16 December — Luke 16, “Faithful In the Temporary, With Eyes On Eternity”

Hey friends, welcome to December 16th. As we edge toward a new year, Luke 16 hits like a divine audit — parables and a true story challenging us to examine our stewardship. What are we doing with the time, talents, and treasures God has loaned us? Faithful stewardship isn’t just about tithing or budgeting; it’s about eternal perspective. In the coming year, let’s commit to using every temporary gift for eternal impact—being faithful in the little, so God can entrust us with much.

Part 1 – The Unjust Steward: Wise Stewardship in the Temporary (vv. 1-13)

A rich man hears his steward is wasting his goods. He calls him in: “Give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.”

The steward, knowing he’s about to be fired, shrewdly reduces the debts of his master’s debtors so they’ll welcome him when he’s out of a job.

The master actually commends him—not for dishonesty, but for shrewdness. Jesus says,

“The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations” (vv. 8-9).

The point? The world is shrewd with temporary things—why aren’t we, as children of light, even shrewder for eternity? Use earthly resources—money, opportunities, relationships—wisely and eternally. Be faithful in the temporary to be trusted with the eternal.

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much… If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (vv. 10-11).

“No servant can serve two masters… Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (v. 13).

As we step into a new year, let’s apply these stewardship principles:

• Our Finances: “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof” (Ps. 24:1). God gives us power to get wealth (Deut. 8:18), but we’re stewards, not owners. In 2026, budget with eternity in mind—give generously, avoid debt traps, and remember, “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6).
• Our Friendships: Like the steward making friends for the future, invest in souls. Share the gospel, disciple others—turn temporary relationships into eternal ones. “They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Dan. 12:3).
• Our Faith: After faith for salvation, faithfulness begins, but it often starts small. Prove trustworthy in daily devotion, integrity at work, kindness to strangers—and God will open doors to greater things. “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16).

Stewardship is worship—serving God, not mammon, with everything He’s given.

Part 2 – The Rich Man and Lazarus: The Eternal Stakes (vv. 19-31)

A rich man lives in luxury—purple, fine linen, feasting every day.

At his gate lies Lazarus, full of sores, craving crumbs, dogs licking his wounds.

Both die. Death is the great equaliser, and like the famous boards in New York and London after the Titanic, “Those known to be saved,” and “Those known to be lost,” all that matters at death is not our wealth, status, or class. It is whether we are saved or lost!

Lazarus is carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man lifts up his eyes in hell, “being in torments.”

He begs Abraham: “Father Abraham, have mercy… send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame” (v. 24).

Abraham answers, “Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed.”

The rich man’s final plea: “Send him to my father’s house… lest they also come into this place of torment” (v. 28).

Abraham’s reply: “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them… If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (vv. 29, 31).

Purple and fine linen come to nothing. Daily feasting ends.

Hell is real—conscious, eternal torment. The rich man’s prayer from hell is too late—for himself and his brothers.

As Charles Spurgeon warned: “Think lightly of Hell, and you will think lightly of the cross. Think little of the sufferings of lost souls and you will soon think little of the Saviour who delivers them.”

In a new year full of distractions, don’t waste your stewardship chasing what fades. Hell’s reality should fuel our urgency to live faithfully and share the gospel.

Three truths for the new year:

Be faithful in the little—money, time, influence—because it prepares us for true riches.

Serve God, not mammon—because you can’t do both.

Hear Moses, the prophets, and the One who rose from the dead—while there’s still time.

Friends, this Christmas, while the world chases purple and feasting, remember: one day the gate will close, the gulf will be fixed.

But today, the Saviour who rose from the dead still says, “Come.”

Steward well. Live eternally. Start this new year faithful.

See you tomorrow for Luke 17. Grace and peace! 🙏

4th December – Luke 14: “Humble Yourself … and Come!”

Hey friends, welcome to December 14th. Luke 14 is Jesus at a dinner party, turning every conversation upside down, teaching humility, exposing excuses, and laying out the raw cost of following Him.

Part 1 – Humble Yourself (vv. 1-11)

Jesus is invited to a Pharisee’s house on the Sabbath, with eyes watching Him like hawks. He heals a man with dropsy, then watches the guests scramble for the best seats.

He says, “When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room… But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room… For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (vv. 8-11).

There’s a famous story about Edinburgh Castle, atop the towering, seemingly impregnable cliffs in Scotland. Yet it was once captured, not at its guarded point, but at a steep slope everyone thought too difficult to climb. No guards were posted there. The enemy, William the Bruce’s nephew, with only 30 men, scaled it at night and took the fortress by surprise. Where the castle seemed strongest, there it was weakest.

That’s pride. We guard our obvious flaws, but pride slips in where we feel secure—and brings the whole thing down.

John Bunyan put it perfectly:

“He that is down needs fear no fall,

He that is low, no pride;

He that is humble ever shall

Have God to be his guide.”

Part 2 – No More Excuses (vv. 12-24)

Jesus turns to the host: Don’t just invite friends who can pay you back: invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. “And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee” (v. 14).

Then comes the Parable of the Great Supper. A man prepares a huge feast and sends out invitations. When the time comes, the excuses roll in:

“I have bought a piece of ground… I have bought five yoke of oxen… I have married a wife…”

The master is angry: “None of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.”

So the servant goes into the streets and highways: “Compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (v. 23).

God has prepared the banquet; everything is ready in Christ. But the excuses still echo today: too busy with property, work, family, pleasure. None of them said, “I hate you.” They just… had other priorities.

Yet the invitation still goes out, to the highways and hedges, to everyone who will come. The house will be filled.

Part 3 – Count the Cost (vv. 25-35)

Great multitudes are following Jesus, and He turns to them with the hardest words in the chapter:

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (vv. 26-27).

He gives two pictures:

•  A man building a tower who doesn’t count the cost ends up mocked.

•  A king going to war who doesn’t weigh the odds ends up defeated.
Then the warning: “Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour… it is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out” (v. 34-35).

Discipleship isn’t a casual RSVP. Jesus must be first—above every love, every comfort, every plan. We count the cost, carry the cross daily, and finish the race, or we lose our saltiness.

Three scenes at one dinner table, one clear message:

Humble yourself—God will lift you up.

Drop the excuses—the banquet is ready.

Count the cost—and follow Him all the way.

Friends, this Christmas, the invitation is still open. The table is spread. The Master says, “Come.”

Will we take the lowest seat?

Will we lay down every excuse?

Will we love Him more than anyone or anything else?

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

See you tomorrow for Luke 15. Grace and peace! 🙏

13th December – Luke 13: “The Master Seeks Fruit”

Bloom Where God Has Planted You!

December 13 – 25 Days of Christmas Devotions

Luke chapter 13 is both sobering and tender all at once. At this point, Jesus is nearing the three‑year mark of His public earthly ministry. In this chapter, He tells the story of a master who came seeking fruit from his fig tree for three years, but found none.

Jesus had been ministering in Israel, and Israel was God’s fig tree — the most privileged tree in the garden. It was a prized possession. Fig trees were often planted by a well, carefully tended, even protected by a wall. They did not bear fruit just once a year, but twice. They were meant to be the most fruitful of all trees.

But with great privilege comes great accountability.

God has a purpose in planting each of us where we are — to bear fruit for His glory.

The Purpose of Bearing Fruit

Jesus goes on to tell two more parables in Luke 13 about problems that hinder fruit‑bearing, even within the church. So we must determine to bloom where God has planted us.

There is a clear purpose in bearing fruit. God has a purpose for your life. You may not even be saved — you may be like this fig tree, soaking up all the blessings of life, just as the fig tree absorbed sunlight, air, water, and nutrients from the soil. Yet Jesus says of such a tree, “It cumbers the ground.” It simply takes up space. It takes from God without fulfilling the purpose for which it was created.

Many people are never truly planted in Christ. But once you are, God desires not only that you be saved, but that you bear fruit for Him.

Jesus said in John 15, “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” May the Lord receive glory from our lives.

The Privilege of Bearing Fruit

Bearing fruit is not only a purpose — it is also a privilege.

Israel was uniquely privileged. Situated at the crossroads of three continents, with major trade routes passing through, they had the temple, the Scriptures, and a powerful witness to the world. They were a highly blessed people — like that fig tree.

We might ask the same question of ourselves. What about our nation? Here in England, we once stood at the centre of a great empire. Think of the missionaries sent throughout the world and the Bibles distributed across nations. Yet now we hear of missionaries coming to us from other countries. Are we bearing fruit for God’s glory in our generation?

This question applies not only nationally, but personally — to us as churches and as individuals. We live in the church age with extraordinary privileges: God’s Word faithfully preserved, the Holy Spirit living within believers, and the church family encouraging one another and serving together. We truly have everything we need.

And yet Scripture says that these privileged people were still “cumbering the ground.”

Personal Accountability Before God

With privilege comes accountability — a personal responsibility to bear fruit.

Luke 13 begins with a sober warning: “Repent, or ye shall perish.” People came to Jesus telling Him about horrific events — Pilate’s brutal killing of Galileans, and the tower of Siloam falling and killing eighteen people. Jesus responded by asking whether these victims were greater sinners than others. His answer was clear: “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

We sometimes say, “I can’t believe because of all the terrible things I’ve been through.” But Scripture reminds us that suffering is universal — and it should point us to the One who can do something about it. Instead of blaming God, we must come to Him. Jesus calls us not only to be saved, but to bear fruit.

Otherwise, He warns, the fig tree will be cut down.

Yet there is mercy. Jesus says, “Give it another year also.” There was still time. Perhaps the Lord is giving us more time as well. As we approach another year, He may be digging around the tree — stirring the soil, exposing the hard ground, pulling out the weeds of sin that hinder fruitfulness.

He also speaks of adding nourishment. Maybe we need to grow deeper in God’s Word so we can serve Him more faithfully. Perhaps our nation senses its need, but lacks truth. May God raise up churches and believers to proclaim His Word clearly and boldly.

Problems of Bearing Fruit

The Lord tells two more short parables to emphasise the right way to bear fruit. He prophesies that the Kingdom of God, which is meant to be a mustard seed herb, spreading along the ground, will instead become a monstrosity which the birds (a sign of false teachers) will come and rest in it. He also warns that it will become filled with leaven (always a sign of sin or false doctrine in Scripture). This interpretation of these parables is also confirmed by the response of the man in the following verses who is surprised that so few will be saved.

God’s Sovereignty and Human Responsibility

The second half of Luke 13 addresses God’s sovereignty alongside human responsibility. Jesus knows what lies ahead — even the future of Jerusalem — yet He weeps over those who willingly reject Him.

He says, “How often would I…but ye would not.” Scripture tells us that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. The issue is not inability — it is unwillingness. Our will matters.

Though few will be saved and the path is narrow, every person is responsible for how they respond to Christ. Herod may try to silence Him, but cannot thwart God’s plan. And in the final verses, we see Jesus as a friend — a Saviour who longs to gather His people, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings.

Three Urgent Truths

Luke 13 presses three urgent truths upon us:

1. We must come to Christ. “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
2. We are called to bear fruit. This is not a burden, but a privilege.
3. The door is still open. Few are saved, yet Jesus says, “Strive to enter.” He has done the work — we must simply come, without delay, without excuses.

The dresser of the vineyard is still pleading for more time — for us to bear fruit for God. The door is still open. The Saviour is still calling.

Do not wait. Come. Enter. And bear fruit for Him.