Beware of Covetousness

“And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."” (Luke 12:15 ESV). In this verse, Jesus commands us to beware of covetousness or to wrongly desire something, possibly without regard for the rights of others. This command comes out of a request made by someone in the crowd listening to Jesus, who wanted help in getting part of an inheritance from a family member. In this context Jesus gives a warning against equating a good life with the accumulation of things.

Jesus illustrates this command with a parable of the rich man who should have a very good harvest and decided to tear down his old barns and build larger ones so he could store the harvest and enjoy a good life for many years. Jesus calls him a fool because his focus is on the benefits of his harvest and not on the needs of others or on his own preparation for eternity. Jesus refers to anyone who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God as a fool.

Prayer

Father, living in a country of great wealth, it is easy to covet things and build your life around them and be distracted from preparing for life after death. With such access to things, we have become comfortable and lose sight of the importance of spiritual growth and the need to share the gospel with others. Father, my concern for the western church is that as we covet things and refuse to share the gospel, we are opening the door for persecution to come upon us as judgment. Father, have mercy on us and draw us back to you.

See "The Commands of Jesus" Index to view other commands.

Be Wise as Serpents

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16 ESV). The command we are looking at is “Be Wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” The context our verse is from is about persecution. As believers, we are described as sheep that are being sent out in the midst of wolves to share the gospel. As a result of this threat to our safety, we are commanded to be wise and innocent in the face of persecution. Looking ahead in this section, we also find that in the face of persecution we are to beware of men, not be anxious, not be afraid but to endure with love and forgiveness.

Selecting the serpent as a symbol of wisdom is found in the early parables of most eastern nations. We find the serpent being described in Genesis 3:1 as being craftier than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. We are to be wise in how we live among those who would persecute us. We can gain this wisdom by walking close to Jesus and learning from those who face persecution today. We need to understand our enemy and how to maintain a strong position with the Lord. If overcome by the enemy, we will also need wisdom to know how to respond.

The dove is a symbol of innocence. The dove, as a symbol of the Spirit of God, descended and came to rest on Jesus at his baptism; this Jesus being innocent of any crime was condemned to die on the cross for our benefit. In the face of persecution, we are, like Jesus, to maintain a life of innocence.

Prayer

Father, as we live in the face of evil we are to be wise in our walk and innocent in our behavior and if we are forced to suffer for our faith I pray that we would maintain our witness through our love and forgiveness. Maybe this is the only way the one persecuting us will have to experience the gospel. Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters who are suffering for their faith, that they would be encouraged, would be able to endure the trial, and would stand steadfast in their faith. 

Be Servants

“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26-28 ESV). The mother of two of the disciples came to Jesus and asked if they could sit, one on his left and one on his right, in his kingdom. This provided Jesus with an opportunity to point out that a position of power is not as important as the humility of a servant.

Jesus, as the Son of God, spoke the universe into existence, but yet he came into his creation, to earth, as a humble servant. He did not come as a powerful political figure, but one who would bear the shame of the cross and die for our salvation. If God, the most powerful agent in existence can humble himself to that extent, then we, as his children, must be willing and committed to the role of servant, which in his kingdom is a position of power and greatness.

Prayer

Father, how difficult it is to walk in humility when the flesh wants the attention of others. Father, how important Galatians 2:20 is in this walk: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (ESV). The only way that I can walk in humility is to die too self so that Jesus can live in me. He's is the key that opens the way to walk in humility as a servant with joy and peace.

See "The Commands of Jesus" Index to view other commands.

Be Reconciled

“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.” (Matthew 5:23-25 ESV). The command of Jesus before us is, “Be reconciled.”

A person has brought their gift before the alter to offer a sacrifice and then remembers being out of fellowship with a brother. Jesus makes it clear that it is more important to leave the sacrifice unfinished and try to reconcile with the brother. Paul also points out the importance of living peaceably with one another: “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; . . ." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17-21 ESV).

Prayer

Father, because of our sinful nature it is so easy to live for self and overlook the rights and needs of others and allow a breach to develop in relationships. Father, help me look not only to my own interests, but also to the interests of others, especially those of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:4, 21 ESV) and when I offend another, encourage me to mend the relationship by seeking forgiveness.

See "The Commands of Jesus" Index to view other commands.

Be Perfect

“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:46-48 ESV). What does it mean to be perfect? One might think of being faultless or flawless, but the idea here is that of completeness of our being. In this life we are to be born again and then grow in spiritual maturity. We are to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ to be seen as complete now, then through the resurrection we will have eternal completeness of being; we will be perfect as our Heavenly Father is. Then we will be partakers of his divine nature and be able to love as he loves.

Prayer

Father, it is hard to imagine what it will be like to be perfect as you are and live as Jesus lived. Being born spiritually was a big change in life, but to be like Jesus is more that I can understand. When I think of this I realize how far short I fall. Father, I seek your forgiveness and ask for your help in doing better.

See "The Commands of Jesus" Index to view other commands.

Be Born Agin

“Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'” (John 3:5-7 ESV). Life comes in two stages: first is physical life, which provides the possibility of spiritual life. Everyone physically born is born spiritually dead and needs to experience spiritual birth before physical death occurs.

The command before us is: “You must be born again.” If we ignore this command we remain in our sin under the wrath of God, “[but], if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10 ESV), being in Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV). That new creation has eternal life, the result of obedience to the command to be born again.

Prayer

Father, I believe salvation is a gift that is given, not something we can work for. Being born again is an event in our lives caused by you, not something we can do. To obey the command to be born again is to realize that it is a life and death event that we must be involved in. To ignore the command is to remain spiritually dead. Father, thank you for the gift of salvation.

See "The Commands of Jesus" Index to view other commands.

Be a House of Prayer

“He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers."” (Matthew 21:13 ESV). Jesus comes into the temple and finds an area where Jews and Gentiles could come and pray filled with money changers and people buying and selling items for the sacrifice. In righteous anger, Jesus drives them out and stating, from Isaiah 56:7, that this is to be a house of prayer, but instead the space was corrupted through merchandising and cheating.

Jesus commands they use the temple as a house of prayer. This command applies to us as believers because our bodies are described as temples of the Holy Spirit. I would broaden this to include our churches and ask you to think about the decreasing importance of prayer in both cases and how it is being replaces with other activities and interest. How many churches still have a midweek prayer service or even a Sunday night service. How many of you see the importance of time each day for prayer? I believe this command of Jesus applies to us in that we are to keep our temple from pollution and embrace the act of daily prayer.

Prayer

Father, in the same way that corruption crept into the temple it is creeping into our churches and our lives by replacing the activity of prayer with some worldly practice. The changes I have seen and experienced during my 80 years of life is truly disturbing. For most believers, prayer to involve God in our activities and ministry has been replaced with our own effort. As a result, what is accomplished is only a reflection of our efforts, not a joint effort with God.

See "The Commands of Jesus" Index to view other commands.