Reading: Luke 19:1-10

“And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho” (1).

What does that have to do with a panting hart? How does it fit in a devotional journal?

I read that and the concept seized my thoughts and gripped by heart. He entered. He passed through.

I know that verse is a statement of something that happened. I know it doesn’t “fit” as a Truth Teaching verse. But look again at that warning hidden in plain sight!

May those first five words not describe my relationship with Jesus!

I want Him to enter to stay!

I must keep my heart solely for Him. Or He will leave.

I must allow Him alone to make my life His home. Or He will leave.

I must yield anything and everything to Him. Or He will leave.

And Jesus entered and passed through Mark.

No!

from Luke 19:3

A little bit more from Luke 19: Do I Welcome Jesus?

Reading: Luke 18:31-43

Early this morning, as I puttered around making ready to start the fire in our fireplace insert, I started thinking about forgiveness.

Sometimes we have such a struggle giving it!

Finally I got to my Bible reading. It didn’t take long to arrive at verses 32 and 33:

“For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:

And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.”

Despite such rejection, cruelty, mockery, injustice, and pain, Jesus asked the Father to forgive them.

I wrote despite then I thought, “Also because of! He forgave them because of their rejection and cruelty and mockery and injustice and unkindness. They needed to be forgiven. And He needed to forgive them.”

So do I.

I need to forgive.

Despite what’s been done to me.

And they need to be forgiven.

Because of what they’ve done.

“Yeah, but Jesus could do that because He knew He would rise again and win in the end!”

And I won’t?

from Luke 18:38

A little bit more from Luke 18: Same Offer to Me?