September 16, 2016

DON'T EVER LOOK BACK, DON'T EVER LOOK BACK!

Luke 17:20–37

Lisa Doolittle
Friday's Devo

September 16, 2016

Friday's Devo

September 16, 2016

Central Truth

We get busy! And we think we know! And in the chaos of our busy-knowing-ness, we miss out! But there is a way. We have to believe, show up, and trust. Stop! Drop! Believe!

Key Verse | Luke 17:31–33

"On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it." (Luke 17:31-33)

Luke 17:20–37

The Coming of the Kingdom

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” 1 17:21 Or within you, or within your grasp

22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 2 17:24 Some manuscripts omit in his day 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” 3 17:35 Some manuscripts add verse 36: Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse 4 17:37 Greek body is, there the vultures 5 17:37 Or eagles will gather.”

Footnotes

[1] 17:21 Or within you, or within your grasp
[2] 17:24 Some manuscripts omit in his day
[3] 17:35 Some manuscripts add verse 36: Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left
[4] 17:37 Greek body
[5] 17:37 Or eagles

Dive Deeper | Luke 17:20–37

In Genesis 19:15-17, 26, we read: "[T]he angels urged Lot, saying, 'Up! Take your wife and daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.' But he lingered. So the men seized him, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. And . . .  one said, 'Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.' . . . But Lot's wife . . . looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."

I'd love to say how foolish/faithless I think Lot's wife was, but I'm not 100% sure that I wouldn't be her.

This passage of Luke chose me. I was going through life trying to spin all kinds of plates for my family, spouse, work, and ministries. And there it was; Lot's wife, looking back. Mourning her "past" life, friends, and family. Wanting to pull from what she knew and hoping to drag it into the unknown in front of her.

I've been privileged to serve as a flight attendant. Once a year, we were called to recurring security/emergency training. I know, most are prone to believe we were employed to be beverage servers. However, in the event of an emergency we were to be efficient in helping save lives. One of the commands of every emergency drill was, "Don't bring anything with you; move forward to the nearest exit." That command was not to offend customers but to help save their lives. If you're hauling belongings, then you're not free to make it through to the exit or to assist others along the way.

This passage of Luke carries the same THEME. Jesus is trying to explain all the ways we will be fooled. His answer is simple. Keep your eyes and ears open for being led by Him. 

NO looking back or hauling "stuff" we don't need, be it bad habits, bad info, or anything backwards in our living.

Eyes and hearts forward, expectantly, in faith! Trusting God is good. His Kingdom come!

Yesterdays stop tomorrows [see definition of Salt Pillar].

 

Discussion Questions

1. What are the "things" you are holding on to that you believe are valuable? Are they more valuable than the truths God is sharing with you? Finances, cars, children's education, sports championships and competitions, schedules, career, service projects?

2. What are you willing to let go of for the sake of Christ/your life? Do you trust that God is good and that He will make good on His promises?

3. If you are confident that you would not hesitate in walking forward without looking back, would you be willing to test your faith?

4. If you are not willing to test your faith, ask yourself why not? Do you believe that God is good, that He can be trusted, that He loves us, and that He seeks to save us?

5. If you're not sure where to start, take a blank page and make two columns. Head the columns in the following way:

• My Priorities for Me

• God's Priorities for Me

And list all the important things in your life in the appropriate column. Pray that God reveals your choices for today and the better choices He has planned for you and your tomorrow.