The Six Woes

  Prayer Practice

Breath Prayer – Take 2-3 minutes today to pray a simple breath prayer. Get somewhere quiet and relaxing. Breathe in deeply, and then breathe out fully. As you breathe in, ask God to fill you with His presence, grace, love, peace, etc. Consider using the list of spiritual fruit in Galatians 5:22-23. As you breathe out, offer to God the things you need Him to take from you – sin, doubt, shame, anxiety, fear, etc. Pray this way for just a few minutes, trusting God to work, and then begin reading today’s Scripture.

DAILY READING

Luke 11:37-53

REFLECTION

A Prideful Heart

 by Kelsey Bacon

As I read this passage, a lot of things come to mind, but one particular theme seems to surface throughout Jesus' warnings: pride. The pharisees and law experts to whom Jesus speaks live deep into the sin of pride, and Jesus wastes no time pointing it out to them.

To the pharisees, Jesus calls out their pride in their position, strutting through the streets and taking the best seats in the synagogue, wearing their own importance like crowns on their heads. He reminds them that God sees what's on the inside, and that they are not living into God's calling on their lives to love their neighbors.

To the experts in the law, Jesus calls out their pride in their knowledge. They see themselves as better than those around them because they have all this knowledge of the law, and like Jesus said, they lay it upon the shoulders of others so that the Word of God becomes a burden rather than a blessing. They see themselves as high and mighty, above reproach and lording over others.

We might not be pharisees or experts in the law, but we as Christians can sure struggle with the sin of pride. If we lived in Jesus' time, we would be the pharisees, the loyal synagogue-attenders, those studying God's law in order to become experts. And if a man came and told us that God saw pride in our hearts, when we thought we were following the law, how would we react?

Pride creeps into our hearts when we compare ourselves to others and see ourselves as better, or when we are in a situation that seems unfair and we think we deserve more because of what we've done or who we are. Pride can even come from our identity as a Christian, looking down on or even disassociating with others because they don't believe the same things as we do. But Jesus tells us to look into our own hearts before we look at others', to be generous, and to seek God above ourselves.

Reflect further: Pray and ask God to reveal in you where you might be struggling with pride. For some of you, it might come to your mind instantly, for others you might need to think deeply. Ask for God's forgiveness for your pride, and seek his Word as you move forward in your week.

Six Woes

PRAYER PRACTICE

Cup Prayer – This prayer will help you pour your heart out to God (Ps. 62:8). Begin with your hands folded together like an upside-down cup. Pour out before God all your fears, anxieties, guilt, sin and shame. Tell Him what troubles you. Take time to be specific. When you feel like you’ve poured out your heart, flip your hands over, folding them like an open cup, ready to receive from God. Sit in silence, asking God simply to fill you with His Spirit. If your mind runs back to sin, shame, anxiety or concerns of the day, flip your hands back over and pour it out to the Lord. When you are finished praying, read today’s Scripture and listen as God shares His heart back with you.

DAILY READING

Luke 11:37-53

DEVOTION / REFLECTION

Six Dangerous Steps

by Tom Richards

In today’s reading Jesus has some tough words for the Pharisees and “experts in the law”.  In simple terms, the Pharisees were a Jewish sect in Jesus time known for their strict observance of rites and ceremonies of the written law and for insistence on their own oral traditions. The “experts in the law” were likely highly esteemed scribes, referred to as lawyers in some translations. 

These verses represent at least the sixth time Jesus has encountered this group in the book of Luke. When I read these words of Jesus I find myself cheering him on – “You tell them Jesus”, until I consider that I am often guilty of some of the same things that they are. It is pretty easy to see what Jesus did not want the Pharisees to do, but what were some things he did want them to do? And, what does he want us to do?  Listed below are a few things that I saw in the passage.  Perhaps you can add more:

“But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.” This seems pretty straightforward, Jesus wants the Pharisees (and us) to give of ourselves to the poor. This is a pretty consistent theme in scripture. There are lots of opportunities in our daily lives and through our church to be obedient to our savior in this area. Are we giving to the poor?

“But you neglect justice and the love of God.” These seem to go hand in hand. If we truly love God then it follows that we will want justice, for ourselves and others. Do we demonstrate our love for God by practicing justice in our actions and showing concern for the justice of others?

“You love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.” This seems like a call to humility. This is not something that our culture encourages, but it sure looks like Jesus does. Do we practice humility?

“You load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.” To me, Jesus is calling on the “experts in the law” to serve. They were speaking from a place of “privilege” in their time but Jesus challenges them to serve others.  Are we serving others?

“You have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered and you have hindered those who were entering.” I would argue that the “key to knowledge” is the truth of God’s word and the good news of Jesus. Do we study his word and do we share the gospel and God’s word with others?

Consider and Reflect: This reading has given me some things to consider as I venture further into 2021. I hope it does the same for you!