Thursday Devo
Scripture Reading:
Luke 6:22-23,26
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
6:22–23 Whenever enemies hate, exclude, revile, or spurn Christians, the response should be to rejoice (Acts 5:41; 16:25; 21:13ff.), because their reward is great in heaven.
6:26 The fourth woe warns that, while true prophets were hated, excluded, reviled, spurned, beaten, tortured, and killed (cf. Heb. 11:32–38), false prophets were well spoken of, for they prophesied what people wanted to hear. This is a warning against seeking the approval of the world rather than being faithful to God.
6:26 The fourth woe warns that, while true prophets were hated, excluded, reviled, spurned, beaten, tortured, and killed (cf. Heb. 11:32–38), false prophets were well spoken of, for they prophesied what people wanted to hear. This is a warning against seeking the approval of the world rather than being faithful to God.
Study Questions:
- Finally, Jesus spoke of those who are rejected because of him and those who everyone loves and accepts. The world is hostile to Jesus followers. Jesus was saying that true followers would be hated because of who they followed, while those living for themselves and the approval of others are exposed as frauds. Have you ever been rejected or lost friends over your decision to follow Jesus or do things God's way? Do you live out your faith in a way that is apparent to everyone around you?
- Jesus links the true disciples to the true prophets and the false disciples to the false prophets. While true prophets were hated, excluded, reviled, spurned, beaten, tortured, and killed, false prophets were well spoken of because they told people what they wanted to hear. They were pretenders. Which one are you? Has God transformed your heart to the point that it’s obvious to others? Are you the real deal follower? Or are you a pretender? God knows... how would he describe your relationship with him?
Pray:
- That you would live out your faith in your every day life for all to see.
- That you would be among the true disciples.
1 Comment
It's a good question to ask, how would God view my relationship with Him. That is not a viewpoint I have ever considered.