Day 14: Actions not Words

Luke 12:1-31; Genesis 21; Psalm 14

This "unpardonable sin" that is referenced in this section has been something people have worried about in the past.  I've had conversations about this with people, trying to decide what it means.  I don’t understand why it would be forgivable to speak against Jesus, but not forgivable to speak against the Holy Spirit.  They are are all parts of the same God, so shouldn’t it be equally blasphemous to speak against any part of the Father, Son, or Spirit?  I looked it up to see if any other articles could shed some light on it.  This one talks about how the Pharisees were trying to attribute Jesus's power (The Holy Spirit) to Satan, and that is when Jesus brought the topic up.  So one thought is that it is a terrible sin to say that the power of God, the Holy Spirit, is satanic.  It is one of those things that you can't do accidentally, so unless you hate God and are trying to destroy the kingdom of heaven, you don't need to worry.  Phew!

These verses about storing up treasures remind us to not store up treasures for ourselves but to be rich in God's sight and give generously to others.

The Lord did not punish the son Ishmael for the lack of faith of the older generation.  God not only saved his life but promised him a good future.  The Lord loves all people and gives them second chances and we should too.

With Abraham’s peace treaty, actions accompanied words.  He didn’t just say it was his well, didn’t just complain, didn’t just promise that it was his, but he did something that would demonstrate his integrity.  May we all learn to not just say we believe, not just say we want to live for Christ, but do it—accompany our words with actions.

My heart breaks and at the same time is so frustrated with all the people who reject God and his life-giving teachings.  I know that a lot of it is because of the imperfect lives and approaches of Christians, but I pray that believers would be just like Jesus and help them to see the truth of God's love.