Gracepoint Devotions

Submitted by Frances K. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Luke 7:37-38

³⁷ When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, ³⁸ and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

This woman is noted as one “who had lived a sinful life.” One can only imagine the kind of colorful life she had been leading up to this point. Yet, upon hearing that Jesus was in town, this woman went to see him and brought him an alabaster jar of perfume. There are two things to note here about this woman:

1) She had lived a sinful life, yet it was important to her to come before Jesus. She made it a point to come to him, even going to a Pharisee’s house.

2) In order for a woman to have an alabaster jar of perfume, it must have taken many years to collect–one tiny drop at a time. This must have been her most precious possession; it must have been all that she had. Yet, this is what she brought before Jesus and poured it on him.

As she came before Jesus, her initial response was to stand behind him at his feet, weeping. This was such a humble response–one that portrays a broken and contrite heart. She took her proper position before Jesus because this woman had the correct view of herself as a broken sinner. This act of wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair, then kissing them and pouring perfume–this is not something done lightly or easily. It’s not something most people would do—not even his own disciples who were with him. Yet for this woman, it was a sign of deep affection, one of genuinely honoring Jesus. Because she knew clearly the kind of sinful life she had led, and because she knew herself to be a sinner, this is how she presented herself before him.

This brings me to consider how central this truth is in my life day in and day out. How often and how deeply am I struck by the fact that I am a sinner? How personal is this realization–that I had “lived a life of sin” and am in desperate need of forgiveness, cleansing, and restoration? Though this is my own personal experience of Jesus, day in and day out as life continues on, I easily lose sight of this important reality. The truth is that I am a sinner and I have been rescued from my own life of sin. I know this to be true, yet there are many days when in my own pride and self-righteousness, I think that I am ok. I think that I can fix or undo the wrong I’ve done, the mess I’ve created, and I want other things I do to compensate for my issues and my sins. But this is folly, such foolish thinking because there is nothing I can do to help myself. That is why the forgiveness I’ve received from Jesus is so amazing. For this, I need to have infinite gratitude for. My understanding and appreciation for the forgiveness of my sins needs to grow and deepen with each passing day. I am the same sinner today as the day I received salvation over a decade ago. The truth that I am a sinner is needs to be the most central fact of my life each and every day.

The alabaster jar poured out – this was a sign of this woman’s appreciation and gratitude towards Jesus. She had lived a sinful life, but Jesus is the one who was not only able but willing to forgive her. The kind of love, compassion, and mercy she received from Jesus was not something she could just accept and move on with in her life. Daily she must have been reminded of her life of sin, but the amazing thing that happened– being forgiven, cleansed, and restored–truth she could not forget. That is why she brought him the best of what she had. Actually, she brought to Jesus all she had.

One would think that this is such a sacrifice. And it is, of course. Yet, there is something so appropriate about her response. Yes, she’s given something really expensive; she’s done something considered “wasteful” in a sense. Most may be thinking, “Really? All that perfume…on Jesus’ feet, of all places?” We need to consider what it is that she has experienced and received. She’s received forgiveness of her sins. She’s been given new life. Given what she has gained, this act of bringing to Jesus her most precious possession is only a natural response. What would her life have been otherwise? She would have continued in her life of sin. She would have been more and more ruined, pained, and destroyed by her sinful life. Yet because of Jesus’ forgiveness, now she is restored. Her humble state of coming before Jesus at his feet, kneeling before him, bringing him all she has displays her heart that truly understands that she is a sinner and her heart that is full of gratitude for how she has been saved from her life of sin.

This humbles me. I can often think that I am giving a lot of myself to God. I offer my time, money, an able body, and whatever resources I have to serve God in ministry.  I have to evaluate my purpose and my attitude towards this. Sometimes this giving, this sacrifice is done out of an obligatory heart or fueled by a desire to be accepted, recognized, or praised. Or at times, I have the attitude that I am giving a lot, or have this “too much” mentality. What I offer to God needs to come from the basic understanding that I am a forgiven sinner and offering up my life is the only appropriate way to respond to the love and mercy I’ve received. I am to give to God and offer my life to him as a reflection of my gratitude to Him. I cannot quantify in any way what or how much I give. It doesn’t work that way.  Jesus’ life was poured out in the cross for my sins. The only way I can respond is to offer up my life entirely for His purpose. I have to bring before Him the best of all I have. Not just a part or a fraction, or what is easy or convenient, but rather, all of me–all of my time, all of my money, all of my body, mind, heart, and emotions, and all other resources and blessings I have received and enjoy as a result. Because I am a recipient of such love and forgiveness, I need to all the more be loving and gracious toward others as well.

The song “Alabaster Jar” comes to mind as I think about this text because it clearly depicts the sentiment of this woman and what she did as a response to Jesus’ forgiveness granted to her. This too is my prayer that I will daily offer my life to the very one who died on the cross to forgive me, remembering that the sacrifice of His life gives me the opportunity to live for Him.

This alabaster jar
Is all I have of worth
I break it at your feet, Lord
It’s less than you deserve
You’re far more beautiful
More precious than the oil
The sum of my desires
And the fullness of my joy!

Like you spilled your blood,
I spill my heart as an offering
To my king
Here I am, take me
As an offering
Here I am, giving every heartbeat
For your glory take me?

…

You gave your life for me
So, I will live my life for you??

Dear God, thank you for rescuing me and forgiving me from my own life of sin. I realize that nothing I can offer can repay the debt I owe for your sacrifice on the cross for my sins. Thank you for looking upon my life with compassion and mercy. Please help me to deeply understand and know my identity as a sinner before you and to have that proper posture before you. I want to live each day with a humble and grateful heart for the forgiveness I have received.

–

Submitted by Kevin J. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

One image I was struck by was the extent of the woman’s display of love for Jesus. From the text we see that the woman came to the Pharisee’s house to meet Jesus with the alabaster jar of perfume in hand, most likely with the intention of anointing Jesus. However, as she approached him, his presence evoked emotions in her that were perhaps unexpected. It says she began weeping, and instead of trying to gather herself, she responded in a way that was more than appropriate. In response to the Pharisee’s criticism of allowing the woman to touch Jesus, Jesus lays out how the woman loved him from wetting his feet with her tears to wiping his feet with her hair and finally pouring perfume on his feet. The Pharisee, on the other hand, was so fixated on the woman’s “sinfulness” that he failed to recognize the woman’s beautiful acts of devotion and the degree to which she loved Jesus.

What allowed the sinful woman to be so uninhibited and unabashed in her display of love and gratitude towards Jesus? I think it came from her recognition of who Jesus was, the Son of God who came to forgive sins, and who she was, a sinner whose greatest need was forgiveness. It was very clear to this woman that she was a sinner; she was very much in touch with the centrality of sin in her life. It was fundamental to who she was and how she saw herself, which is critical to a deep, meaningful relationship with Jesus. In my relationship with Jesus, I am the closest to him when I am humble and honest about all the depravity inside–all the anger, pettiness, jealousy, pride, impurity, laziness, self-centeredness and lack of love–when there is no pretense and when I’m not trying to put up a front that my life is in tip-top shape, neat and orderly but when I am admitting I am a mess in need of much grace and help. When I am taken back to the point of my salvation where it became crystal clear to me that my greatest need was to be forgiven of my sins, and when I remember that Jesus has done exactly that.  This is when I am able to love Jesus like the woman did.

The woman’s raw emotions in Jesus’ presence show an absence of pride and image-maintenance that I often struggle with and find so difficult to uproot. The more I try to conceal or even deny the brokenness inside, the more I deprive myself of what I need and want most at the core of my being–complete forgiveness and healing.  It’s like this Pharisee who instead of washing Jesus’ feet alongside the sinful woman, stood there disdaining her and failing to confess and maybe even seeing his own depravity. He missed out on a golden opportunity at relating with Jesus, and this is what I do every time I deny my central identity as a sinner.

My attitude needs to shift in understanding how much I have been loved and forgiven by Jesus. Without this, acts of love and devotion can often seem like tasks to simply do and get done at best, and obligation and even drudgery at worst. When I lose my sense of awe and wonder of how much I have been loved by Jesus and the depths of the sins I have been forgiven of, I often find myself asking “Haven’t I done enough?” when I should be asking is “What more can I give?” I often put artificial boundaries around the extent to which I will pour out my life as a love offering to God. Though I may be faithful to do what is asked of me, I will often go no further than the extent of my stated expectations and responsibilities, and so disqualify myself from experiencing that deep sense of forgiveness the woman must have felt when Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” A life of constant love is a life that continues to deepen in gratitude and understanding of what it means to be completely forgiven of the sin that is so much a part of my life. It then becomes a cycle where that joy and peace of knowing I’ve been completely forgiven serves as a catalyst to continue loving God and the people He has placed in my life. As I try to love people and run up against failures and insecurity in my ability to love, it is through this window where I see how small my heart is and how it’s really at the mercy of God that I’m even given opportunities to love at all. As I experience love from God in this way, I am filled with gratitude and challenged to love much, just as this sinful woman did.

PERSONAL PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I confess that I often give less than I can, and that I don’t want to see myself as a “sinful” man in dire need of forgiveness. I pray that I would be humble and honest about the sins that define who I am, and as a response to the complete forgiveness you offer through Jesus, live a life of extravagant love like this sinful woman who refused to hold anything back. Please help me take advantage of the daily opportunities you grant me to love much. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Submitted by Jeff L. From Gracepoint Berkeley Church

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Luke 7:4,6

“This man deserves to have you do this…”; “I do not deserve to have you…” 

• What does this contrast in perspective reveal about the elders’ criteria for “deserving” something from God vs. the criteria of this Centurion?  

The elder’s criteria for “deserving” something from God was righteous, good deeds (a Gentile who loved Israel & built their synagogue).  In the eyes of the elders, he was an outstanding person who went above and beyond what anyone would expect, and in their eyes, God owed him this healing.  The Centurions’ perspective is so different.  He did not consider himself worthy for Jesus to come under his room and did not even consider himself worthy to meet Jesus face-to-face.  The Centurion knew that he did these noble things for Israel, but he did NOT think that these deeds made him a good person or made him entitled to receive anything from God.  Though it is not explicitly stated, it can be assumed that the Centurion understood that there is no criteria by which we can indebt God, and no criteria by which we can say to God that we “deserve” something.  He understood himself as a creature that has been gifted his very life by God, he most likely understood his deep rottenness and sinfulness that makes him worthy of nothing aside from wrath and death.  It did not matter that he build the synagogue…he knew that he was not in a place where he deserved anything.

• What is the criteria that I use to determine how much I “deserve” something from God?  

I often gauge how much I “deserve” something from God based on how I feel like I am “performing” in my Christian life.  If I feel like I am doing terribly (i.e., I am moody, I make mistakes, I fail to live as disciplined as I would like, I fail to love someone as I should, I see my pride, my ego, my selfishness, etc.), then, I feel like I am unworthy and I do not deserve anything from God.  More often than not, thankfully this is how I feel.  But there are times when I feel like I am doing a lot – times when I feel like I am stretched, times when I am doing a lot for the ministry, times when I feel like I am sacrificing…and it’s during those times when I feel the sense of entitlement towards God creeping in.  In short, the criteria I use is how “successful” I am in my Christian life and how much I’m doing.

• Are there some ways in which I feel that God “owes me” and what are these things?  

I think the biggest way in which I feel like God “owes” me is when I give a lot in Christian service.  When I labor hard and invest my time & energy in ministry, I see that I often feel like I am entitled to some results – people responding, growth in the ministry, or people becoming Christian.  Since youth ministry has been very exciting with many people coming out and spiritual hunger, this is something that I see in my heart through hypotheticals.  What if I were to labor hard and keep giving myself for 5 years, and not much seems to happen?  The youth church doesn’t grow that much, the core continues to struggle and stay small and in fact, the group gets smaller.  How would I respond?  What if this happens after 10 years?  I see in my heart, that this would be really difficult for me to take and there is a voice in my heart that would cry out “I wasted all this time!  I gave so much and what do I have to show for it?”  This response reveals the entitlement within my heart – that if I give myself to ministry, I should receive results.  But when did God promise results?  Why would God owe me results?  I am a wretched sinner that deserves only death and judgment for my wickedness…ministry should simply be my humble response to all God has done for me!  It is my privilege to be able to invest my life in the most meaningful task of engaging in God’s incredible work of saving souls.

• How close am I to the Centurion’s attitude revealed in his words: “I do not deserve to have you come under my roof … did not consider myself worthy to come to you …”  

The vast majority of times, I am acutely aware of my wretched sinfulness and that I have no claim over God in any way.  I see my sins on a daily basis through my failure to love, my shriveled heart due to my pride & self-seeking ways, my moodiness, my lack of discipline, and the list goes on.  I am grateful for God’s incredible goodness to me, despite my inconstancy and my failures.  That being said, there are still instances when that sense of entitlement creeps into my life and I forget that I am just a wretched sinner, esp. in the area of ministry. This is something I need to continue to identify & repent of when I see it.

Luke 7:9

• Note Jesus’ praise of the Centurion’s faith.  How is his faith demonstrated?  

The Centurion’s faith is demonstrated in his complete trust in Jesus’ ability to heal his servant.  His confidence is expressed in the phrase “But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”  He has no doubt about the power of God’s word. Whatever God says, He has the ability to do.  If God says He will do it, it can be considered done.  This was exactly what the people of Israel in the past had failed to do – exercise trust in what God had said and promised.  Recently a message I heard spoke about “faith failures” and how the Israelites failed to trust in God’s promise when they were first on the eve of entering the Promised Land.  Instead, they listened to their fears and to their own reasoning that they would be destroyed if they entered the land, even though God had promised it to them already.  This is the opposite of faith: failing to trust in God’s word.

• What is the relationship between humility and faith?  

Faith requires humility.  In order to exercise faith, you must not trust in yourself, your own reasoning, or your own limited perspective, but rather, you need to simply trust in God’s word & that what He said will be done.  The only way the Israelites were going to experience the Promised Land was if they didn’t trust or listen to their fears and they didn’t trust what they saw with their eyes, but they trusted that somehow God would work it out because He said so.  This requires humility and a confessional heart that says “I simply don’t know…though it doesn’t make sense to me, I am just going to trust.”

Luke 7:13,14 

• Reflect on what is revealed about Jesus from the words: “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her…”  

Jesus is above all a person of love and deep humanity…he is a person of compassion and empathy who feels and shares in the pains and struggles of our lives.  This picture is such a sad picture – a widow who lost her husband and now has lost her only son.  Luke notes that Jesus, before transforming the situation, felt deep empathy for this woman’s plight and pain.  There are many situations in which I am confronted with the plight and pain of someone.  I think often, I just respond with despair, discouragement or sadness about the sad situation and I pray a prayer for this terrible situation to somehow be reversed.  At my worse times, I find my heart receiving this kind of news with aloofness and coldness, and I parrot a prayer without much connection, or I fail to pray at all.  I see how hardened and shriveled my heart so often is! When I am confronted with the plight or pain of someone – which in Christian ministry is SO OFTEN, I need to really practice empathizing with that person.  I need to allow God to stretch the capacity of my heart to love by taking the time to put myself in the shoes of the other person, feeling their pain, imagining what it would be like…and from that place, I need to cry out prayers of intercession for that person and for the situation.

Luke 7:11-12 

Two “large crowds” meet at the town gate, one headed by Jesus, and the other by a coffin. 

• Reflect on this scene as a picture of two kinds of processions.  

Indeed, these two processions capture the two processions in this lifetime: Everyone without Christ is in the procession of death…headed one way to the grave and to hell.  Without Christ, there is nothing that can stop the sad, inevitable procession to death. Without Christ, there is nobody who can say “don’t cry” in light of the reality that death will take away and tear apart everything in the end.  On the other hand, there is the procession of life that is headed by Jesus, and this procession does not end with death, but rather, resurrection and new life!  Everyone in the world is either in the procession of death or the procession of life.

• Which procession am I in, and what does this imply about my life’s mission?  

By God’s grace, I have been saved and am in the procession of life.  Because of God’s mercy and grace, He opened my heart to the gospel and out of no merit of my own, I am in the procession of life.  My life will not end in tragic death that separates me from all my loved ones, but rather, my life will end with a resurrection into a new life in heaven with God.  The clear implication of this is that there is only one purpose for my life, which is to get as many people I can who are in the procession of death to the procession of life.  This is my one and only mission in which I need to give all of myself to.  This world & Satan is powerful, but God is working equally powerfully through our church and in our ministry…I need to give all of myself to serving God, building up the church, raising disciples and reaching more non-Christians.  As I see how powerfully God is working in our ministry, I need to give myself that much more to fighting my sins and laboring for souls so that more people may come to hear about Christ.

PERSONAL PRAYER                                                           

• Please write out a prayer of commitment or confession either based on today’s text, or upon reflection over recent events in your life.

Father, thank You for Your word today.  Thank You for saving me so that I am no longer in the procession of death, enslaved & bound by the fear of death.  Rather, I am in the procession of life and can look forward to the reality of heaven.  Indeed, there is only one mission for my life now and I pray that You would continue to work in me and through me to draw more people to salvation.  I commit again to struggle with my sins, to reflect on my life and my mistakes, that You might be able to mold me and use me more and more to impact people for eternity.  I recommit also to the precious work that You’ve given me to build up the church and to serve our high school group.  Please be with me and give me strength!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

–

Submitted by Jiseon C. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Luke 7:4,6

“This man deserves to have you do this…”; “I do not deserve to have you…” 

·       What does this contrast in perspective reveal about the elders’ criteria for “deserving” something from God vs. the criteria of this Centurion? 

When Jesus entered the city of Capernaum, news of a centurion’s servant dying came to him through elders who came to him with the plea that this man deserves to have Jesus heal him because he was associated with someone who loved this nation and built their synagogue. But when the centurion heard Jesus was near, he did not feel deserving enough to have Jesus come to his house, but that his command would be sufficient for healing. This contrast in sense of deserving healing reveals the varying worldview of the elders vs. the centurion. The elders had a sense of expectation that Jesus ought to do something good for them. That he was somehow even entitled to help him because this man was a good man who even built the synagogue – a religious monument. The man was good to fellow Jews, who were the chosen people of God – and so even more he was someone that was pleasing to God. And because this man earned credit, he now deserved almost a payback or some recognition from Jesus.

What a contrast to the centurion’s worldview. He did not have any such notions of deserving any goodwill from Jesus. He did not credit any of his good deeds in the past as some kind of investment he now could cash out when he felt the pinch. He merely asked Jesus for his compassion to heal someone, to take the trouble by merely calling out a command, on someone who did not deserve this kind of favor.  He didn’t even think he deserved his time, but he knew he had the power, and was asking for it.

 ·       What is the criteria that I use to determine how much I “deserve” something from God? 

Much like the elders, the criteria that I use to determine how much I “deserve” something from God is based on my religious duties. When I feel a need, I subconsciously, or even consciously, trace back the good things that I have done for God. Remember the time that I reached out to that person and sacrificed rest and idleness at home? Remember the time that gave to my friend in financial need? Remember, remember? These religious duties I have done become somehow a sickening basis for propagating a case that I “deserve’ some blessing, favor, or praise from God.

·       How close am I to the Centurion’s attitude revealed in his words: “I do not deserve to have you come under my roof …  did not consider myself worthy to come to you …”

I am very far from having the Centurion’s attitude as revealed in his words: “I do not deserve to have you come under my roof…did not consider myself worthy to come to you” I am so far because I often feel entitled to having things laid out for me. I even subconsciously think that modern inconveniences should not even apply to me, or get really flustered disproportionately by them. I get jealous that others seem to get time and attention from God. In those ways, I don’t have the attitude that I actually do NOT deserve any privilege or advantage from Him.

Luke 7:9

·       Note Jesus’ praise of the Centurion’s faith.  How is his faith demonstrated? 

Jesus praised the Centurion’s faith as demonstrated by his request to Jesus to merely give a word of command for his servants healing, much as the same as he can get his soldiers under him to act when given a word of command. He had faith that Jesus had all things, even ability to give health, under his authority and knew that with a word, he could make things come to being.

 ·       What is the relationship between humility and faith? 

The relationship between humility and faith is directly correlated. When one is humble then he does not expect anything. So, when he does ask, for blessings not entitled to him, he is doing it with great faith.

Luke 7:13,14 

·       Reflect on what is revealed about Jesus from the words: “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her…”   

What is revealed about Jesus from the words “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her” is that Jesus is someone who is indeed very compassionate and feels the pains that we feel in our own hearts and acts to restore broken people. I can just imagine that scene, that long funeral procession, where the mother was probably delirious with grief and pain. And in those days, a woman had no rights, could own no property under her own name. She was a widow and now she lost her only son. So not only is she outliving and burying her child, the worst thought possible for a parent, but she now faces a bleak future where she will have no livelihood for herself, no protection and security as a woman. It is so amazing that Jesus notices her, that his heart went out to her, and that he went to her, to say, “Don’t cry”. This reminds me of our studies in Exodus, when God commissions Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and their bondage in slavery. In his commissioning, God explains to Moses, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them…and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land…” Again and again, that heart of God, who notices, becomes concerned and acts on our behalf is repeated through this encounter of Jesus and the bereaving widow.

Luke 7:11-12 

Two “large crowds” meet at the town gate, one headed by Jesus, and the other by a coffin. 

·       Reflect on this scene as a picture of two kinds of processions. 

The crowd that trailed Jesus was one of life, the other, led by a coffin, was of death. The distinction was as stark as night and day.

·       Which procession am I in, and what does this imply about my life’s mission?  

The procession that I was led to is the one following Jesus, the one of life. What this implies about my life’s mission is that it is my duty to be like Jesus, to take note of those who are in that procession of death, grieving and hopeless, because they do not know one who could reverse the cycle of sin and death. It is my mission to also take note, and to be moved by their pains, and to go up to each person in that procession and to say, don’t cry, and speak to them the words of Jesus, so that through them will be breathed eternal life.

Submitted by Jeannie L. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Luke 6:41-42  Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

• Speck, plank

Jesus is so realistic, and so true to life, so realistic about mankind, and even putting some humor into his teachings.  It’s so true, that when I look at myself, I see specks of things that are wrong, and yet in other people, they are magnified to planks.  I am quick to notice other people’s faults and mistakes, and they become larger in my eyes. And yet when it comes to my own faults and mistakes, I minimize them, I excuse them away, thinking that because I meant well, and tried hard, that it’s somehow ok.  I think I am under special circumstances, so it’s ok that there’s just this little speck, but those people, what’s their story?  They have planks!  It’s ridiculous that I can do this, and yet it shows the truth of Jesus’ words in this passage.

As realistic as Jesus is, showing that he understands the plight of human sin, he doesn’t let me get away with that kind of judgmental critical spirit, and minimization of my own sin. He calls them hypocrites.  Hypocrisy is “the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform; pretense.”

Why is this so bad that Jesus calls them hypocrites?  Because having this attitude gives rise to all these ugly things that come out of my heart, the bad fruit that Jesus talks about in the upcoming passage.  Out of the hypocrisy of my heart comes snide remarks and thoughts about others, that I am better because of some little thing I did right, others are worse because of some tiny infraction that I’ve turned into something bigger.  It gives rise to putting others down, and raising myself up.  I am merciful towards myself and merciless towards others. I need to see myself clearly, before the word of God, and what comes out of me, is not so pretty, no matter how I try to pretty it up.

Lord, please forgive me my unforgiving and critical and merciless spirit. Please forgive me my insecure and proud heart, which seeks to cover over the planks in my life, and magnify the specks in others’ lives. Thank you for your mercy on me, that you view me with merciful eyes, and that your blood covers over the many faults I have, and that your lights shines on my dark heart to help me and others to remove the planks in my life.  Thank you for working on me and purifying me.

Luke 6:43-44 “⁴³No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴ Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. ⁴⁵ The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

·       Fruit

What I learn from this passage is that God is not fooled, nor is man.  Whatever is inside of me, will come out.  I cannot hide it.  This is a relief as well as a warning.  A relief because I don’t have to pretend, I don’t have to be a hypocrite, and a liar.  I can, as 1 John 1 urges, come into the light and confess my sins and what’s inside of me, knowing that in the end, who I am will surely be shown and known and exposed, and so I can be freed by confessing the truth of who I am now.  And experience forgiveness and purification and pruning and genuine fellowship with God and others.  I no longer have to sneak around, trying to cover up my sins and the bad fruit in my life.

And yet it’s a severe warning as well, how will I build my life and character and heart up, knowing that what’s inside will be revealed.  I want to be one who bears good fruit, who wants to bear bad fruit.  And yet, the work it takes to yield good fruit is the hard work of cultivating proper soil of my heart, to dig up the rocks, the shallowness of my thought-life and values.  To get rid of the thorns that choke out fruitfulness in my life, the thorns which are the worries of life, the deceitfulness of wealth.  Doing all that takes work, takes a daily bringing myself before the mirror of God’s word to expose those worldly values, to confess them, to repent about them, and to instill in myself a proper worldview and proper godly biblical values, to make them more central in my life.  That takes time, each day. It takes thinking. It takes the emotional energy of confessing and repenting.

Lord, I want good fruit, but I don’t enjoy the hard work that it takes to bring it forth.  I pray that you would help me to do the hard work that it takes to cultivate my heart and dig down deeper so that I would be one who bears good fruit for your kingdom.  Thank you for dealing with me, for taking the pains, through your word, through my leaders, through life circumstances, to help me to dig those rocks and thorns out of my life, so that I can be sanctified for your use.  Thank you for taking a bad fruit and turning it into something good.

–

Submitted by Peter C. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

When I think about what Jesus taught in Luke 6:37, it seems at first something that anyone would readily agree to. In a world of political correctness, where the worst evil that anyone could do is to judge or condemn someone, it doesn’t seem like a very radical thing to say, “do not judge” or “do not condemn.”  But as I think about it more, there is a very real difference between what Jesus taught and what people today might think. From a purely human perspective, the reason that I should not judge someone is that I am no better than that person. While this is true, the worldly perspective merely ends there. That’s it – very dogmatic. I am no better than the person next to me, so I should not dare judge that person, no matter what. The only “explanations” I have personally received merely ended up in a kind of browbeating and intimidation: “so are you saying that you ARE better than other people?” –  “well, no.”   But really it does very little to further the discussion, and it’s often very frustrating to talk to people who have fully bought into this kind of thinking.

So as a Christian how am I supposed to think about Jesus’ command? As I think about what happens when I judge someone, a few thoughts come to mind. First, it is refreshingly true to life to link judgment and condemnation. From a purely semantic point of view, judgment and condemnation ought to be independent from one another. Technically it should be possible to judge someone without condemning them. However, most of the time I find that I end up condemning people as I judge them, placing them in a prison of sorts – in my mind. And as my prisoners I end up categorizing them as a little bit less than human. There is no reprieve from that prison, and justice is more about revenge or fantasies of revenge than it is about fairness and discernment. I have held grudges, found the very sight of certain people excruciating, did not give them enough credit, trivialized them, took them for granted, had spiteful thoughts, spoke badly of them and harshly to them.  Restoration is nearly impossible, and there is only a sense of hostility and enmity that results. This hellish picture makes me realize what kind of wicked person it makes me for being the caretaker of such a prison. So just from that sense I realize that Jesus’ command here elevates me. Following Jesus’ command that I do not behave this way prevents me from becoming a bigger monster.

Examining my own life further, I realize that this kind of judgmental spirit arises from a severe lack of self-awareness. I find that I often overestimate myself and think more highly of my own ability to judge than I really ought. But the truth that has been revealed to me over the years is that, apart from scripture, I am in fact not a trustworthy judge on my own. I often need help getting my OWN self pointed in the right direction, let alone be able to do that for others. I am far from consistent or fair. But I would never be faced with that truth if I only engaged in armchair Christianity. And this is the danger – that I would go on thinking that since I AGREE with all that Jesus has to say, I am actually LIVING IT OUT. Many times it’s in my attempt to live out Jesus’ commands that I realize that I am a very untrustworthy, and often outright wicked person.

How does my ignorance of myself play out? Perhaps that is why Jesus talks about the speck and the plank in Luke 6:41. This June my wife Hope and I will have been married 19 years. One of the biggest adjustments I had to make is in this area. I could almost guarantee an argument if I was trying to point out some sawdust in her eye when there was a giant 2×4 in my own eye. And through the first few years of marriage there was a crash course on the many areas where I was totally blind to myself. That’s the thing about 2×4’s – when they are lodged in my eye, I cannot see:  selfishness, pettiness, greed, anger – all different kinds of planks. But when those planks are removed, I am able to see. And that is the beauty of this command. When I acknowledge that there is a plank in my own eye, Jesus provides a way for that plank to be removed. And when it is removed, I am suddenly able to see clearly. I am able to discern right from wrong, truth from fiction.

This is probably the biggest way in which the world’s view of judgment/discernment is different from the biblical view. When people say, “don’t judge me,” they mean that wholesale. There is no nuance. Just don’t do it. Period. But Jesus says something a lot more nuanced.  He means that I ought to do it correctly. Judging with intent to condemn is not correct. But whenever possible, I AM to discern the difference between right and wrong for the edification of the other. I SHOULD discern that difference and become better at it in an increasingly nuanced world.

Submitted by Sarah K. from Gracepoint San Diego Church

Self-Study

When Jesus approached Levi, he was sitting at his tax booth.  He was doing what he probably did every day, making his daily living.  In the midst of that, Jesus calls Levi to follow him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed.  What can I learn from this?  First, I can learn that Jesus’ call is very simple.  These days, it seems that people get caught up with trying to “figure out” what God’s calling is “for me.”  But through this text, it’s pretty clear what Jesus’ calling is for each of us:  “Follow me.”  Be with me.  Do what I do, see the world as I see, obey me.  Once I decide to simply follow, everything will fall into place.  Another thing I can learn is that Jesus’ calling can come in the midst of the mundane, and that it might not be at a time when we expect or feel “ready.”  Perhaps, in the midst of our day to day life, there is a never a time when we feel quite ready.  He didn’t call Levi when Levi had retired or when he had nothing else to do.  Jesus didn’t wait for Levi to tell him when it was a convenient time to follow.  He simply saw Levi and called him.  Jesus must have considered this calling as the most important invitation, the most important thing.  He considered it worth getting up and leaving the tax booth.

I have experienced God’s calling to me in the midst of the mundane.  There were times he called me to leave my sinful habits, and this would entail rearranging my schedule, being inconvenienced a little bit so that I would not be tempted to revisit places or fall into patterns that were not spiritually healthy.  There were times I was called to help a person in need, maybe someone who was sick, or who needed someone to talk to or be with.  I always had my own list of “to do” items that might have felt pressing, but that I had to set aside.  Most recently, I was called to move from northern California to San Diego to help fill a need at our church.  I don’t know if I would have ever felt “ready” or in the “right position” to do this, but the need arose, and the call came, and we decided to obey.

What did Levi do when Jesus called?  He immediately got up, left everything and followed.  He did not ask Jesus to hold on while he wrapped up his business.  He didn’t seek out the most lucrative way to liquidate his tax booth.  Instead, his response was so simple and so powerful.  It illustrates what it looks like to respond to Jesus’ calling.  I have heard in many sermons that we have all experienced people around us leaving everything to follow.  People leave everything at a moment’s notice to respond to the call of the school of their dreams, or a high-paying or prestigious job.  What is truly worth leaving and following?  The result of leaving everything for a school or a job may be comfort, momentary pleasures, fleeting successes that only lead to the need to move up the next step.  All too often, the sad result of this is a life lived in isolation, without meaningful relationships.   Over the years at our church, I have seen people leave their own ambitions to follow God’s calling.  My leaders, my friends, younger ones in our midst have left their worldly plans for materialistic success in order to be better positioned to minister to others.  I have seen people settle for lesser paying jobs or less prestigious programs because they got caught up in the vision of spreading the gospel to people on college campuses, along with people they had come to trust and love.  Even though some other job or school “called” their name, the call to minister to others along with those who they committed to build the church together with called out stronger to them.  What was the result of this?  An inspiring picture of what is truly worth following.  Lives impacted eternally by the love of these people.  For myself, every time I chose to “leave everything” I had known, some aspect of the life I was living, and follow Jesus, this led to greater blessing in my life.  When I responded to the call to “leave” what was familiar and precious to me, my friends and community in northern California, and go to help our church plant in San Diego, I experienced so much, most of all, a greater confidence in God’s love and provision.  Just this past week, we had a group from Berkeley, Austin and San Francisco to help us with our welcome events.  Through all of us working together, we were able to experience God showing us His love for our campus.  We rejoiced together as we met people with genuine spiritual interest, looking for answers and meaning in life, and were in awe that we could be the ones who could show them the amazing love of God that we found.  As the week went by, with all of us working hard and giving our all, I felt so much awe at the fact that God was using us to change the trajectory of people’s lives forever, and to show people a new life that they never imagined.  I see the simple invitations to come to our event, or to engage in some discussion about God, as God’s simple calling of “Follow me,” to the people that we met, and it’s incredible that God would use people like us to invite people in this way.  Although I can’t say that I’ve really “left” that much to follow Jesus, again and again, I experience that when I answer God’s call, though it may not seem like the most convenient time for me, and though it may mean leaving something I thought was important, I receive much, much more than what I had before.

After Levi leaves all to follow Jesus, what follows?  He throws a great banquet for Jesus at his house.  Immediately, he uses what he has to invite others to meet Jesus and I can only imagine that party being one of great joy as people were coming to meet the one who could change their lives forever.  Again, this is something I’ve experienced through my years of serving Christ.  And this past week, we experienced this together as a church as we rejoiced at all that God did through our welcome events.  Even though some of us had only met a few days before, we had worked hard together for God’s purpose and it resulted in collective awe and celebration.  This type of celebration is indescribably different from anything I’ve experienced after any worldly accomplishment.  The call to follow Jesus is not the call to a life of drudgery, but of unspeakable joy.  It is something that this world can never offer, and it all starts with that one simple invitation from Jesus to “Follow me.”

–

Submitted by Joanna K. from Gracepoint San Diego Church

Reflection Questions

Luke 5:27-28

 ·         Note Levi’s response to Jesus’ calling. 

Levi’s response to Jesus’ calling was so radical.  Upon Jesus’ invitation to follow him, Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.  That kind of immediate and total response is very shocking and unusual. It definitely would’ve turned heads and made people wonder what made Levi do such a drastic thing.

·         What did Levi leave behind in order to follow Jesus? 

Levi left behind his tax collector’s booth which was basically his livelihood.  He left a very lucrative career, and one that gave him a lot of power over his fellow neighbors.  He may have been despised by his fellow man, but he was probably respected and feared in a way since the tax collecting business was rough. He was perhaps leaving a very reckless and “exciting” life where he got to do whatever he wanted since he was probably rich and hung around a rough and kind of wild crowd. The kind of life that Levi built up for himself benefitted him and it was a life he was used to and was probably comfortable with.

·         What are the things that I am struggling to leave behind to follow Jesus?

Although my life is very different from Levi’s life, as on the outside it seems like I’m living a relatively “good” life.  I’m Christian and have been serving at church for a while now.  However, there is still that comfortable life that I have to keep struggling to leave behind to follow Jesus.  It’s because Jesus constantly wants to help me grow up and mature, and right when I feel comfortable in my Christian life, he gives me a new challenge or a new invitation that rocks my boat and forces me to make a fresh new decision to leave behind what I find comfortable and follow Jesus.  Jesus is asking me to leave behind my comfort, my fears, and insecurities to go on this crazy adventure with him and just follow his leading.

Having the advantage of knowing the outcome of Levi’s decision, I have the comfort of knowing that responding to Jesus with Levi’s complete surrender was the best decision he could ever have made. He got to have front row seats to Jesus’ earthly ministry, he got to experience the cross, and the resurrection first hand. So this encourages me to respond to Jesus with Levi’s reckless abandon. Even though it seems so scary and so uncertain, I know that through responding to Jesus’ invitation to do something scary for him will allow me to draw closer to Jesus in a way that would’ve have been possible if I just shrank back and clung onto my comfortable life.

Luke 5:31-32

·         Who did Jesus say needs a doctor? 

Jesus said that it was not the healthy who needed a doctor, but the sick.

·         How well do I react to the news that I am “sick”, or that there is something not right about me? 

Sadly, I do not react well to the news that I am “sick” or that there is something not right about me. I can easily say that I am a sinner and a failure in general, but when someone brings up something specific it’s another story.

·          When people give me constructive criticism, what is my usual response? 

When people give me constructive criticism my usual response is to come up with some kind of excuse for myself, or some mitigating circumstances that make what I did not that bad.  When I catch myself, I get surprised at how effortlessly I can defend myself against any criticism that I did something wrong. When I see other people do it, it’s so obvious and bemoan the fact that people don’t just fess up to their mistakes or sins.  However, I am so blind to how obvious I am when I come up with excuses and defend myself when something is pointed out about me.  I find a ridiculous commitment to myself to feel good about myself and to deflect criticism that makes me feel bad.

Recently, I did a horrible job planning for the food for the Winter Welcome Night and so many things went wrong. It was obviously my fault and I caused unnecessary stress to some people through my own laziness and negligence. Yet, when specific things were pointed out to me that I should’ve thought of, I would automatically say that I didn’t have time to plan for it or think through that part of the food logistics.  Hearing myself say that made me cringe because I realized quickly that whether or not I thought I had adequate time, I was the one who didn’t think through the details, and I was the one who was careless.  So what would’ve been appropriate was to just immediately affirm that the criticism was true and apologize.

Thinking about the context of this passage, my unwillingness to acknowledge my own “sickness” is so ridiculous because I forfeit being healed by Jesus.  It’s those moments where there are no more excuses for myself and I finally face the truth that I am a hopeless sinner, as hopeless as someone who is very sick and cannot heal myself that I can repent and experience the amazing gift of forgiveness from God.  Jesus himself said that if I think I am healthy, then he really has nothing for me. It’s only when I throw my hands up and admit my sin that I can experience what he came on this earth to do, to forgive sinners and bring them to repentance.

Luke 5:36-39

“Those who like old wine do not try the new, for their minds are already made up: ‘The old is good.’ So Jesus expects many not to respond to his new way. They are com­fortable with life and piety as it is. Jesus’ remark is both a description and a warning. John the Baptist came to tell the people that a new era of change was coming, but Jesus knows that some do not want change.”

·         Why does the new wine need to be poured into a new wineskin?

The new wine needs to be poured into a new wineskin, so that when it ferments and expands, the new wineskin will be flexible and moldable enough to expand with the new wine.  If the new wine is poured into an old wineskin that does not have the elasticity to stretch with the fermenting wine, the wineskin will burst and both the wine and the wineskin will be ruined.

·         What do the new wine and new wineskins symbolize? 

The new wine symbolizes Jesus and the new era of God’s kingdom.  Jesus’ teachings and understanding of God were so radical and it really challenged the traditional ways of thinking about God.  The new wineskins represent people’s hearts and whether they will welcome Jesus into their own lives and allow him to completely change their lives.  People with an old wineskin as their hearts will resist the changes that Jesus brings, and will not budge because they are comfortable with their lives and do not want Jesus or anyone else to disrupt it.

·         Are there some ways in which I have I been resisting God because I don’t like to come out of my set “old ways”?

There are ways in which I have been resisting God because I don’t like to come out of my set “old ways.”  I get comfortable at the level of maturity I’m at, or the level of responsibility I’ve been given, and I am careful not to take on too much more because I mistakenly think I can’t be stretched more. However, Jesus is always that new wine in my life, wanting to bring something new into my life, wanting me to expand the capacity of my heart. There’s always some challenge in my life that I feel like Jesus is pushing me towards so that I can grow whether it be to claim more and more people into my heart, or to take more ownership over the church and not to think of my own little sliver of responsibility.  Very quickly this sense that I am finally comfortable and just getting the hang of things settles in and I do not want anything else to throw off my balance, lest I feel out of control.  Yet, in ministry, in the business of loving others, there are always interruptions, always unexpected needs that come up that Jesus wants me to respond to and through that grow.  I always have the decision before me whether to be a new or old wineskin, whether I’m going to accept the challenges or respond to the needs that are in front of me, or to turn my back on it and say that I already have enough on my plate.

Even just with the beginning of the winter quarter I sense Jesus telling me to let go of my old ways and to stretch the capacity of my heart.  With all the new friends who came to the Winter Welcome Night and many who signed up to take Christian Foundations Course, I cannot just operate the way I have been doing as if it was the same as before. God has shown me that there are more people to love and embrace, more people to own and to get involved with, more people to fuse my destiny with theirs and invite more suffering and anguish into my life. With these precious people, I can extend my heart out to them, pray for them, and think of ways to help them grow in their faith and grow in my capacity to love.

PERSONAL PRAYER                                                          

Dear Lord, thank you for today’s word as you’re showing me that you want me to grow and expand in my capacity to love others. You call me like Levi to leave my comfort zone and follow you with full surrender. Through this new quarter, you’re giving me this fresh opportunity to leave my old ways of comfort and complacency and to really embark on this new adventure with you to love and minister to the people you’ve sent. I commit to being that new wineskin that is ready to expand and share your heart for people.

–

Submitted by Kevin L. from Gracepoint Hsinchu Church

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Luke 5:27-28

• Note Levi’s response to Jesus’ calling.   

Levi was sitting at his tax booth, when Jesus came by and said, “Follow me.” Upon hearing the call, Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Levi didn’t hesitate or tell Jesus to wait a minute. It was as if Levi was waiting for this moment, waiting just for some greater purpose, higher calling, someone worth pursuing, and upon this chance, he immediately left everything to follow this cause. He did not look back and wonder if he was making the right choice. Rather, he was willing to give up everything to follow Jesus.

• What did Levi leave behind in order to follow Jesus? 

Levi left behind his career and what defined him and gave him status the past many years. He had worked hard to become a tax collector, and had to even compete with others, betray his own people, do whatever it took to come to this position. He was able to make lots of money and have power among the people. Although Levi was probably not well liked by his people, since he was collecting taxes for the Romans, this job still gave him security, comfort, something to lean on and depend on and point to, to say “I made it in life.”

• What are the things that I am struggling to leave behind to follow Jesus?

Things that I am struggling to leave behind to follow Jesus include comfort and security. Growing up in a well-to-do family and having everything provided for, I’m just so accustomed to everything going smoothly, not facing any difficulties nor resistance, not really struggling. Consequently, I’ve developed such an attachment to comfort, whether materialistically, physically, emotionally. That is something I struggle with in Taiwan. Physically, I see how I still want to get enough rest each night or do the least amount of work to get by. Emotionally, I see how I avoid having difficult conversations with people, find it hard to open up my life to be hurt by others, or refrain from giving my all in prayer meeting because it’s emotionally draining. I also don’t like to do new things in ministry or moving out of my comfort zone, in terms of what I’m familiar with, how I think each day should go, and my agenda for each day. Materialistically, I still want to hold on to some semblance of security in terms of having a job, financial security. I don’t like it when I’m uncertain about the future or don’t have something to lean on. These are all areas in my life I really need to struggle with and surrender to God.

Luke 5:31-32

• Who did Jesus say needs a doctor?

Jesus says that it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. It’s not the righteous who need God, but it’s the sinners that Jesus came to save and to call to repentance.

• How well do I react to the news that I am “sick”, or that there is something not right about me? 

Maybe after a message or prayer meeting or after I have done something I know I shouldn’t have done, I am convicted of my sinfulness. But on a regular basis, I still negatively react to the news that I am “sick.” I find it hard to accept not because I disagree, but because it feels uncomfortable and vulnerable. I still want to hold on to some semblance of decency, that I’m not that bad, that I can do something right. Although mentally I can assent to the fact that I’m a sinner and know how it applies to everyone in general, when somebody points out something about me and my particular sins, I become defensive.

• When people give me constructive criticism, what is my usual response? 

When people give me constructive criticism, my usual response is becoming defensive and think of ways I am not like that. Whether it’s my leader who points something out, or my spouse who says something, although I could agree on the outside, I see how my ego flares up and finds it hard to take in the criticism. I quickly use different mechanisms to justify myself. I come up with various excuses, say that this person doesn’t know what I’m going through or doesn’t know these other factors, say that this was only a special incident, or subconsciously compare myself with others and say, “how about that person.” Through these ways, I see that the identity as “a sinner,” that I have cancer, is not a day to day reality in my life. If it were, when people correct me, I would gladly accept it and see how it is an accurate picture of me.

Luke 5:36-39

“Those who like old wine do not try the new, for their minds are already made up: ‘The old is good.’ So Jesus expects many not to respond to his new way. They are com­fortable with life and piety as it is. Jesus’ remark is both a description and a warning. John the Baptist came to tell the people that a new era of change was coming, but Jesus knows that some do not want change.”

• Why does the new wine need to be poured into a new wineskin?

New wine needs to be poured into a new wineskin so that it wouldn’t break, that it would be able to contain the new wine and that it wouldn’t taint or alter the flavor, potency, and nature of the new wine. It is only appropriate and deserving that the new wine is poured into new wineskin rather than using old wineskin to contain it.

• What do the new wine and new wineskins symbolize? 

The new wine symbolizes the new life that Christ has come to give us, this precious gospel. New wineskin refers to the kind of higher dimension, new way of life that God has called us to live so as to properly contain and carry this precious gospel.

• Are there some ways in which I have I been resisting God because I don’t like to come out of my set “old ways”?

Ways in which I have been resisting God because I am set in my old ways, include my clinging onto what I’m familiar with my old patterns of thinking, living, views, values. I still want things to go my way and according to my agenda. I don’t like interruptions in my life or when things call for me to drop what I am doing to attend to that need or that person. I still have my notions of how a Christian life should be–living a contained, manageable kind of Christian life rather than giving myself wholly to God and living an interruptible life. I can follow God as long as I don’t have to get out of my comfort or do this or that. Another way I still hold on to my old ways is in terms of my values and how I view people. Instead of viewing each person as a forgiven sinner and precious child of God, I subconsciously still value people based on their performance, competence, what they can do for me. In these ways, I am still that old wineskin in which God wants me to completely change so that He can dwell in me.

PERSONAL PRAYER                                                          

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help me to come before You and surrender all my old patterns of life, thinking, values, behaviors, etc. all to You. Help me to be like Levi, who left everything to follow You. May I surrender all things I’m holding on to, my comforts and security, so that I can be used by You. May I be that new wineskin to contain the new life You want to give to me. Help me to continue to struggle with my values and different strongholds in my life.