing in the world. Make us aware of those who need our attention and help us to share Your love, fulfilling the responsibility You have given us. Amen.

8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?
Luke 17:8-9

Jesus uses some hard words here. Do we expect gratitude when we only do what we are required to do? Often it seems that way. We want to be appreciated for what we do, and sometimes we selfishly want to be noticed for what we do.

Jesus tells us that, like servants, when we do God’s work we are only doing what we have been told to do. He teaches that we should be humble as servants, not wanting recognition for merely doing what is expected of us. This is sometimes a difficult thing. We are so used to the attention of the world, we expect that God will praise us for everything we do.

The truth is that God does love us for who and what we are, His children. Our work for His kingdom is appreciated, but it is also expected. We owe Him everything, doing what is asked of us is only our duty.

Heavenly Father, we are Yours and we offer our love and praise. Help us to be good stewards of all Your gifts, using them well and in humble service for all our brothers and sisters. Amen.

7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’?
Luke 17:7

Jesus begins an explanation of responsibility and reward by asking what is expected of servants. In the society most of us are familiar with, servants are no longer a common occurrence, so we must hear this story with first century Middle Eastern ears in order to understand. This is a problem we sometimes face with scripture, being distracted by the situation and missing the lesson.

Jesus asks how a servant returning from the field would be treated. Would the master ask the servant to sit down and eat with the family? Not likely – servants were expected to complete all tasks the master required before caring for themselves. While this may seem unfair or even cruel from the standpoint of our understanding, it was the reality of life in that society, and Jesus is using their understanding of that to make a point.

Jesus is telling us that we must be ready and willing to do everything for God before we do anything for ourselves. We owe Him our very existence and are called to show our gratitude through obedience. In contrast to the story of the servant serving a human master for the master’s good and comfort, when we serve God it is for our good, and the good of our brothers and sisters.

Gracious God, we are thankful that You call us to be a part of Your work in creation. Help us to be thankful, humble and productive servants of Your kingdom. Amen.

6He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
Luke 17:6

Jesus tells us that real faith is very powerful. He is indicating that for most of us, it is not more faith but substantial, true faith that is needed. He teaches that faith “as small as a mustard seed” can accomplish amazing things.

Many struggle with their faith, wanting to believe more fully, but held back by the constraints of society and the many competing priorities we face. Like His followers, we may ask for more faith. Jesus answers today as He did then – a little authentic faith will go a long way.

Perhaps what we are asking is “Lord, deepen our faith”, and again Jesus will tell us that it is up to us to strengthen our relationship with God. Since the very beginning, God has been waiting with open arms to welcome us and to prove that our faith in Him is never misplaced.

Loving Lord, we ask You to do things for which we are responsible. Help us to see our obligation and accept the relationship You offer us in faith. Amen.

5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. 7“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
Luke 17:5-10

The disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith, and as we will learn this week, that is up to us. We are created in God’s image, with free will to choose for ourselves. This is the beauty of our relationship with Him.

Rather than being forced to worship the Lord, we are called to do so, chosen to be part of His family…if we so choose. God didn’t want us to worship Him without thinking, without the ability to say yes or no. He created us to be in relationship with Him, but not as robots or beasts who are forced to obey.

Our loving God wants us to choose Him and His plan for us because we want to be connected and to be part of His work. While as our Creator God could make us do His will, He chose to give us a choice, that our faith in Him might be truly ours.

Gracious God, while we don’t always make good choices, we are grateful for the ability to learn from them and to see Your blessings as a free gift. Help us to share our faith and through sharing, increase our connection to You. Amen.

The lesson from Luke 16:19-31 has much to say about how we use our wealth and the gifts God gives us. It’s not wrong to be wealthy, but God has expectations for those of us who are better off than others. We are called to be generous to others because God has been generous to us.

So what does it mean to be generous? Is it just giving a portion of our earnings to the church to “do good things”? That’s a part of it, but God has more for us to do. Are we aware of the issues and needs in our community and the world? We must be willing to get involved, not just write a check to avoid dealing with things personally. Jesus called us to go and do, to be an active part of the spread of God’s kingdom.

How can we be involved effectively? Pray about what God asks of you. Listen to what stirs your heart and go find ways to be useful in His work to help others. While our monetary gifts are important, our personal outreach and being willing to spend our time are also necessary. Jesus told us to “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12), and this is one way to obey that command.

Gracious God, we have been blessed extravagantly by Your love. Help us to share that wonderful blessing with all Your children here through the giving of our time as well as our treasure. Amen.

Jesus teaches us through the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) about being aware of the needs of others and caring for them. This lesson has much to say about how our actions here on earth determine our eternal situation. While we know we can’t work our way into Heaven by our own acts, neither can we ignore God and the way He calls us to live and expect a relationship later.

The story tells us that the rich man took no action to help the beggar at his front door. It is unlikely that he was unaware of him, he had to pass him every day, yet he apparently did nothing to help alleviate his suffering. God knows our gifts because He has provided them for us, and expects us to use them appropriately for His glory and the good of His children. When we selfishly withhold our help for others, God sees and is sad at our inaction.

We must listen for the call God places on our lives and obey, using the resources we have been given to share His love with all the world. God expects us to be good stewards of His blessings, using them wisely but without judging other’s situations. We are made to love God and one another individually and personally, and we must each reach out to our brothers and sisters as God reaches out to us.

Loving Lord, help us to see those in need right where we are. Make us bold to go to them, bringing the light of Your love and the Good News to all. Amen.

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Luke 16:29-31

As humans, we are always looking for another reason it isn’t our fault, another opportunity after we fail. Abraham tells the rich man that he and his brothers should have listened to the teaching of Moses and the Prophets in order to avoid the separation he is suffering. The rich man tells Abraham no, they need another lesson, that “if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent” (verse 30).

The sad truth is that the one who rose from the dead is telling us this parable, and there are still those who do not listen to His teaching. Abraham tells the rich man – and us – that we must pay attention to all the lessons we have been given. God has sent many to share His love and truth, but it is up to each of us to accept this gift for ourselves.

Don’t be like the rich man in this story, waiting until it’s too late to be repentant. We must examine our lives, how we care for one another and share the Good News if we are to avoid the fate the rich man suffers in this parable. We must show the love He first gave us to everyone every day.

Loving Lord, we are slow to hear and understand Your lessons. Help us to listen and learn, and go to do as You have taught us. Amen.

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ Luke 16:27-28

The rich man now thinks of his brothers, in what seems to be his only concern for someone else besides himself. He asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn them that they might not suffer his fate. Unfortunately, the lesson is that after we die, our concern for others is expressed too late.

God has called us to care for each other while we are here. After we see the reality of eternity our chance for repentance has passed. Our time to turn our lives around is here and now, and to care for those God has given us. While the rich man’s concern for his family is at least a caring thought, we are charged with caring for all of God’s children, family or stranger.

The rich man’s failure was not in being rich, but failing to notice the need of those around him and using the gifts God had provided to care for them. He focused on himself and not a relationship with God and others. We must be aware of the issues that our brothers and sisters face, as we are responsible to God for their well-being.

Gracious God, we are sorry for the times we ignore each other when we should be helping. Make us strong in Your love to go to those in need and share the Good News and the gifts You have given us. Amen.