Luke 17 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

Luke 17:3-5

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

Forgiveness that is pleasing to the Lord is a must in the Kingdom, and it is born out of faith. Jesus is teaching about forgiveness, and the disciples' response and request to it is both important and telling. They could have asked for many different things here, but the Bible says they asked for only one: more faith! They don’t ask for people who will treat them better; they don’t ask for wisdom or understanding; they don’t even ask for a bigger heart for people – but for more faith! Why?

I think it’s because as we grow in our faith, we grow to be more like Christ. The more we trust Him, believe in Him, and follow Him, the more we resemble Him to those around us. In order for us to grow in our forgiveness, we must first grow in our faith. The disciples understood this, and we would do well to grasp it also.

Now, this isn’t an easy thing or even a quick fix; some of us have deep hurts and terrible wounds from those around us. But for those wounds to truly heal, there must be a release from it that comes through forgiveness and surrendering it to God. The bigger the wound, the harder it is to forgive; that’s why we need a greater faith to help us to let it go and to live in Him.

So, if we want to increase our forgiveness, then let us first increase our faith, and as we do that, I believe forgiveness will start to come more readily and naturally to us! Let’s be like our King, who forgave those who had no right to be forgiven and loves us at our worst!

1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

God bless! I love you all, but His love offers freedom and forgiveness! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

Luke 17:32

“Remember Lot’s wife!”

I love how Jesus uses Old Testament stories to teach New Testament truths, thus connecting the two and showing us that both are important and valid. Every Jewish hearer of this statement would know exactly what the reference to Lot’s wife meant. Lot’s wife had a divided heart, and it ended in her destruction. They were fleeing Sodom because God’s judgment had come upon the city, and His wrath was being poured out, but while they were fleeing, Lot’s wife and her divided heart got the better of her, and she looked back.

She looked back because she wanted to go back, and that my friends, cost her her life, and it can cost us ours also. Christ has set us free from the penalty and hold that sin had on us, but if we reject His gift and turn back to that sin, then what can we expect to receive? A warm welcome from Him or something similar to what Lot’s wife received?

This doesn’t mean that if we sin while we are in Christ, then we are doomed, but it does mean that if we reject Him and His offer of freedom and salvation, then there is nothing left for us but death and destruction. Lot’s wife had the inside track to salvation and yet gave it all up for a look back at the city. The city, which symbolizes sin and depravity, had slowly curled its claws around her, and in a moment of weakness, she turned back to that which God had commanded them not to.

So today, let us do as Jesus said and remember Lot’s wife; why she did what she did and what it ultimately cost her! This story is a sad and sober reminder that some will turn back and be destroyed; don’t let it be you! He is faithful to forgive and lead us, but He does require that we give Him all of our heart; after all, He paid for it!

1 Corinthians 6:19,20- Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Luke 9:62- Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

God bless! I love you all, but His love deserves our undivided heart! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!