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“Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.’” (Luke 17:20-21, NIV)

Resist the urge to make the kingdom of God real “out there” before it has become real “in here.”

In today’s scripture reading, Jesus tells us that His kingdom is personal, not geographical; spiritual, not temporal; hidden from natural observation, yet growing by leaps and bounds within the life yielded to Him.

As much as some of us might want to Christianize (or spiritualize) the law, the government, the marketplace, the neighborhood, and the school — as the Pharisees desired to do in Jesus’ day; it always becomes a fool’s errand when such changes are imposed from outside. Change that is positive, lasting, spiritual, and liberating always begins within an individual — and manifests itself in the choices that that individual makes.

Is God’s rule (kingdom) growing within you? – Luther

Tagged the book of Luke, the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of Heaven

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“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’? 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’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So 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 17:7-10, NIV)

Today’s scripture reminds every disciple of Jesus of two critical aspects of our discipleship: (1) We are servants, and (2) our service in no way obligates God.

As servants, the end of one kind of service is the beginning of another service. Furthermore, as noted by the bible commentator Matthew Henry (1662-1714): “Whatever we do in the service of Christ, we must be very humble, and not imagine that we can merit any favour at his hand, or claim it as a debt. . .”

Such ideas are both peculiar and anachronistic to a society that esteems the quid pro quo; but as citizens of the kingdom of Heaven, we esteem and emulate our Master who, “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

Service is our duty. To serve is to be like Christ. – Luther

Tagged Matthew Henry, obedience, service, servitude, the book of Luke

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“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.'” (Luke 17: 5-6, NIV)

The disciple of Jesus must resist the temptation to think — as the world is inclined to think — that “more is always better”; or that “big is best.”

One definition of economics is “the allocation of resources.” In the economy of God, a little boy’s lunch — freely offered — feeds multitudes; and up-armored giants are slain with a sling and a stone.

Today, offer to God’s service whatever it is you already possess. Our heavenly Father cares not as much for our ability as He does our availability! – Luther

Tagged availability, faith, the book of Luke