Luke Part 2 Week 21

Day 1 

RECEIVE 

Luke 12:32-34 

³² “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. ³⁴ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” 

A “little flock” would be a defenseless flock. The main point in what Jesus was telling them was not to put their trust in earthly matters. Anything done for Jesus will store up treasure in heaven. He assured them that heaven was the only place where their treasure would be safe. Verse 34 makes a statement to be thought about, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” 

REFLECT 

Think about the seriousness of where a person’s attention is fixed. The desires a person has reveals what he or she really values.  

RESPOND 

Talk with a friend about the importance of storing up treasures in heaven. Read Matthew 6:19-21 for another passage on this topic. Is your treasure what is in your purse or pocketbook, or what you have done by serving Jesus? Notice what Matthew 6:24 says in this regard. 

Day 2 

RECEIVE 

Luke 12:35-36 

³⁵ “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.” 

Jesus talked to the friends as if they were servants waiting for their master’s return. Whenever the master arrived they needed to be ready to open the door to let him in. This parallels the teaching of the New Testament that believer’s need to be ready at any time for the Lord’s return. Some Bible teachers associate this with the story of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25. Others see this as the Lord’s urging believers to be ready at any time for His return. 

REFLECT 

Have you thought about the Lord returning at any time? Doing so will help determine the way you live.  

RESPOND 

Join with a friend in thinking about the return of Jesus and the need to be ready whenever that occurs. Read 2 Peter 3:8-14. This passage reveals God does not reckon time as we do. Knowing what will eventually occur should cause a believer in Jesus to live differently.  

Day 3 

RECEIVE 

Luke 12:37-38 

³⁷ “The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! ³⁸ He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.” 

Notice the teaching that those watching for the return of the master will be rewarded when he comes. Only those who are ready, however, will be rewarded. No one knows for sure when the Lord Jesus will return, but the need is to be ready at any time.  

REFLECT 

Have you thought about the fact that today could be the day of His return? 

RESPOND  

Christ-followers should be ready for Jesus to return at any time. With a friend read Acts 1:6-8 to see what He told the disciples when they wondered if He planned to restore the kingdom at that time after His resurrection. Are you doing what He instructed? Are you living a life that glorifies Jesus and telling others the need to place their trust in Him? 

Day 4 

RECEIVE 

Luke 12:39-40 

³⁹ “Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” 

Jesus went on with His story drawing an analogy about servants being ready for their master’s return. He used the thief as an analogy of something unexpected. The story, or parable, was used to teach a lesson about being ready when the Son of Man would return. Do you expect Jesus to return today? Remember, He will return when it is least expected. 

REFLECT 

Realizing Jesus could return at any time should urge believers to tell as many as possible about the need to be sure their trust is in Him for salvation.  

RESPOND 

Perhaps you have loved ones with whom you find it difficult to share your belief in Jesus. Join with a friend in praying for such loved ones. Look for an opportunity to tell them how Jesus has changed your life and prepared you to enter eternity. 

Day 5 

RECEIVE 

Luke 12:41-44 

⁴¹ Peter asked, “Lord, is that illustration just for us or for everyone?” ⁴² And the Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. ⁴³ If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. ⁴⁴ I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.” 

Peter asked the question that many might want to ask today. To whom does the point of this story apply? The most direct reference of the story would have been to the nation of Israel, whose religious leaders were denying that Jesus was the Messiah. The principle could apply to all believers to be ready to meet Jesus face to face. Jesus rewards those who are faithful. 

REFLECT 

Think about meeting Jesus face to face and giving an account to Him. 

RESPOND 

The Bible describes the judgment of works for the believer and the judgment of works for the unbeliever. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 tells what it will be like for believers in Jesus. Revelation 20:11-15 tells what it will be like for those who have rejected Jesus. That which determines which judgment a person will be in depends on the decision made in his or her lifetime—to trust in Jesus or to reject Him.