Tag: increase our faith
Guard your heart!
Scripture reading for February 26th: Luke 17
Key Scriptures for over-comers: Luke 17:3-6 “So watch yourselves. “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He 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.”
Forgiveness is difficult for us. Pride often gets in the way and our desire to get even or to make the person who has wronged us feel our wrath. Jesus warned His disciples to watch themselves for this trap of offence. When He told them that they must forgive “seven times” in a single day if the offender repented, they shouted in exasperation: “Lord, increase our faith!” Jesus simple told them that they had sufficient faith to forgive and to move great mountains if they would only apply it! A very small amount of faith the size of a mustard seed could move a deeply rooted mulberry tree.
Observations for over-comers: As Christ has forgiven us great offence, we must forgive others quickly by faith. All vengeance belongs to God alone. “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
Watch yourselves!
Scripture reading for April 14th: Luke 16:19-17:10
“Jesus said to His disciples; “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves.” “ The world we live in is fallen and there are many opportunities to sin and break God’s eternal law. People are ‘sinners’ by nature, born with a propensity to sin until that is remedied by a new birth. (Psalm 51:5) Jesus was stating the obvious truth!
Jesus also warned His followers about the future judgment for those causing sin in ‘little ones.’ In other accounts, the ‘little ones’ were small children. Some feel that this also applies to new believers who are young in the ways of Christ. Jesus talked about a millstone being tied around the neck of any person who would cause sin in these little ones. A millstone was a large round stone used to grind grain and it usually weighed several hundred pounds. You can imagine the difficulties swimming a person would have with one of these tied to their neck! This word picture makes us understand the nature of the woe of a person causing a little one to sin!
Jesus told His followers to “Watch yourselves!” First this means to be personally watchful and examine our own lives for causes to sin. Jesus pointed out unforgiveness in the next part of this teaching as a big problem causing others to sin. (Luke 17:3-4) We must let go of offenses. Unforgiveness is cited by Jesus several times as a hindrance for prayer and here as a cause of stumbling for ‘little ones’. (Matthew 6:14, Mark 11:25, Luke 11:4)
Second, we must be watchful for others and especially the ‘little ones.’ Jesus tells us that we must watch out for others as well as ourselves. Love your neighbor as yourself is the second part of the great commandment that now fulfills all the commandments. Children and ‘little ones’ are so precious to the Lord and must be loved, nurtured and protected from causes of sin. Examine your own life and the ‘little ones’ around you. Are you leading them towards Jesus by your life and testimony? Today is a great day to repent! God will forgive!