Luke 12:54-59
54 And He was also saying to the
crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A
shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. 55 “And
when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot
day,’ and it turns out that way. 56 “You
hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky,
but why do you not analyze this present time? 57 “And
why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? 58 “For
while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate,
on your way there make an effort to settle
with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you
over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 “I
say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last
cent.”
Confusion is one of our greatest enemies. We often confuse the priorities of life as
well as our own reality. The things that
we get fixated upon are often very trivial in the eyes of God. Our interpretations of our own circumstances
are usually biased, and we have a hard time seeing things from the perspective
of others. Jesus alerts His hearers to
this weakness and challenges them to look at life in a different way. We all need to strive to see our priorities
and our circumstances from God’s perspective and not our own.
LACK OF PRIORITY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS IMPORTANT: Our
fascination with the weather is understandable from one perspective, because it
influences how we live our lives.
However, I often think that it is a distraction from that which is truly
important. When we don’t know what to
talk about, we usually make a meaningless comment, usually in the form of a
complaint, about the weather. We try to
predict the weather by any means possible and in modern society have an entire
science dedicated to the predicting of weather.
In the case of storms these predictions can save lives, but most of the time
it serves only to let us know the high and low temperature or if we need an umbrella. There is nothing wrong with wanting to know
this information, but Jesus says it is trivial in comparison with the knowledge
of the coming judgment that God is bringing upon the earth. We consider ourselves clever when we can predict
a rain while we ignore that fire and brimstone are going to come crashing down
to the earth and melt it with a fervent heat.
Do we spend more time watching the weather or talking about the weather
than we do considering the implications of God’s impending judgment on the
earth? We need to align our priorities
with eternity.
LACK OF HUMILITY TO RECOGNIZE OUR OWN GUILT: We all tend to
think that we are just in our own eyes. It
is hard for us to imagine that we are guilty.
Jesus advises us to strive to settle our disputes without going before a
judge. When we are alone with a part
that has a complaint against us, we have the opportunity to humble ourselves,
attempt to explain ourselves, appeal to the person’s mercy and ask for
forgiveness. The other option is to
insist in our own innocence and hope that the person does not have adequate
proof of our guilt. Once the situation
goes before the judge, we no longer have the option of appealing or asking for
forgiveness. The judge must take the
case on its merits and if we are found guilty we will be prosecuted to the full
extent of the law and be required to pay all the debt or the crime in
full. It is tempting to try to justify
ourselves, but we must remember this comes from a proud heart that will usually
lead us into deep trouble. Learning
humility is a key to our relationships and resolving any conflicts that may arise. Our guilt is hard to recognize and even
harder to openly admit, but doing so will save us heartache, conflict and may win
us friends where we least expect it.
APPLICATION: Make sure that our thoughts and our
conversations are centered on that which is eternally relevant. Next time you find yourself talking to
someone about the weather, also say something about what you are leaning from
God’s Word. Seek to resolve all
conflicts with others in a timely fashion by evaluating your heart to see where
you might be guilty of sin. Repent,
confess, make restitution and seek to restore the relationship as soon as
possible.
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