Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is, or There it is’ because the Kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20 (Luke 15, 16, 17:20-37, 18:1-14, 20:1-20)
Following Jesus’ harsh lessons on arrogance, self-interest, and absence of compassion and love, He turns to parables, the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son, to illustrate how much He loves to forgive. In another story he commends a dishonest manager for his shrewd business dealings. While this seems to conflict with integrity it is a word picture that recognizes we need money to exist, but it must not be our god and we should always praise the One who provides everything. Jesus tells of the crippled servant that went to Heaven and his rich master begged him to dip his finger in water and touch his tongue because hell was agonizing. Jesus states, there will come a time when all choices are final. Finally, pray with bold persistence for God hears and will answer, just as He did for the widow.
If Jesus had a hobby, it would be forgiveness. No matter how much we fail, His Mercy and Grace are boundless and more than sufficient to cover our sin, heal our soul and meet our need. There is room enough for a sermon in every verse listed above, but I will spare you. However! I encourage you, when you feel worthless, defeated or lost in an overwhelming world, read any of the above parables and find just how valuable you really are. Jesus told these stories for us to hear and place in our hearts, where His scripture says, The Kingdom of God already is.
Happy Mid Week,
Gretchen