{"id":2292,"date":"2021-04-29T18:30:41","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T01:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/?p=2292"},"modified":"2021-04-24T21:46:39","modified_gmt":"2021-04-25T04:46:39","slug":"abiding-in-the-lord-luke-ch-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/blog\/abiding-in-the-lord-luke-ch-16\/","title":{"rendered":"Abiding in the Lord: Luke Ch. 16"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

(Translated version, original article written in Chinese by Pastor Mickey Hsiao)<\/em><\/p>\n

Worship<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By singing praises and hymns, awake your soul, open your heart to the Lord, and prepare yourself to welcome the presence of God and receive the Word of God that will be given to you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thanksgiving<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Petition with thanksgiving to God for a wonderful day and pray sincerely for a focused Scripture reading time! (Do not rush into reading the Bible without starting with prayers!<\/strong>) (e.g., you may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what will you be speaking to me today?)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Scripture Reading<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Get the following items ready in advance: your devotional notebook, paper, pen, and\/or electronic devotional articles so that you can easily write down the Bible verses, questions, and thoughts you have noticed! You are encouraged to open your Bible and vocally read out the scriptures (Try to practice this reading method daily or once a week)!<\/p>\n

Scripture Reading: Luke Ch. 16 (ESV)<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Meditation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Take a moment to quietly reflect on today’s Scriptures. Through such exercises, let God’s Word be gradually written into our hearts and be inscribed to our mind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Devotional<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Read the devotional articles prepared by CBCLWA (*Read the Bible first before reading any devotional materials.<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(vv.1-11) Many people may be troubled by this parable. This manager was clearly dishonest, so why use such a character in a parable? Perhaps Jesus intentionally\u00a0<\/span>used the stark contrast to catch our attention. Let us first be clear about what this parable is NOT about.\u00a0<\/span>It\u00a0<\/span>is definitely not encouraging us to gain financial wealth through unethical means<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>such as lavishly spending other people\u2019s money<\/span>. The parable does not justify such behavior. Jesus<\/span>\u00a0clearly stated<\/span>\u00a0that this manager\u00a0<\/span>was<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Dishonest: He not only wasted th<\/span>e master\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0possessions,\u00a0<\/span>but he<\/span>\u00a0also committed accounting fraud. Under today\u2019s laws his actions\u00a0<\/span>would be viewed as<\/span>\u00a0criminal acts<\/span>!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Shrewd: The sons of this world are more cunning in dealing with wealth than the sons of light. He took advantage of other people\u2019s money to\u00a0<\/span>entice\u00a0<\/span>them<\/span>\u00a0to receive him into their homes, thereby securing his future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    This manager was commended for his shrewdness<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 a quality<\/span>\u00a0we can learn\u00a0<\/span>to develop<\/span>. He saw a crisis on the horizon and took action to prepare for it. He knew how to view and use wealth in order to maximize his personal benefit. Jesus was making this point when he said,\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/b>M<\/span><\/b>ake friends for yourselves by means of\u202funrighteous wealth, so that when it\u00a0<\/span><\/b>fails,<\/span><\/b>\u00a0they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.\u201d<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The mistake we often make is that<\/span>\u00a0while<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>one\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/b>cannot serve both God and money\u201d<\/span><\/b>,<\/span>\u00a0we often\u00a0<\/span>grab\u00a0<\/span>onto money more tightly than anything else. We do not know how to manage it or how to generously share it. As a result, we miss opportunities on more important matters. Let us reflect on the dishonest and shrewd manager.\u00a0<\/span>How can we do better at the place w<\/span>here financial wealth and the eternal human soul intersect? Starting this week,\u00a0<\/span>consider how you can adjust your spending. Take, for instance, the money you would spen<\/span>d<\/span>\u00a0for coffee or boba tea for\u00a0<\/span>yourself and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>spend it<\/span>, instead,<\/span>\u00a0on building bridges and sharing the gospel with others. Share your idea with your prayer partner and ask him\/her to pray for you. Let us start with something small to learn how to be God\u2019s faithful managers!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    (vv.14-18) After the Lord Jesus told the parable of the dishonest manager, the Pharisees ridiculed him because they were lovers of money. In their eyes, wealth was proof of God\u2019s favor. Though the<\/span>ir pious outward appearance<\/span>, Jesus\u00a0<\/span>rebuked their self-justifying attitude and greed. Jesus further pointed out that a new era of preaching the good news of the kingdom of God had begun, an era that came after the era of the Law and the Prophets. People ought to carefully consider and actively\u00a0<\/span>obey His teachings so that they may enter the kingdom of God. Jesus emphasized,\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/b>Until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.<\/span><\/b>\u201d (Matt. 5:17)<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to correct the Pharisees on their mistaken interpretation of the Law and the resulting wrong actions. He then point<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0out an example. At that time, people c<\/span>ould<\/span>\u00a0use all kinds of excuses to divorce and remarry.\u00a0<\/span>In reality, such behavior\u00a0<\/span>amounted to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>sin of adultery\u00a0<\/span>as stated\u00a0<\/span>in the Ten Commandments<\/span>, something that God detests.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    We need to conduct ourselves as people who always have the\u00a0<\/span>G<\/span>ospel of Christ<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in their hearts, lest we make the same mistake as the Pharisees, wh<\/span>o\u00a0<\/span>misuse<\/span>d<\/span>\u00a0the Word of God in order to rationalize the sins they h<\/span>ad<\/span>\u00a0committed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    (<\/span>vv.\u00a0<\/span>19-33) The parable of the \u201cRich Man and Lazarus\u201d is unique to the Book of Luke and\u00a0<\/span>deeply<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>personal<\/span>, even using the name Lazarus for one of the characters. In this parable, the rich man did not have the wisdom to plan for eternity until it was too late to repent. He stood in contrast to the shrewd manager from earlier. The rich man had a big problem. We see how he feasted sumptuously every day, spending money on his own pleasures, but ignored the beggar at his front door. He could have<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>use<\/span>d<\/span>\u00a0his wealth to help the poor, but he<\/span>\u00a0chose not to<\/span>. His attitude is\u00a0<\/span>a perfect example of what Jesus mean<\/span>t<\/span>\u00a0when He said in verse 11 about being an unfaithful manager in wealth. If we put wealth first,\u00a0<\/span>if we\u00a0<\/span>worship it, then one day we will share the same fate as the rich man.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    In addition, this parable illustrates the very important fact that heaven and hell\u00a0<\/span>do\u00a0<\/span>exist<\/span>. T<\/span>hey are closely related to your life on earth! The rich man\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>suffered unbearable torment in Hades<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>On the\u00a0<\/span>opposite side of the<\/span>\u00a0great chasm\u00a0<\/span>lies\u00a0<\/span>the place where Lazarus and Abraham are, representing being with the Lord in paradise!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The rich man\u2019s last request from Hades\u00a0<\/span>was<\/span>\u00a0for Lazarus to go to his five brothers to be a witness to them. Pay special attention to what Abraham sa<\/span>id<\/span>\u00a0in the end:\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIf they do not hear\u202fMoses and the Prophets,\u202fneither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.<\/span><\/b>\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Truly faith comes from hearing the Word. If a person is unwilling to believe in the Word of God, then neither w<\/span>ould<\/span>\u00a0he be convinced by miracles and personal testimonies. Let this fact serve as a reminder for us as we prepare to share the gospel, be a witness for Christ, and call others into repentance!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Pray<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Give thanks to God for His enabling us to read the Scriptures and for our response for living out the Word of God today! (e.g., You may start with a simple prayer like this: \u201cDear Lord, what\/where are you going to lead me to today?”)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2111,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,71],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abiding-in-the-lord","category-pastor-mickey-hsiao"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2292"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2295,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2292\/revisions\/2295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}