Day 83

Memorize: Faith must be persistent Luke 18

Key Verses: 1, 8, 14, 17, 25, 30, 41

The point of this parable is that we need to stay in prayer and not give up. It is not that we need to bug God in order for Him to finally break down and give us what we want, but that we need to be persistent and not give up. To be persistent is to exercise faith. When we know God’s heart, we can pray with confidence knowing that in His time, the answer will come.

Our attitude of humility must be a constant state in our lives. Spiritual pride will kill us. When we are real with God we realize just how much we need forgiveness. Pride just does not have a place in our spiritual life. Little children just don’t express pride. They trust, even when trust is not warranted.

The rich ruler thought his standing with God was secure. But his pride got in the way. He was not willing to leave his stuff behind. His stuff had a powerful grip on his soul. Peter understood that the necessary step was to leave everything. That is hard for most of us. Our stuff gets a grip on us. But just as a camel entering a city after dark through the narrow people-only door would have to have all its cargo removed to fit through the door, so we must be willing to leave everything about which we boast. Everything. Notice that if we leave these things Jesus says that we receive many times as much in this age, and eternal life later. This is not a promise of unlimited wealth in this life, but one of unfettered care. No matter what we give up, we will be compensated many times over.

This blind beggar was willing to swallow his pride and cry out in faith. He could have stayed in the background, but he declared his faith openly and publically. The miracle drew praise from the crowd, praise of God. Eyes were focused on God’s goodness and power. This is where our eyes need to be focused, not on anything that we feel is of importance.