Reading your Bible for today March 20

March 20: Luke 17:1-4

KJV Key Verse: Luke 17:3
3 Take heed to yourselves: If * thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent , forgive him. 

Devotion:
There is no way we can live on this planet without being offended by someone! We are living in a world of sin, surrounded by sinners, doing... sin... What else! If you moved to a small island which was surrounded by sea, then you could expect to be wet every now and again! If you moved to the desert, you can expect to be hot and dry! So why do we not expect to be wronged when we are here in a world of sin!

Jesus knew this, knows this, and wants us to know this. He wants us to know we are going to be persecuted. He wants us to know we are going to come up against unsavoury people. He wants us to know we are going to be tested by man all the time. It is at these times when we need the strength, power and guidance of our Saviour to help us through the difficult times. We need to heed His words because it is the truth which will set us free. We need to listen to what he would want us to do.

One of the most difficult things He asks us to do is to forgive others. Jesus has no problem with forgiving us. When we admit to our faults, He is waiting there to shower us with blessings of forgiveness. He wants us to know that no matter what we have done, we can expect to be forgiven! But He also wants us to show forgiveness to others. We find that hard because of our nature, but Jesus wants us to know about His ability to forgive by showing us how to forgive.

Jesus knew He was on His way to Jerusalem to submit to the cross. He knew He was going to face a time of torment and torture. But still He was willing to go forward. He knew people were turning against Him, but still He went forward. As He went forward, there were those who wanted to believe, like the ten lepers whom he healed along the way. He never gave up!

Points to Ponder:
How often do you give up in a task?

God never gave up. Jesus gave His own life on the cross!