Luke 17 DEVO: Forgiveness, Faith & God's Kingdom

CHAPTER 17:
Forgiveness is both an incredible gift from God as well as a very painful thing to exercise. It was certainly a killer for Jesus! Literally – Hebrews 9:22 tells us that “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” of sin. Only through the Holy Spirit’s power - as I remember the extent that God in Christ forgave me - can I forgive others. But that IS what God commands us to do. Overwhelmed by the thought? Jesus’ disciples were so overwhelmed by the thought that they asked Jesus to “increase their faith!”
Faith in Christ will lead to gratefulness, as we see in the next section. Jesus heals 10 lepers and only one of them comes back to give praise to God! Jesus then tells the one who did come to “Rise & go, your faith has healed you.” So, ok…………if he was already healed, what did Jesus mean? Literally the words mean, “saved you.” You see, we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. Not by following all the “rules” the Pharisees put on them at the time.
In the final part of this chapter Jesus teaches about the Kingdom of God. And yeah, if you read this stuff and sometimes go “what does this mean”, then get in line with the rest of us! It’s future stuff and ONLY GOD understands it completely because only He transcends time. But there are things we can understand though. God’s kingdom is more a spiritual kingdom than a physical one (“within you”). Jesus’ return will come quickly and when we don’t expect it – like “lightning.” It is meant to teach us to be ready. And it will bring with it judgment!
SO WHAT?!
*Are you a forgiving person? Is there someone whom you need to show forgiveness to? The more we truly grasp the unconditional and limitless forgiveness God has shown us, the more we will forgive whatever others have done to us! Forgive. Ephesians 4:32
*Are you ready for Jesus to come back? Ok, ok, none of us are really “ready” but we can be prepared! Are you spending time each day growing deeper in your relationship with Jesus and wider in your witness to others? Our time will be up some day.
*This past week, have you been more of a complainer or more of a thanker? (ha- new word) Faith is Christ will lead to a grateful spirit and that grateful spirit will be a refreshing witness to those around you! Why not start right now by taking a moment to thank God for who He is and for all He has done for us!