This week, in our devotionals in Luke, we are using this parable of the lamp to inspire us. Today we will be considering Jesus promise that ‘Whoever has will be given more’ and vice-versa.
“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.” (Luke 8:16-18)
Lesson: Those who listen carefully to God will grow brighter and brighter whereas those who are Lazy, distracted and unbelieving will grow dim.
To listen to this devotional, go to:
I was a secondary school teacher for a number of years and getting people to listen is a challenge! I was forever seeking to spot those who were distracting and being distracted in order to bring their attention back to the lesson. This Parable, as with The Parable of the Soils, is Jesus seeking to get our distracted hearts and minds back on His priorities. Jesus tells us to ‘consider carefully how you listen’ and many of us find it hard to pay attention and listen to Him in His Word and are, therefore, not shining as brightly as we could be!
Today, Jesus wants us to renew our devotion to listening to Him; He wants to give us restored hope that we can be great at understanding and doing His Word. Jesus tells us,
“Consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”
Here Jesus is giving us a promise and a warning: He promises those who will listen carefully that they will ‘be given more’. What does this mean? Simply put, it means that those who will seek to know and do His word will be given more and more understanding and maturity whilst those who think they don’t really need God’s word, who rely on their own wisdom and righteousness will diminish and grow dim. In the judgment of God, even what they think they have - their goodness and self-righteousness will be revealed as nothing. Whereas the humble who may even feel very intellectually limited, will be given more and more and will grow in maturity and Christlikeness.
Maybe we feel that we are not very good at reading and understanding the Bible. Maybe we feel burdened by failure and bad habits. Maybe we confess that there’s no way that I can be a shining light for Jesus in this world! Whilst we are all tempted to believe lies from the evil one as He seeks to steel the seeds of Jesus’ promises, let’s lift up the shield of faith and choose to believe that, ‘Whoever has will be given more’; let’s believe that if I will do what I can to listen to and obey Jesus even in small ways, I will grow and shine brighter and brighter for Him. Proverbs says it like this:
‘Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.’ (Proverbs 9:9)
Step by step we will grow and grow - get brighter and brighter - if we will listen to Jesus’ promise.
Response
Those who listen carefully to God will grow brighter and brighter whereas those who are Lazy, distracted and disbelieving will grow dim. Are you believing that if you will invest time in listening to Jesus in His Word that you will grow brighter for Him? Jesus promises you that, ‘Whoever has will be given more’. Will you do what you can do to hear God’s Word? Will you do all that you can to obey what you hear? No matter your current ability and maturity, God promises that you will grow in ability, maturity and shine brighter and brighter if you will do what you can. So will you create a habit - ideally at the beginning of each day - where you listen to Jesus? If you do, you will shine brighter and brighter and be a great blessing to many.
COMMUNITY GROUP NOTES AND STUDY
1. Notices
It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.
Please ensure that the members of your group are aware and familiar with using the daily devotionals which is accessed in Church News or the 'Teaching' button on the website.
2. Icebreaker
How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week and how has this helped you? (Again, as with last week, this parable of the lamp on a stand, that we are looking at today, is very much linked with knowing and doing God’s Word).
3. Worship together
Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.
4. Study and pray together
This week, in our devotionals in Luke, we are using this parable of the lamp (Luke 18:16-18) to inspire us.
In our days of electric lights, the need to tend a lamp has gone. Most of us find it hard enough to change a lightbulb let alone to tend a lamp that’s fuelled by oil! Jesus tells this parable as a compliment and reiteration of what He said previously in The Parable of the Soils. Both parables are about how we ‘hear’ God’s word, put it into practice and share it with others.
Please read Luke :8:16-18
What were you particularly struck by in Sunday’s message from Luke 8:16-18?
What would you say is the central teaching of this parable on putting the lamp on a stand?
What does it mean to hide our light and put our lamp on a stand?
How can we seek to put our light on a stand?
In verse 16, we read, ‘For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.’ How is this reference to final judgement to affect how we live?
SIV - How, specifically, are we to let our light shine on our community that’s outside of faith?
SIV - Why might we be tempted to hide our light from our non-believing friends, family and colleagues?
SIV - Do we have any stories of how we have ‘Served, Invested, and inVited’ recently?
Let’s pray together that, this week, we will have opportunities to SIV; and pray for anything else that’s come out of our time in God’s Word.
תגובות