Tag: Luke 13

Make Every Effort

Luke 13

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” 

In thinking about one’s faith, how easy is it to get caught up in the motions of religion. “I go to church every week, I attend Sunday school, I make food for the potlucks, I give an occasional offering, I went to church camp as a child, etc…when the kingdom comes, surely I will be known and in relationship with the Lord.” 

‭‭Luke‬ ‭13‬:‭25‬-‭27‬ 

“Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’”

Thinking about where your heart is and what kind of faith you have takes courage, honesty, and oftentimes real change within our daily habits. 

Today is a perfect day to renew or strengthen your relationship with God and his son Jesus Christ. This looks different for all in many ways. When I picture a narrow door, I think of a door that not many choose to enter through. This “door” may not be the popular choice, the easy choice, or the fun choice. However, choosing to live a life that is pleasing to God is more rewarding than any earthly desire or temporary pleasure. I encourage you to take a moment today and consider one tangible way that you could get to know God on a deeper level this week. This may be through prayer, worship through song, spending time in nature, reading your Bible, serving others, etc. 

May we be a people who stand outside the door and are fully known as our hearts align to God through his son Jesus Christ. 

-Kayla Elwell

Reflection Questions

  1. Choose at least one way you could get to know God on a deeper level this week? When will you do it? Where? How? Why?
  2. How does “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door” work with Ephesians 2:8&9. Do you think Jesus would say that there are some people who rely too much on their works? Do you think Jesus would say there are some people who rely too much on God’s grace? How do you keep from being in either camp?
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Bearing Fruit

Luke Chapter 13

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Jesus tells the following parable starting in verse 6 of Luke 13 –  “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

 

Some may think that this fig tree represents unbelievers, which would make sense as they would not be producing fruit.  But I think Jesus is actually talking about believers here. The fig tree is seen throughout scripture as being connected to and representative of Israel, in both the Old and New Testament.  In Mark 11:12-21, Jesus curses a fig tree that was not bearing fruit and it withers and dies.

 

The point here is that Jesus and his Heavenly Father are not satisfied if you have the knowledge of them and their sacrifice, and then only go to church on Sunday and stay awake during the sermon. That is not Kingdom living.  That is not bearing fruit.

 

Back in chapter 10 of Luke, Jesus said the way to gain eternal life was to “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  Is this love intended to be kept internal?  Goodness, no. If you truly love God with ALL of your heart, then that should overflow.  If you truly love your neighbor (simply others) as yourself, I think they would know.  

 

What sort of things do you do to serve?  What do you do to show the love of God to others?  How do you use your God-given talents to honor Him?  The answers to these questions are your fruit! If you can’t think of any way that you are bearing fruit in such ways, let the parable of the Fig Tree be a warning to you.

 

I know that DOING things sounds like Works, and we are told at times that it is Faith that saves.  But I believe that Faith lived out leads to the works that bear fruit.  In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

 

So, I go back to where I started, in Chapter 7.  The coming Kingdom is real! It will be amazing! It will last forever!  You and everyone you know will want to be there. So do everything you can to spread that news, and encourage and bless believers and non-believers in the meantime as well.  That is truly bearing the fruit which Jesus will be looking for.

 

Greg Landry