Thread by @glprater

#GeraldsDevotional
2 - Faith that Truly Saves – Not Focused on Me
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This is the second part of this series about the faith that truly saves us. Yesterday we discussed the beginning of Luke chapter 17 where Jesus warned His disciples that sins and offenses would surely come against them… for we are all sinners. But He commanded them to confront

those who offended them about their sin and to forgive them if they repented. Jesus said that we should be filled with forgiveness even if this cycle of offense/repent/forgive happens numerous times in a single day.

This command by Jesus reminds me of the 3rd component of the

model prayer that Jesus gave us in Matthew 6:12 when He said that we should pray like this - “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” We should be eager and willing to forgive others just like our Father forgives us because He loves us and wants to maintain our

relationship. And again, He selflessly does this at a great cost to Himself.

So as we continue to read today, it is interesting to note that His disciples clearly understood exactly what Jesus was commanding them to do and they recognized that it was a very difficult thing.

He was telling them to place themselves into a position of humility and vulnerability where their focus was not on themselves, but rather on maintaining the relationships with others through truth, reckless love and righteousness. This meant that they could suffer much

disappointment and pain (just like God experiences with each one of us).

So in today’s verse, the disciples respond by asking the Lord to “increase their faith” so that they could love and obey like that. So Jesus responded with His famous statement about the faith of a mustard

seed. If we truly and sincerely have ANY faith at all (if deep inside we believe even a little tiny bit that Jesus is LORD and is with us), then we can ask anything in His Name and we know that He will do it (because we believe). And in the end, that tiny seed of faith will grow

into a huge tree. And this faith that saves has to be “NOT about me” or “what I want”, but rather all about His (our Master’s) desires. Then Jesus goes on to give a real-world example in another parable to illustrate this point.

So let’s read and ponder what He said in response to them in Luke 17 beginning at verse 5.

Faith and Duty
5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by

the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? 8 But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my

supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded,

say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ” - Luke 17:5-10
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