Bible Studies

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The Gospels

Luke 16:19-31 - Digging Out of the Pit
Key Verses: (NCV)

• 19-20: "Jesus said, 'There was a rich man who always dressed in the finest clothes and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰And a very poor man name Lazarus, whose body was covered with sores, was laid at the rich man's gate.'" - The Pharisees listening to this parable were under the impression that wealth and success were signs of righteousness.
  
  
• 22: "Later, Lazarus died, and the angels carried him to the arms of Abraham. The rich man died, too, and was buried." - Sickness, disease, and poverty were considered to be indications of sin so the expectations of the Pharisees are reversed by this story.
  
  
• 25: "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember when you were alive you had the good things in life, but bad things happed to Lazarus. Now he is comforted here, and you are suffering.'" - Jesus is not saying that wealth is sinful. The purpose of this parable is to teach the importance of what we do with our wealth.
  
  
• 27: "The rich man said, 'Father, the please send Lazarus to my father's house.'" - He wanted Lazarus to be a messenger to his brothers so that they would turn from their evil ways and avoid the same fate.
  
  
• 31: "But Abraham said to him, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not listen to someone who comes back from the dead.'" - They have already been taught everything they need to know. Jesus also adds a little irony to this story as He knows that most of the religious leaders listening to His words would choose not to change their ways once Jesus returned from the grave.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• What are you doing with your wealth? Are you hoarding it and keeping it for your own pleasure? Or do you reach out and provide for the poor, sick, and suffering in the world? Are you using the blessings that God has provided to further His kingdom? Do you seek ways to alleviate suffering or do you ignore what is going on outside the gate of your house? Do you give the less fortunate in the world more than "the small pieces of food that fall from (your) table?" Do you give them only the clothes you no longer wear or the cans of food you will not eat? Is this the type of giving Christ is calling you to do? Is this how to build His kingdom on earth?
  
  
• Are you still seeking proof of God? Have you read the Scriptures and are you familiar with all the stories of the Bible and yet, still in search of evidence of God in your life? Would you believe if someone returned from the grave with a message specifically for you? (Didn't Jesus already do that?) Would your life be changed if you heard God's voice in a burning bush or in a rushing wind? Why are you choosing to ignore the thousands of messages He is sending you in His still small voice every day? Isn't everything that God has available been laid out for you to see? What will it take for you to finally believe?
  
  
• Is it too late? Jesus was teaching this story to the Pharisees even though He already knew that they would not change their self-righteous ways. When you read the parables of Christ, are you changed by them? Do you look deeply into your life to find where you are acting like a Pharisee and where Christ wants real transformation to occur? Do you find yourself drawing lines and boundaries, resisting the true change that is available through Christ? Do you accept these stories as examples of how Jesus expects you to build His kingdom in your life and in the lives around you? What one thing will you choose to do differently in your life from today's story?
  

Promises of the Gospel:

Surrounded by those who felt they had God figured out, Jesus tells yet another story of how the kingdom of Heaven is different than what they expected. Wealth is not a bad thing. In fact, it is a wonderful blessing from God. However, what we choose to do with God's blessings will come under careful scrutiny. If we ignore the needs of others, if we choose to provide only for our own needs and comfort, and if we continue to ignore the teachings of Christ, remaining unchanged and defiant, then the "rewards" of heaven will not be ours. There is nothing we can do to change things once our lives have ended. We will find ourselves separated by "a big pit" that no one can cross. Our belief in Christ and how much we are changed by His love is all that counts.

FUMC Devotionals

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