Jesus tells his disciples that the widow with two pennies has outgiven every one at the temple. They respond by pointing out the grandness of the building that the wealthy had built. Jesus responds by pointing out that one day the building will be gone and their faith will be their only reality.

One of the driving questions throughout history is this; 'Are you for us or against us?' Jesus himself encountered this question from the religious leaders as they sought to validate themselves. In Luke 20 we are challenged in Jesus' response to consider whether or not there are returns on our faith: are we showing our faith in God by our response to those who God places in our path? Ultimately, we must ask ourselves, what is our response to the self-sacrifice of Jesus?

Jesus tells the story of an unfair judge who was worried that a weak woman might become unhinged on him. Luke pairs this with his telling another story of a religious man who thought he should have God's attention. Where do you and I fit in this story?

Not a word from my enemies can be trusted. Help me recognize my enemies.

Do we recognize the work of God around us? The Pharisees - people who sincerely tried to follow God's way - found that they didn't even recognize Jesus when he said he was from God. The disciples, those currently following Jesus, were warned that they might go chasing after the wind in an attempt to recreate their experiences with Jesus. A challenging passage for us to consider.

The story of the unjust servant reveals how God warns the Pharisees - the serious religious Jews - that they have mismanaged God's personal revelation of his character and his desires for his people. This story is close to us today as we too know so much about God and yet can find ourselves looking at others as the problem instead of recognizing our opportunities to serve.

Can I have some relief?

Psalm 3: A cry for deliverance.