PT-T “Intro to ‘The Danger of Following the Wrong Spiritual Teacher’” (Luke 6:39-49)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/26/2026 8:46 AM

My Worship Time        PT-T “Intro to ‘The Danger of Following the Wrong Spiritual Teacher’”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                  Reference: Luke 6:39-49

            Message of the verses:  “3⁹ Now He also spoke a parable to them: “A person who is blind cannot guide another who is blind, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ A student is not above the teacher; but everyone, when he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. ⁴¹ Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. ⁴³ For there is no good tree that bears bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree that bears good fruit. ⁴⁴ For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. ⁴⁵ The good person out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

The Parable of the Builders

⁴⁶ “Now why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; and the river burst against it and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

            I have been quoting the introductions from John MacArthur’s commentary as I begin a new chapter from his books.

            “In Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus closed this powerful sermon by exhorting His hearers to ‘enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it’ (Matt. 7:13-14).  As the references to two gates, two ways, two destinations, and two groups illustrate, the choice every person faces is between heaven and hell; between salvation and damnation; between the only true religion and the false one in a myriad of forms.

            “Making that all-important choice more confusing and complicated are false teachers ‘who,’ Jesus warned, ‘come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves’ (v. 15).  Motivated by greed (Isa. 56:11; Jer. 6:13; 8:10; Mic. 3:5; Phil. 3:18-19; 2 Peter 2:1-3, 14), these emissaries of Satan, wearing the wool robe of the prophets, try to prevent people from entering the narrow path to heaven and to steer them instead onto the broad path to hell.

(Isa. 56:11; Jer. 6:13; 8:10; Mic. 3:5; Phil. 3:18-19; 2 Peter 2:1-3, 14)

“11  The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have enough. But they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all.”

“13  "For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.”

“10  Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to conquerors, because from the least to the greatest everyone is greedy for unjust gain; from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.”

“5  Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry "Peace" when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths.”

“18  For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19  Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”

“3  His divine power hath has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,”

“14  since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.”

            I will stop here as my duty is to care for my very sick wife who has cancer, and I am the one who is doing much of her comfort care along with other members of my family.

7/26/2026 9:11 AM

 

 

PT-2“The Goal of Kingdom Love” (Luke 6:37-38)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/25/2026 5:33 PM

My Worship Time                                                        Focus: PT-2“The Goal of Kingdom Love”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:37-38

            Message of the verses:  “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.  Give, and it will be given to you.  They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over.  For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

            In my earlier SD I wrote about the first of four commands, in which there are two negative and two positive, and now I will begin to write about the second command in this evening’s SD.

            The second command, do not condemn, and you will not be condemned, which is similar to the first command.  This one adds a sense of finality to the idea of judging, or setting oneself up as executioner.  Christians need to keep in mind that apart from God’s grace they would be no better than the unregenerate.  Now we will look at what Paul reminded Titus in Titus 3:3-7,

“ 3For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

            Now Instead of judging and condemning others, Christians are called to pardon, and they will be pardoned.  They are never more like their heavenly Father than when they forgive others.  There is no room in kingdom love for a believer to hold a grudge or being bitter.  Like Jesus in (Luke 23:34) and Stephen in (Acts 7:59-60), believers are to forgive their enemies no matter how hostile they may be (cf. 17:3-4; Matt. 18:21-22; Mark 11:25). Now I will quote these verses in the order that they are seen above.

(Luke 23:34)

“34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.”

(Acts 7:59-60)

“59  And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60  And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

(cf. 17:3-4; Matt. 18:21-22; Mark 11:25)

“3  Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4  and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.’”

“21 ¶  Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven times.” (490)

“25  And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

            MacArthur writes: “The final command, give, and it will be given to you, calls for generosity. In return they (i.e., unbelievers) will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over.  The Lord’s illustration, taken from a scene His hearers would be very familiar with, vividly pictures the blessing the disciples will receive.  J. Jeremias writes,

‘The measuring of the corn is a process which is carried out according to an established pattern.  The seller crouches on the ground with the measure between his legs.  First of all he fills the measure three-quarters full and gives it a good shake with a rotary motion to make the grains settle down.  Then he fills the measure to the top and gives it another shake.  Next he presses the corn together strongly with both hands.  Finally he heaps it into a cone, tapping it carefully to press the grains together, from time to time he bores a hole into the corn and pours a few more grains into it, until there is literally no more room for a single grain.  In this way, the purchaser is guaranteed an absolutely full measure; it cannot hold more (cited in Darrell L. Bock, Luke 1:1-9:50, The Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995], 607-8).

            “The goal of all four commands is to have sinners not judge or condemn believers, but be forgiving and generous.  If that is happening, it indicates that unbelievers have accepted them, and they have an opportunity to proclaim the gospel.  When believers love non-believers like God does—compassionately, kindly, mercifully, and forgivingly—they demonstrate the transforming power of salvation.”

7/25/2026 6:22 PM

 

 

 

 

“The Goal of Kingdom Love” (Luke 6:37-38)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/25/2026 12:37 PM

My Worship Time                                                                Focus: “The Goal of Kingdom Love”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:37-38

            Message of the verses:  “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.  Give, and it will be given to you.  They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over.  For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

            We come to the end of this section we have been looking at through the lens of John MacArthur’s commentary, and actually only have one more chapter in MacArthur’s commentary to finish up chapter six in Luke’s gospel.  I have to say that there is much in this sixth chapter to look at, and it ends with this section which is very much like the Sermon on the Mount seen in Matthew chapters 5-7.  What we have here is just a small portion of that sermon Jesus gave.

            Now Christ closed this section of His sermon by giving four commands, two negative and two positive that, if obeyed, will lead to the ultimate purpose of loving others with kingdom love.

            Let us now look at the first command, do not judge, and you will not be judged, does not preclude assessing a person’s spiritual condition and confronting their sin.  MacArthur then has the following verses in reference to this section:  (cf. 6:42-45; 17:3; Matt. 7:6; 1 Cor. 5:5, 11-13; 1 Tim. 5:20; 2 Tim. 4:2; James 5:20; 2 John 10).”

(cf. 6:42-45; 17:3; Matt. 7:6; 1 Cor. 5:5, 11-13; 1 Tim. 5:20; 2 Tim. 4:2; James 5:20; 2 John 10).”

“42  How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. 43  "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44  for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45  The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

“3  Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,”

“6  "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”

“5  you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

“11  But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12  For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13  God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

“20  As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.”

“2  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

“20  let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

“10 ¶  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting,”

“In fact, Christians are commanded to be discerning, to be ‘shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves’ (Matt. 10:16; Cf. Col. 4:5).

(Cf. Col. 4:5)

“5 ¶  Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.”

“(I discuss the importance of discernment in the church in my book Reckless Faith: When the Church Loses Its Will to Discern  [Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 1994.)  What this command does forbid is harsh, critical, compassionless, vengeful condemnation of one’s enemies as if one was vested with final judgment power (see the discussion of v. 28 above.).

            I think that I will save the rest of this section for this evening’s SD.

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  This section is something that I desire for the Holy Spirit to work on in my life, as sometimes I am quick to judgment, but need to allow the Lord to handle things as it will then be perfect.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to do the things in the way that He wants them done in the treatment of my wife in dealing with her cancer.

7/25/2026 1:21 PM

"The Benefits of Kingdom Love” (Luke 6:35-36)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/24/2026 7:43 PM

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  "The Benefits of Kingdom Love”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:35-36

            Message of the verses:  “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself  is kind to ungrateful and evil men.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

            It seems to me that this possibility could be the heart of this section as which as we stated is a shorter part of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount.  If we look at what Christ did, He certainly loved His enemies because He took their place on the cross, dying for their sins.

            A quick mention on why there was no SD for this morning.  My wife, who is on hospice is battling cancer and had to have a procedure that will make her battle easier.  Many people were praying for this procedure to go well and the Lord honored those prayers in a wonderful way, as the procedure went well, and the entire day was certainly a blessing from the Lord.  This procedure will only help her to be more comfortable in her battle with cancer, but we are praying that the Lord will sustain our whole family as they are certainly all involved in helping their grandmother, grandfather, including our children and seven grandchildren, they even gave up their vacation to continue their help for us.

            John MacArthur wrote “In a point-by-point contrast to the selfish, quid pro quo love of unbelievers described above, Jesus commanded His disciples to love their enemies, not merely those who love them, do good to all, not only those who do good to them, and lend with no strings attached, expecting nothing in return.  Such love is neither natural nor normal by human standards, but the benefit of loving that easy, Jesus promised, is that their reward will be great.

            “The reward in view here is not the eternal, heavenly reward mentioned in 6:23, but one in the world of men.”  “23  Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”  “When Christians love with the unconditional, supernatural love God puts in their hearts (Rom. 5:5), sinners will be astounded.” “5  and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”  “This is a love that is foreign to their experience, and shows that those who manifest it are sons of the Most High (a name used fifty times of God that emphasizes His sovereignty).  It validates the gospel’s claim to have the power to supernaturally transform those who believe it.

            “Believers can ‘adorn the doctrine of God’ (Titus  2:10) and be imitators of Him (Eph. 5:1) by showing kindness to others, for He himself is kind to ungrateful (2 Tim. 3:2) and evil men (Rom. 3:10; 2 Tim. 3:13).”

(Titus  2:10)

“10  not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.”

(Eph. 5:1)

“1 ¶  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”

(2 Tim. 3:2)

“2  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,”

(Rom. 3:10; 2 Tim. 3:13)

10  as it is written,: "None is righteous, no, not one;”

“13  while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

“In common grace of God gives sinners what they do not deserve; He ‘causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous’ (Matt. 5:45; cf. Ps. 145:15-17).”

(cf. Ps. 145:15-17).

“15  The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16  You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17  The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.”

“Christ’s disciples also demonstrated kingdom love when they are merciful, just as their Father is merciful.  Mercy is the flip side of kindness.  God’s mercy causes Him to withhold the judgment that sinners deserve.  He is ‘patient…not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance’ (2 Peter 3:9).  But those who spurn His mercy and ignore His kindness (Rom. 2:4) by refusing to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus Christ in humble faith will face eternal damnation (John 3:36).”

(Rom. 2:4)

“4  Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

(John 3:36)

“36  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

“When believers love like God does, demonstrating kindness and mercy, they give evidence to the watching world that He is their Father.”

7/24/2026 8:35 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The Essence of Kingdom Love” (Luke 6:32-34)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/23/2026 3:20 PM

My Worship Time                                                          Focus:  “The Essence of Kingdom Love”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:32-34

            Message of the verses:  “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  Fore even sinners do the same.  If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.”

            It seems to me as I go through these verses that the Lord is opening the meaning of them to me, and I can say that the meaning of them is different than what I formally thought it was, and that means to me that the Lord is stepping on my toes.

            MacArthur writes that “The transcendent, supernatural quality of kingdom love becomes most evident when contrasted with the love of the unregenerate.  Hamartoloi (sinners) refers to unbelievers, those outside of the kingdom of God (cf. Matt. 26:45; Mark 2:16; Luke 15:7; 18:13; Rom. 5:8; 1 Tim. 1:15).  Their love is reciprocal; they love those who love them.

(cf. Matt. 26:45; Mark 2:16; Luke 15:7; 18:13; Rom. 5:8; 1 Tim. 1:15)

“45  Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”

“16  And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

“7  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

“13  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’”

“8  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

“15  The saying is trustworthy and deserving of

full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

            “But the love Jesus’ disciples are to exhibit is very different from that of the lost world.  If you love those who love you, Jesus told them, what credit is that to you?  Such love is indistinguishable from that of the unregenerate.  Even sinners—including tax collectors, the dregs of Jewish society (Matt. 5:46)—love those who love them.”

(Matt. 5:46)

“46  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”

“Similarly, to do good those who do good to you brings no credit, for again, even sinners do the same.  Such a self-serving attitude allows others’ goodness to limit one’s own.  It also opens the door for people to justify seeking vengeance of those who fail to do good to them.  Finally, Jesus asked, If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.  The Lord is not speaking here of lending to someone who will never repay the loan (the word amount is not in the Greek text), since Scripture teaches that everyone should pay his debts (cf. Rom. 13:8).”

(cf. Rom. 13:8)

“8  Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

“His point is that lending to people to create an obligation, such as expecting that they will in t ruth lend to you, is another example of the reciprocal, self-serving love of the unregenerate.

            “Merely to love like sinners do is not gospel witness; that kind of love will not convince anyone that the person manifesting it belongs to God’s kingdom.  It gives no evidence of a regenerated, transformed life.  But the supernatural love of God demonstrated in the lives of believers is a powerful apologetic for the truth of the gospel.

7/23/2026 3:46 PM

The Principle of Kingdom Love” (Luke 6:31)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/23/2026 9:20 AM

My Worship Time                                                          Focus:  The Principle of Kingdom Love”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                       Reference:  Luke 6:31

            Message of the verse:  “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”

            The first thing that I want to say is that I had planned to do this section in last night’s SD, but my family came over to rearrange our family room, which is where my wife has been sleeping because of her cancer, in order to put a bed in this room, and so it was pretty much a late night for us, and very tiring for all of us.

            John MacArthur writes that “visions of this, the so-called Golden Rule, existed in the rabbinic writings, Greek philosophy, and in Hinduism and Buddhism.  Those for-mutations, however, cast the rule in a negative sense; they advocate not doing to others what you would not want them to do to you.  The Greek philosopher Isocrates wrote, ‘Do not do to others that which angers you when they do it to you’ (Nicocles, 3.60). In his Analects, Confucius counseled, ‘Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself’ (XV.24).  The apocryphal book of Tobit commands, ‘Do that to no man which thou hatest’ (4:15).  The famous Jewish rabbi Hillel summed up the Torah in the statement, ‘What is hateful to you, do not to your neighbor’ (Talmud; Shabbat 31:a).

            “There is a subtle but significant difference in the way the Lord phrased this principle.  The negative versions of the Golden Rule are the epitome of human ethics.  Yet they are little more than self-serving expressions of self-love, concerned primarily with obtaining good treatment for oneself in return.  Jesus, however, calls for selfless love, love that focuses solely on the well-being of its object.  The love He commands seeks to treat others the way it would want to be treated by them—even if they do not love that way in return.  That is how God loves, and that supernatural love is impossible on the human level.  Only Christians are capable of it, ‘because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us’ (Rom. 5:5).”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today: I totally agree with MacArthur when he says that humanly speaking we cannot love others this way.  However through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us we can.  The greatest example of this comes from the Lord Jesus Christ who came to earth to become a man and then take our place on the cross as He became sin for us so that we can receive His righteousness.  There is no greater love than what He did for us on the cross.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Through the work of the Holy Spirit I desire to love my wife unconditionally as I care for her through these very difficult days she is suffering with cancer that is ravaging her body at this time.  Cancer is a result of the fall that is seen in the third chapter of Genesis, and it is a terrible disease that I truly hate, but trust the Lord to use this for His glory and our good.

7/23/2026 10:04 AM

PT-2 “The Reaction to Kingdom Love” (Luke 6:29-30)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/22/2026 9:50 AM

My Worship Time                                                 Focus: PT-2 “The Reaction to Kingdom Love”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:29-30

            Message of the verses:  “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.  Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.”

            I will quote the first paragraph from MacArthur’s commentary in order to set the stage for what we will look at this morning:  “Kingdom love is marked not only by how it acts toward others, but also by how it reacts to what others do.  Jesus gave four illustrations of how to respond properly to ill treatment from the children of Satan.”  I looked at the first illustration in last evening’s SD, and will look at the next three in this morning’s SD.

            MacArthur writes “The second illustration is similar to the first one.  Whoever takes away your coat (whether by theft or legal action [cf. Matt. 5:40]),”  “40  And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” We must remember that what Jesus taught in Matthew 5-7, The Sermon on the Mount, is being taught in a abbreviated form in this sixth chapter of Luke.  “Jesus said, do not withhold your shirt from him either.  Many people owned only one coat, or cloak, which also served as a blanket when they slept.  Because of that, the Mosaic law required that any coat taken as a pledge had to be returned before sunset (Ex. 22:26; Deut. 24:13).”

(Ex. 22:26; Deut. 24:13)

“26  If ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down,”

“13  You shall restore to him the pledge as the sun sets, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you. And it shall be righteousness for you before the LORD your God.”

“To keep a person’s cloak would constitute serious abuse.  But when that happens, Christ’s disciples are not to retaliate, but rather to continue to lovingly minister to those who persecute them—even if that results in losing their shirt (Inner garment) as well.

            “The third illustration, being willing to give to everyone who asks of you, takes place in the context of borrowing and lending (cf. v. 34; Matt. 5:42).”

(cf. v. 34; Matt. 5:42)

“34  And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.”

“42  Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

“The assumption is that the person has a legitimate need, since Scripture condemns laziness and indolence (cf. Prov. 6:6-12; 20:4; 24:30-34; 2 Thess. 3:10).”

(cf. Prov. 6:6-12; 20:4; 24:30-34; 2 Thess. 3:10)

“6 ¶  Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. 7  Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, 8  she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. 9  How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? 10  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 11  and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.  12 ¶  A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech,”

“4 ¶  The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.”

“30 ¶  I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, 31  and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. 32  Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. 33  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 34  and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”

“10  For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”

“That a person may take advantage of a Christian’s generosity and not repay the loan should not keep the believer from graciously, lovingly meeting the need.

            “The final illustration, when someone takes away what is yours, envisions a situation where someone actually robs a believer.  Even in a case of outright theft, Christians are not to descend to retaliation, but to continue showing love and not demand the stolen item back.  As R. C. H. Lenske notes, ‘The disciple loses less by letting his things be taken wrongfully then he would by with a selfish heart clamoring to have them returned” (The Interpretation of St. Luke’s Gospel [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1946], 364).

            “No matter what the circumstances, kingdom love does not seek revenge (Prov. 24:29; Rom. 12:17, 19) when wronged.”

(Prov. 24:29; Rom. 12:17, 19)

“29  Do not say, "I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.’”

“17  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.”

“19  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

“Christ’s true disciples will follow His example, who ‘while being reviled, He did not revive in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously’ (1 Peter 2:23).”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Let me just say that this section has stepped on my spiritual toes, as it came at the right time in my life.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to have my wife get a much needed procedure to help her endure her cancer better.

7/22/2026 10:33 AM