Get Things Settled : Luke 12:54-59 : What Jesus Did! : HEARTLIGHT®

Home > Devotionals > What Jesus Did! > August 23

Get Things Settled - Luke 12:54-59

Then Jesus said to the people, "When you see clouds growing bigger in the west, you say, 'A rainstorm is coming.' And soon it begins to rain. When you feel the wind begin to blow from the south, you say, 'It will be a hot day.' And you are right. You hypocrites! You can understand the weather. Why don't you understand what is happening now? Why can't you decide for yourselves what is right? Suppose a person is suing you, and you are going with him to court. You should try hard to settle it on the way. If you don't settle it, he may take you to the judge. And the judge will throw you into jail. You will not get out of there until you have paid every cent of what you owe." (ERV) Full Text

Key Thought

Jesus has been teaching his disciples about living with a sense of urgency and expectation (see the last half of Luke 12). The values of the Kingdom of God are values built around a commitment to be ready for his return. That means living with passion. That means living with many folks that do not appreciate you. That means living with a sense of expectation. That means living with a sense that our decision to follow Jesus matters profoundly. With that in mind, Jesus closes this section by urging us to get our matters settled with others. Since his coming is imminent, then we need to make sure our relationships are reconciled. Closing time can come at any time and we want to make sure our matters are in good shape. So let's get things right, today!

Today's Prayer

Get WJD by EMAIL!

Enter your email address above to subscribe to the email edition of What Jesus Did! Follow along FREE every day as we go through Luke in a year.

More Info on Mailing Lists

Father, give me a deeper sense of urgency to get my relationships and matters in order. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Now you can get Phil's What Jesus Did devotional as a paperback book!

Today's Verses in Context

Jesus continued speaking: "I came to bring fire to the world. I wish it were already burning! I must be baptized with a {different kind of} baptism. I feel very troubled until it is finished. Do you think that I came to give peace to the world? No! I came to divide the world! From now on, a family with five people will be divided, three against two, and two against three. A father and son will be divided: The son will be against his father. The father will be against his son. A mother and her daughter will be divided: The daughter will be against her mother. The mother will be against her daughter. A mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law will be divided: The daughter-in-law will be against her mother-in-law. The mother-in-law will be against her daughter-in-law." Then Jesus said to the people, "When you see clouds growing bigger in the west, you say, 'A rainstorm is coming.' And soon it begins to rain. When you feel the wind begin to blow from the south, you say, 'It will be a hot day.' And you are right. You hypocrites ! You can understand the weather. Why don't you understand what is happening now? "Why can't you decide for yourselves what is right? Suppose a person is suing you, and you are going with him to court. You should try hard to settle it on the way. If you don't settle it, he may take you to the judge. And the judge will throw you into jail. You will not get out of there until you have paid every cent of what you owe."

— Luke 12:49-59 (ERV)

Comments on "Get Things Settled":

But the things you learned in Christ were not like those bad things. I know that you heard about him. And you are in him, so you were taught the truth. Yes, the truth is in Jesus. You were taught to leave your old self. This means that you must stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self becomes worse and worse, because people are fooled by the evil things they want to do. You must be made new in your hearts and in your thinking. You must become a new person, made to be like God--made to be truly good and holy. So you must stop telling lies. You must always speak the truth to each other, because we all belong to each other in the same body. When you become angry, don't let that anger make you sin. And don't continue to be angry all day. Don't give the devil a way to defeat you. If a person is stealing, he must stop stealing. That person must start working. He must use his hands for doing something good. Then he will have something to share with those people who are poor. When you talk, don't say any bad things. But say things that people need--things that will help other people become stronger. Then the things you say will help the people who listen to you. And don't make the Holy Spirit sad. The Spirit is God's proof that you belong to God. God gave you that Spirit to show that God will make you free at the right time. Never be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt other people. Never do anything evil. Be kind and loving to each other. Forgive each other the same as God forgave you in Christ. —Ephesians 4:20-32 (ERV)

Yes, if you forgive other people for the things they do wrong, then your Father in heaven will also forgive you for the things you do wrong. But if you don't forgive the wrong things people do to you, then your Father in heaven will not forgive the wrong things you do. —Matthew 6:14-15 (ERV)

Brothers, and sisters, don't complain against each other. If you don't stop complaining, you will be judged guilty. And the Judge is ready to come! —James 5:9 (ERV)