APRIL 3 | LUKE 17:20-37

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DAILY READING

Luke 17:20-37

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REFLECTION

Always Prepared 

by Judy Webb

One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, “Here it is!” or “It’s over there! For the Kingdom of God is already among you.” (Luke 17:20-21 NLT)

Isn’t this just like human nature wanting all the answers; never willing to wait or enjoy today? We want to know what is going to happen tomorrow, too! And we want to know now! We are an impatient lot. We need to be in control of even those things which are out of our control.

Verse 24 gives us a hint: “For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes.” This verse tells us that when He returns, we won’t be asking such questions, it will be obvious to everyone. Not only that, but there will be no warning, no steps leading up to that monumental day.  Life will go on as normal until the last moment when everything changes! Christ’s Second Advent will be as visible and unmistakable as the lightning.

The closest example I can think of is from my own life. One day my husband and I were planning our retirement and dreaming of the day when we would move to our dream home in the Northwoods of WI. Then the next day we were in the emergency room hearing the words TERMINAL. “For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (Thessalonians 5:2)

I am so grateful that Dave was ready to meet Jesus. There was mourning of course, but there was celebrating as well. A new home in his future, but in a far better place than the Northwoods of WI…but the actual “God’s country”.

“If you cling to your life you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.” (v.33) NLT

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father,

Keep us close to you. Inspire us to share our stories with others who may need to hear how the Gospel is Good News for them too. There is no guarantee of tomorrow. Eventually our time will run out. We need to make the most of every day and draw nearer to you until you return. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JUDY WEBB

I have been a member of UALC for 26 years and have been writing devotions for this site for about 17 of them. Writing is my passion. As retired staff I still love everything about UALC and its members including my small group.

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April 2 | Luke 17:11-19

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DAILY READING

Luke 17:11-19

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REFLECTION

Faith that Saves

By Katie Borden

We, as humans, like to be in control.

We can pretend it’s not true. We can posture ourselves as “laissez-faire” people, just taking whatever comes in stride, but as soon as something comes along that upends our curated sense of our dominion, we lose our ever-loving minds.

Or maybe that’s just me, and not you.

I suspect that some of us even approach our theology with a similar subtle intention of being in charge, of controlling the spiritual situation: What exactly does it mean for me to demonstrate faith? How do I KNOW if I’ve been saved? What do I need to DO to ensure that I get what I want from God?

This is all rumbling in the back of my mind when I read the narrative of the ten lepers. While all ten acted in obedience, trusting that Jesus would cleanse them by his word, the Samaritan leper came back to praise God, falling at the feet of Jesus in gratitude (v. 16). There’s so much to dwell on here, but I was struck by something so simple and yet so profound:

His faith was in Jesus.

Not in the priest’s pronouncement of his cleansed status.

Not in his actions.

His faith was not even in his own faith to believe.

His faith–and therefore his loving response–was rooted in and therefore directed toward Jesus.

When this faith was stirred in him, I cannot be certain. What I do find interesting is that, even before he and his nine other diseased companions even began to call out for mercy (v. 12-13) and believe that Jesus might have compassion on them, Jesus had already come near enough to them. The Kingdom of God was already in their midst before they had done a thing. 

I think about that whenever I find myself trying to “earn” my own salvation.

What do I think I am doing that could possibly compel God to love me more or come any nearer to me than he already has?

Even before I could think to ask God for faith, or love, or life itself, he loved me and offered himself to me. God drew near to me before I ever even thought to draw near to him.

He loved us before we even knew to love him.

All that is left for us is to walk in obedience of the gift he has already given us, and then to fall at his feet in gratitude.

PRAYER

Spend some time just thanking Jesus for the ways he has been working in your life before you even knew to look for him. Then, ask him to help you respond in obedience to the love and faith he has enlivened in you.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KATIE BORDEN

I’m a lifelong member of UALC and have had the privilege of serving our community in both volunteer and staff roles over the years. I love learning, OSU football, good conversations, chocolate croissants, laughter, and sharing about the good news of Jesus in whatever capacity I can.

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April 1 | Luke 17:5-10

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DAILY READING

Luke 17:5-10

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REFLECTION

Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed

By Pam Mann

 Luke 17 opens with a few truth gems nestled together. In verse 6, the disciples ask Jesus something which we also want: Increase our faith. Were they expecting Jesus to inject them with a spiritual force? Would they glow like Moses coming down from Mount Sinai? You probably don’t want a faith experience that makes you glow. Maybe you just want more confidence when you pray.

I remember as a pre-teen going to a Christian kids camp. Though I was an adventurous kid, I was very afraid of the dark. (I blame my fantastic imagination for this great fear.) Anyway, as God would have it, I was captivated that week by the teaching of the camp pastor. Our first morning Bible study, the pastor talked about the power of the Spirit of God to move into our hearts and minds to rearrange the furniture. This metaphor struck me profoundly because furniture never got rearranged in my family home. I was all in for rearranging furniture in my heart and mind. What if God could just load up my fear of the dark and cart it right on out of me?

What power would such a major transformation require? Jesus says: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”

All day I thought about God’s Spirit hauling out every bit of fear clinging to my soul. I envisioned jackhammers and drills, with huge chunks of ungodly fear being loaded into

wheelbarrows and hauled off to hell. (Like I said, fantastic imagination.) That night we walked in total blackness on the woods trail to the campfire circle for evening worship. Each camper had a flashlight whose beams were, of course, bouncing everywhere but on the path. Beyond those unruly light beams loomed total darkness. So, what’s it like to walk in the dark without fear?

I admitted to God that I had zero experience in being fearless. I needed help. I needed to learn a new way of thinking about the dark. I wasn’t even sure if I had faith the size of a mustard seed.

I sensed the Lord say this faith thing is His gift, not my pulling myself up to a standard never before known. It’s His gift. And that’s not all! Jesus personally accompanies me. There may be, in fact, very bad things in the dark. But there is within me and around me Christ in whom all things were made. We walk by faith in Jesus, not in fear of the darkness. That night, I experienced something like a mulberry tree being uprooted and thrown in the sea. I was set free.

PRAYER

Thank you, Jesus, that darkness and light are the same to You. Grant us simple faith in You to walk without fear, to walk with You. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PAM MANN

I first joined UALC when my husband (then my fiancé) and I were college students involved in youth ministry. God has used UALC to nurture our family’s faith, even in our years outside the U.S. I’ve participated in UALC ministries with kids, art, prayer, exercise, ESL, and Bible teaching. I do all the fun church things.

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