I will answer one day….

 

And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.  Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”  Luke 17:1-4 (ESV) Those who choose to sin choose to live outside the way it was meant to be. The real choices we have will also have real consequences for us, those we love, and our acquaintances. If my actions cause another person to sin, I will be held accountable to God. My choices are real. My consequences, both good and evil, will be real. I would be wise to see my decisions in the light of how it affects others knowing that I will answer for myself and how I affected them when I stand before God.

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Glimpse into our thinking

 

“And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—  for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’  He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”  Luke 16:27-31 (ESV) We may think we know what those who have died before us would say to us if they had the chance. Here we see what the rich man would say and do if he had the opportunity to visit earth once again.  He would tell his family that God is real, that heaven and hell were real, and that ignoring God is foolish. This is a glimpse into how people think who had entered their eternal state before us by the only one who knew what that experience would be like. We would be wise to think about how we could enter eternity as Lazarus did rather than the rich man. For now, the choice is still ours.

There comes a time…

 

“The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.'"  Luke 16:22-24 (ESV) Those who ignore God, for any reason, will have many regrets. God is available to all who seek Him, and promises that those who honestly seek Him will find Him. The rich man found money, fame, fortune, and comfort. However, in finding all the good stuff in life, he had no time or desire to find God. There comes a time where it is too late, and for him, it was too late. If you are reading this, it is not too late for you. For now, the choice is yours.

Significance and security?

 There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.  And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.”  Luke 16:19-21(ESV)

There are rich and poor in this world. Both the rich and the poor have the same problems and opportunities. The rich and the poor long for significance and security. The rich often look for their significance and security in their money, homes, status, or health. The poor often envy the rich, thinking they would be significant and secure if they were in their position.

Yet, in reality, they both seek the same thing. The significance and security they both desire are equally available to all, regardless of their status. The rich often become distracted by the chase and fail in life's most important task.

Being rich, comfortable, and influential will never bring lasting significance and security. In this story, Lazarus was the one who found life, while the rich man ended in tragedy.

Where do you find your significance and security? 

One Master

 “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Luke 16:13 (ESV)

We were made to serve, not to be served, and we will serve someone or something.  Satan knows we are wired to serve, and he tries to distort our purpose by having us serve things that should not be served.

Many today serve money. Many chase comfort, fame, and independence. In essence, they serve themselves, as they work towards things and ways to gratify their flesh.

When we serve God alone, we fear no circumstance, embrace all opportunities, and seek God's purpose for us every moment of each day. When we serve a false god, we are anxious about circumstances, miss opportunities, and see no sense in what God is doing in our lives.

We were made to have one master, and life only works well in its designed context.

Make Your Bed!

 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?”  Luke 16:10-12 (ESV)

Sometimes, perhaps often, we fail to see the connection between small tasks and huge successes. Those who dismiss the little details for the more significant do not realize that the little details are the more significant issues of life.

All ideas and actions have consequences. If I can be trusted with the insignificant in life, I can be trusted with the significant.

Often college students are obsessed with the important decisions they need to make soon. They are anxious about meeting the right spouse, finding the right job, living in the right place, and transitioning from dependent to independent living.

I would suggest that they first make their bed, keep their room clean, show up to their classes on time, clean the shower daily, and do their dishes after eating.

Then, perhaps the important "stuff" will take care of itself.

Families are a gift from God!

 “And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’  But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.’”  Luke 15:26-29 (ESV)

Families can be rough places. The line between love and hate seems so thin, and sometimes the silliest things fuel jealousy, anger, and bitterness.

The wise see their lives as something that should be used to make others successful.  Children should often be reminded that all they have is a gift, and if they ever begin to focus on what they deserve, they might get it. If that happens, they again will cry for and appreciate mercy and grace.

Families are a great gift from God. Therefore, Satan focuses his attacks on the family because they are the cornerstone of society. We need to focus on the family because it is the cornerstone of society.