Good Morning Gorgeous!

It’s a brand new day. A fresh NEW start!!!

Everyday is a NEW opportunity to walk closer with Jesus, increased surrender, more trust, and more of His ways.

In Luke 17, we hear more strong preaching!

Jesus warns those who cause others to sin. He shares that temptations are part of life, but woe to those who are the ones who bring the tempting. Those who cause others to sin.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭17:1‭-‬2‬ ‭NLT‬‬
[1] One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! [2] It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin.

And then Jesus teaches that if a believer sins, to speak with them and if they repent, forgive. And if they mess up again and again, forgive again and again! And every time they repent, forgive!

Luke‬ ‭17:3‭-‬4‬ ‭NLT‬‬
[3] So watch yourselves! “If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. [4] Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

As you read this, you may be thinking how HARD that is! And the disciples thought the SAME thing! Instead of telling Jesus that’s too hard. What about this scenario or that scenario or telling Jesus that He doesn’t know how badly they’ve been wronged. Instead of saying any of that…. they ask for something profound!‭‭

Luke‬ ‭17:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬
[5] The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”

They RECOGNIZE that what Jesus is asking them to DO is beyond what they can possibly do in the natural flesh. They will have to forgive by faith! It will take great faith to trust that God will work it all out and they can trust Him enough to forgive their transgressors again and again and again!

So may we follow that example and pray for the SAME thing! Instead of explaining why we have it worse than others and we shouldn’t have to forgive over and over, let’s ask God to change our heart, change our posture and give us faith to forgive the way He’s asking us to forgive!

Next, Jesus tells the parable of the 10 lepers. Lepers were outcasts in that society because they had a contagious skin disease that was not curable. And if by a miracle, they were healed, they were to show themselves to the priest who would declare them “clean”.

As long as they had leprosy, they were considered unclean and they couldn’t touch others, eat with people, or do most regular activities.

A group of 10 lepers approached Jesus for healing and Jesus told them to go show themselves to the high priest! He sent them to be checked out and declared CLEAN even before He actually healed them!

And since they went by faith with no questions asked, as they WENT, they were healed!

The healing took place as they obeyed Jesus to go show themselves to the priest!! Imagine that conversation and how amazing that must have been! They have leprosy and as they travel to be checked out knowing they still have leprosy, they suddenly see their skin return to normal!

Notice the FAITH! They were traveling to show their bodies to the priest to be declared HEALED even before the healing happened!

And ONE of the men received additional healing by returning to thank Jesus! He recognized where the healing came from and traveled back to see Jesus and say Thank you!

Jesus recognized that this man was the only one who came back. The only one to give Jesus the glory. The only one to say:

it wasn’t a coincidence,

it wasn’t my imagination,

it was JESUS

And he returned to say Thank You! Then, Jesus says something interesting considering the man was already healed., “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

It is very possible that the man received additional healing at that moment. Healing from sins? Generational curses? Torment of the mind? Poverty? Lack? The root cause of the leprosy maybe so that it never returns? We don’t know but we do know the man came back to thank Jesus for his healing and Jesus sent him away with another statement of , “Go! You’re healed!” Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus for layers of healing where we receive and keep on receiving until complete freedom is ours!!

Luke‬ ‭17:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬
[19] And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

Finally, this chapter ends with prophesy. The Pharisees question Jesus. When will you establish Your government? Remember, they were expecting an earthly king to restore the Jewish people back to a nation with a king.

And Jesus tells them, “It’s already here!”

Luke‬ ‭17:20‭-‬21‬ ‭NLT‬‬
[20] One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. [21] You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”

Basically, what you seek is available HERE and NOW but you can’t see it. You’re rejecting it.

Jesus begins to talk about the end of times when the Kingdom will be restored and how swiftly it will occur. That people will be eating and drinking, business as usual, and in a blink things will change!

But some things have to happen first! First, Jesus will be rejected! He spoke to them so plainly at times!

Luke‬ ‭17:24‭-‬25‬ ‭NLT‬‬
[24] For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes. [25] But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation.

He compared it to Noah’s Day and to Sodom and Gomorrah. People wouldn’t be expecting it. It would come quickly.

And so we must be ready. Ever ready for the return of Christ!

Just as He was born as a baby after 400 years of silence and it was a suddenly moment!!

His next return will also be a suddenly moment.

Take some time to spend with Jesus today and ask Him to prepare you for His return. To prepare your household. To help you to fill your pil lamp and keep it filled!

Jesus is returning! And won’t that be a glorious day!

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

Prepare us Lord! Prepare our houses. Ready our hearts. Equip us to spread the truth of Your Word. Guide us to the people who need to hear the gospel. Let us be a problem ever ready to spread the good news of Jesus Christ! Fill our oil lamps Lord and help us to get other people prepared with their oil too!

In Jesus’s Name,

Blessings and eyes on Jesus this Christmas and all year long,

Vanessa Lynn