March 31 | Luke 17:1-4

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DAILY READING

Luke 17:1-4

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REFLECTION

Offender or Offended?

By Dave Mann

Jesus often surprises me with his take on things.  In only four verses in Luke 17, he manages to astound me on both ends of a spectrum: concerning those who might offend others and those who might be offended.  You might say that Jesus is an equal-opportunity shocker.

First of all, Jesus warns us to be careful about leading others astray (vv. 1-2).  It’s one thing to sin

in a way that only affects us personally.  It’s another matter if our waywardness draws others to join us in our sins.  Jesus has a penchant for protecting children, who are not yet experienced enough to protect themselves from the foolishness of others.  Jesus has strong words as a consequence for those who lure children into vice.  The image of a millstone around the neck and then cast into the sea, should give each of us reason to pause and think, “How might my actions cause the youngest among us to make bad choices?”

Secondly, Jesus challenges us when we are sinned against, even if it is regularly (vv. 3-4).  Many of us are quick to play the victim card when we are offended.  Some of us like to draw sympathy from others.  Others want to keep a running tally of how much we have been hurt so that we have “the right” to get even in the future.  However, Jesus is the one who has been sinned against the most on the earth, and he challenges us to develop a lifestyle of forgiveness. 

Don’t get stuck in petty and foolish arithmetic as you read these verses.  We might be thinking of Jesus’ words about forgiving someone even seven times in the same day.  If we find ourselves counting, “That’s one.  That’s two.  That’s three...”,  the very act of keeping score indicates that we have not forgiven the offender even the first time!  The use of the heavenly number seven is simply a way of urging us to adopt a godly lifestyle of forgiveness.

Whether we find ourselves more like the offenders (vv. 1-2) or more like the offended (vv. 3-4), none of us can find ourselves righteous and fully approved by our own merit.  We all need the grace of God in Jesus to find our way through this life on earth and then be welcomed into the heavenly gates.

PRAYER

Lord God, the more I read the Scriptures and walk in your ways, the more I see that I have nothing to offer you.  All I have is the awareness that I need your grace and mercy.  Whether I am the offender or the offended, I need Jesus’ forgiveness.  I can only stand in your presence if I am clothed in Christ, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of six. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.

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March 30 | Luke 16:19-31

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DAILY READING

Luke 16:19-31

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REFLECTION

A Life Well Lived

By Elaine Pierce

For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart (I Samuel 16:7).

It's so easy to judge people by what they wear, isn't it? You've all heard the saying "dress for the job you want." If you show up to work looking like you just got out of bed, your boss won't be too happy. Sundays used to be a day when families dressed up: men in suits, women wearing dresses and, often, hats, and children in smaller versions of their parents' clothes.

But is that what Jesus is talking about in this passage? Is it all about appearance? Lazarus, the beggar, certainly was not pleasant to look at: covered in sores, probably emaciated from hunger, while the rich man "lived in luxury every day." Two more opposite pictures could not be painted of wealth and poverty. Lazarus had a life of misery, at least to those of us looking at the outward appearance, and the rich man had a life of ease and wealth.

Jesus knew what was in each man's heart - a good reminder to us that we don't decide anyone's fate but our own. And, yes, the rich man knew about Moses and the prophets, but he hadn't understood that his salvation was not based on his wealth or even his good works. Lack of knowledge wasn't his problem. It's so easy to rationalize my failure to share Jesus with others because "What If I get it wrong? What if they're offended?" I pray - for you and for me - that God can use us to lead others to saving faith, and that we will rejoice when the angels carry them to heaven, as the angels carried the beggar to Abraham's side.

Yes, heaven and hell are real. There will be a reckoning. And whether or not we are wearing our Sunday finest or whether or not we have memorized scripture or served on church council or served communion or sung in the choir - those are not the final arbiters of our life eternal. Every Sunday before communion, we say together as a congregation "Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again." If we say those words without accepting Jesus as our savior, they are hollow and meaningless. Yes, he died. For me. For you. He rose from the dead - for me and for you. And he will come again, and what a glorious day that will be!

PRAYER

Lord, I long to serve you fully, but so often I get caught up in how I appear to others that I lose sight of what's important. Help me to live each day for you, and to set my priorities to yours. You died for my sins, and your grace and mercy are beyond compare. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ELAINE PIERCE

It is a delight and joy to write Sunday's UALC Blog post. I have been a UALC member for 20+ years and I value our community of believers. I draw strength from God's Word, and it is my hope that you join me in seeking to grow closer to Him as we read, study, and pray together. I've been married to Gene for 47 years, and we have four grown children and nine grandchildren. It is an exciting time to be alive, and I count it all joy to serve him, even in the midst of challenges. To God be the glory, for the great things he is doing!

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March 29, 2025 | Job 21:1-16

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Job 21:1-16

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REFLECTION

Responding to the Wicked

By Todd Marti

This passage describes a hard truth: the wicked often get away with it and even prosper. Anyone who’s lived long enough has seen that, and other scriptures acknowledge that reality. See Psalm 73; Jeremiah 12:1-3; Malachi 3:13-15.  Although God will eventually bring the wicked to justice, Psalm 73:16-20, 27; Proverbs 11:3-5; Malachi 3:18, how do we respond in the meantime? What does scripture tell us?

One thing is to draw near to God. Psalm 73 shows how one righteous person responded to wickedness in his day. He noted that the success of the wicked  “troubled [him] deeply till [he] entered the sanctuary of God; then [he] understood their final destiny.” Psalm 73:16-17.  He concluded that it “is good to be near God” and to make “the Sovereign Lord [his] refuge.” Psalm 73.28. We see the same thing in Jeremiah 12:1-3; the prophet was not shy in bringing his frustrations to God. So pour your heart out to Him, let Him know your concerns, ask Him for guidance on how to respond to the evil you see. And just as importantly, pray for those who are doing evil. Matthew 5:44; Praying for Leaders: Why, When, and How .  My experience is that more prayer brings more peace.

Another thing scripture tells us is to draw encouragement from Christian community. Malachi 3:16 describes how believers responded to evil in their day: “Those who feared the Lord talked with each other and the Lord listened and heard.” That is consistent with Hebrews 10:24's instruction to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” It is also consistent with relatively recent history; Christian community helped folks cope with the evils of Communism and Jim Crow. It can help us deal with evil in our time.

Scripture also tells us to get busy doing the good we can do. Psalm 37 deals with how the righteous are to respond to the success of the wicked. It tells us, among other things, to get to work. Verse 3 tells us to “[t]rust in the Lord and do good[.]”  That is reiterated in verse 27: “Turn from evil and do good[.]” The Hebrew word translated as “do” means to work, act, be industrious.  Find some positive things you can do to offset the evil around you. For some that might be directly confronting that evil, pushing back against it. For others it might be mitigating its impacts. For still others it is delivering other manifestations of God’s love. We all have something we can do. There are an infinite number of opportunities to do this; some close to home are described here, here, here, here, here, and here. So get out of your head and get to work! You and the people you serve will be glad you did.

PRAYER

Loving God, help us to respond wisely to the evil in this world. Draw us to you, draw us to your church, spur us to action. We ask this in Jesus’ infinitely loving name. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TODD MARTI

I have been connected to UALC since 2000 in various small groups and as a co-manager of the UALC Community Garden. I’m married to Kelly Marti, and the proud father of Sarah Marti. I am happy to be writing these devotions.

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