Set it Ablaze!

“I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze!

Luke 12:49

The ministry of Christ had a very profound and far reaching impact upon this world. Christ’s zeal here is a small glimpse into His desire to see this world filled with righteousness.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your great work! You have chosen this world, this universe, as the testing ground. You have allowed evil, but only to show Your goodness, mercy, and love. You are wise beyond all measure. I will sing in my heart to the glory of Your plan all of my life here and in eternity! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Much and Much

But the one who did not know and did what deserved punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected.

Luke 12:48

This is a standard throughout Scripture. We find it over and over again. Willful ignorance is no excuse. But those who are, through no fault of their own, ignorant, will suffer lighter consequences. On the other hand, those who understand more, will have more expected of them.

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this day to serve you. Thank you for your graciousness, goodness, and holiness! You are truly amazing! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Knowing His Will

And that servant who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten.

Luke 12:47

In God’s plan those who are given the most information are expected to have the most responsibility. To be ignorant of something is one thing, to ignore it is quite another.

Heavenly Father, You are just and good and holy. We will stand in awe of You forever! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

The Unfaithful

that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unfaithful.

Luke 12:46

The Lord is the just judge. Sometimes we think that He is ignoring the evil that is going on around us. But, He is not.

Heavenly Father, Your justice and righteousness shines like the sun! You are so holy and pure! Thank You for Your judgements. To have a perfect judge is a great comfort. You are faithful and You are true. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Violence

But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and starts to beat the male and female slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk,

Luke 12:45

Notice the activities of this one who believes the master is not coming soon. Violence, drunkenness, and all kinds of evil activities will be perpetrated by such a person.

I have found that there are among Christians many who want to push the return of the Lord off. They feel that they know something else that must happen first. Or, they live without a sense of the PRESENCE of the Holy Spirit in His church. Both are grave errors.

Heavenly Father, Your power is beyond all that we can imagine! You have given man a mind that can see so much. We have by our arts and sciences conceived of so much, and yet we realize we know so little. Thank You for Your Divine Wisdom that guides our lives and comforts our minds. When I consider the works of Your hands, I think, ‘What could the Lord not do?’ And, this gives me such hope for the future. This present evil world must be the darkest the day will ever be. And, as such, how bright can it get? I will praise You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Responsibility

Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

Luke 12:44

With privilege comes responsibility. The Lord has every intention to give us activities in eternity. He will trust us with more and more. This is His practice. He doesn’t just rule manage everything Himself, He deligates.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the amazing world You have made! I am so glad to be one of Your many servants. You are The One that I serve. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

That Servant

Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes.

Luke 12:43

One of the things many people fail to understand is that the Lord created us for Himself. Even back in the perfect garden he had given humans a task.

So, we serve Him. That is the greatest privilege any of us can have, to be the servant of the Lord God Almighty.

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us a job to do and the tools we need to do it with. You are wise and strong and good. I will lift my hands to praise You forever. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

The Faithful Servant

The Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and sensible manager his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food at the proper time?’

Luke 12:42

We are called to be faithful. Since the Lord supplies for our needs, it falls upon us to simply be good stewards. We are to be trustworthy. And the Lord even supplies to us that ability if we will depend upon Him for it.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Christ! You have met every need of ours, and You have done all things well. We cannot possibly thank You enough. You are the King, and You know what is best always. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

This Parable

Lord,’ Peter asked, ‘are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?’

Luke 12:41

This is a question of Peter that he doesn’t really get a direct answer to. But, his reason for asking it is that the disciples had a hard time understanding what Jesus meant by many of the things He said.

We can be hard on the disciples, but the fact is that diligent study and good attention is needed to understand many things on Scripture. And, the words of Christ are among the passages of His Word that need the most careful study.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace, love, and mercy. You alone can lead us to lives that are truly blessed and productive. You are wonderful! Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Be Ready

You also be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Luke 12:40

The Lord does not give us the exact timetable for His plans. But, we must live ready for His presence and activity.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your plan for history! You don’t do what we expect, but You do what is best. Thank You for being the Almighty God over all. I will praise You forever! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.