God is doing a wonderful and difficult work of tearing down and building up in my life.

He’s making an all out assault against things that separate me from Him (many of which I’m still clinging to, but day-by-day am learning to let go) and He is building up those things that make for my peace.

Here is a beautiful and unexpected revelation from Luke 15-16 that cuts me deeply. I pray it blesses you and draws you nearer to God as it is presently doing for me.

Family reunion.

This is what makes God happy.

The heart and desire of the Father is to be with His children, regardless of how they were lost:

whether they were lost because they wandered (Luke 15:4-7),
whether they were lost due to a failure of those who were supposed to keep them (Luke 15:8-10),
whether they were lost because they rebelled (Luke 15:11-24),
whether they were lost because their hearts were hardened due to self righteousness (Luke 15:25-32).

The heart and desire of the Father is to be with His children (Luke 15:20,32).

Everytime even one is restored, there’s a party in heaven (Luke 15:7, 10, 22-24).

This is what makes God happy.

Then Jesus makes a point about leadership and the religious establishment (Luke 16).

We can make God happy by pointing His children to Him, but we won’t because we’re lost!

We won’t commit ourselves to the work that pleases the Father because we’re enslaved to another master: our love of money (Luke 16:1-13).

As a result, we embezzle the resources the Father gave us for His work and spend it on ourselves to our own hurt, forfeiting the “true riches” (Luke 16:1-13).

Even in that there’s grace. In this series of parables, Christ is being about the Father’s business. He is working to please the Father and His admonition is to restore us to Him!

He is teaching what makes for our peace (Luke 19:42).

What I’m learning is that I’d be richer, more at peace, by laying down my life (possessions, power and position) to secure brothers and sisters in Christ, resulting in me having less materially but us having everything together, sharing Christ in God forever –gaining the true riches (Luke 16:9-11).

Jesus clearly teaches:
to love God, I must hate money (Luke 14:26, 16:13),
that we are to trade in our earthly treasures for heavenly treasures (Luke 12:33),
that we are to use money for eternal purposes (Luke 16:9).

But what does the scripture say of Christ?

The Father loves the Son because He lay down His life for the sheep. (John 10:15-17)

Consider Christ.
Repent.
Follow Him.

This is the journey I find myself on in the footsteps of Christ. I am striving to finish the race and endure to the end.

Please pray for me.

#TrueRiches #PerfectOurLove