Dad's Ramblings -- Eyes To See

PARABLES OF JESUS – Eyes to See
Luke 11:33-34
 
" 'No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body is full of darkness.' "
 
Most people have two eyes, but not everyone can see. Their eyesight has somehow been damaged or distorted so they cannot see. It must be a terrible thing to walk in darkness. But much of the world is walking in spiritual darkness, and their lives are full of darkness. Even sadder are those who choose to walk in darkness. As Jeremiah said, "Hear this now, O foolish people, without understanding, who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not" (Jeremiah 5:21). Someone has said that there are no so blind as those who will not see. They are people who put the light "under a basket" so they do not have to see the light. When the light shines on their sin, they reject the light instead of rejecting the sin. "Their eyes have been closed lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them" (Isaiah 6:10; Acts 28:27). People who want to continue in their sin after the light has shined have eyes that are covered. "If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ...should shine upon them" (II Corinthians 4:3-4). But praise be to God, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Isaiah 9:2). I'm so glad that my eyes have been opened to see the light of Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The light of the gospel shines into the eyes to those who will see.
 
Have a bright day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Persistent Prayer

PARABLES OF JESUS – Persistent Prayer
Luke 11:5-8
 
"And He said to them, 'Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight, and say to him, "Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him"; and he will answer from within and say, "Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you"? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will rise and give him as many as he needs.' "
 
Remember that there is usually one central teaching in a given parable. In understanding this parable, the one main idea is persistent prayer. It is not that God doesn't care and doesn't want to be disturbed by our petitions. From the total context of Scripture, we know that God is "a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1), and He invites us to cast all of our cares on Him because He cares for us (I Peter 5:7). Jesus followed this parable with the admonition to "ask [and keep on asking], and it will be given you" (vs. 9). When it seems that God is asleep and the doors to heaven are shut, we are not to quit praying but to continue to seek His help.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Persistence is the key to prayer.
 
Have a persistent day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Parables of Jesus -- Compassion and Mercy

PARABLES OF JESUS – Compassion and Mercy
Luke 10:36-37
 
" 'So which of these three do you think was a neighbor to him who fell among thieves?' And he said, 'He who showed mercy on him.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise.' "
 
Mercy is more than a feeling. Compassion is an emotion; Mercy is an action. Compassion feels; Mercy does. The priest and the Levite may have said, "I feel sorry for that poor chap," until they were blue in the face, but it meant nothing to the man who was hurting. The Samaritan was moved with compassion and showed mercy by getting involved. Helping someone who has beaten and robbed by life is not a religious duty; it is loving my neighbor.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Compassion feels; Mercy acts.
 
Have a "mercy" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- How Are You?

PARABLES OF JESUS – How Are You?
Luke 10:35-36
 
" 'On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the inn-keeper, and said to him, "Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you." So which of these three do you think was a neighbor to him who fell among thieves?' "
 
"How do you do?" and "I'll pray for you" are such a flippant greetings that they usually mean nothing. Most of the time the person doesn't really care how I am. The person who checks again later to see how things are going is the true neighbor. Neighborly love calls for long-term commitment – not just a passing concern. And there may be on-going financial costs as well. It's one thing to drop a dollar in the Salvation Army kettle; it's another thing to get involved. Compassion is more than a passing "How do you do?".
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Neighborly love requires a long-term investment of time and resources.
 
Have a neighborly day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Take Time

THE PARABLES OF JESUS – Take Time
Luke 10:33-34
 
" 'But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.' "
 
Ministering to the hurting may cost more than material resources. It may necessitate that valuable commodity – time. It takes time to pour oil on the person who has been beaten and wounded by life. Or it may require going across the country to help people through a disaster. The priest and Levite – those high falutin' religious folks – did not have the time to spare because they were involved in more "spiritual" things. Their agenda did not have room for hurting people. It's much easier to throw money at a problem than to give time to it. But compassion does that.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Helping the hurting takes more than money – it costs time.
 
Have a "time-out" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Parables of Jesus -- The Same Road

PARABLES OF JESUS – The Same Road
Luke 10:31-32
 
" 'Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.' "
 
Both the priest and Levite were religious people and involved in church work. The priest led worship, and the Levite was responsible for the physical care of the Synagogue. But neither had a heart to minister. I can imagine their reasons for passing by – "I'm late for church," or, "I don't want to get involved," or, "I don't have EMT training," or "I just bought these new clothes and I don't want to get them dirty," or, "He shouldn't have gotten himself into this predicament." Lots of excuses, but no compassion. They forgot they were all on the same road and it could have happened to them.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: We are all walking life's road together, so we should stop to help fellow-travelers who are in need.
 
Have a helping day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Parables of Jesus -- Stupid Decisions

PARABLES OF JESUS – Stupid Decisions
Luke 10:30
 
"Then Jesus answered and said: 'A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.' "
 
The context: A man asked Jesus how to gain eternal life. Jesus directed him to the law given to Moses – to love God and neighbor. The man, "wanting to justify himself," asked, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus answered the question with this parable of a man who was wounded by robbers and left half dead. Life tends to do that to people, and Satan himself is a thief who robs people of their dignity, beats them, and leaves them half dead. But the traveler put himself into such a mess when he made a stupid choice to walk a dangerous road alone. I confess I don't have much compassion for people who's problems are caused by stupid decisions, like someone who is stabbed outside a tavern at 2:00 in the morning, or a lost or injured climber on Mt. Hood who hikes in dangerous situations without an emergency phone. The truth is, we all make dumb decisions and suffer for them. I am glad for "neighbors" who have compassion and help me through my pain even though it is the consequence of my stupidity.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: It is good to have a "neighbor" who will help us in our time of need, even if it is caused by a stupid decision.
 
Have a "neighborly" day. Love you.