Daily Devotions
Distracted Hearers
Reading for October 29th: Luke 12-13
Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"
Luke 12:13-14
Have you ever been to church and not listened to a word the preacher said because you were so upset about something? I wonder if this man was listening when Jesus spoke. Jesus preached about some pretty weighty subjects: hypocrisy (12:1-3), fear (12:4-7), and confession (12:8-12). This man even heard Jesus speak about hell (12:5), but all he could think about was his inheritance.
There are a lot of things that distract us from the Word. Jesus said the thorny ground was the heart consumed by "cares and riches and pleasures of life." (Luke 8:14) We have a lot of riches and pleasures to take our attention away from the things that really matter in life.
We should listen to what Jesus said to this man: "Take care, and be on guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke12:15)
Father, you have promised us the kingdom! Help us to focus our attention on the things that matter most in this world.
