To me, this is one of the most straightforward parables in the Bible. I think the importance of the matter being questioned warrants a straightforward answer, and Jesus gives us exactly that in verse 24. There's a lot to look at in this verse, but I want to dive into the word strive. Depending on what translation you’re using, your Bible might say to work hard, or make every effort. But the Greek word used here is "agónizomai" meaning to strive for something, or in this context, it means to endeavor with strenuous zeal and strife, to obtain something. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but the parables we are covering in the book of Luke have an underlying but important theme - relationships.

This passage gets very real, very fast, but it shows us the value of deep meaningful relationships. If we start at verse 24, Jesus tells us to make every effort. I’m going to assume that most of us have had at least one deep, meaningful relationship with someone. Whether that’s with a parent, sibling, friend, or significant other, we all know that relationships can be surface-level or very deep and impactful. We also know that relationships take time and effort to develop. Our relationship with Jesus is no different. But the good thing is that we have the Bible to lead us in pursuit of a deeper relationship with Him. Jesus tells us how important that is in this passage. And please take this to heart: surface-level faith ain’t going to cut it. We need to stop, reevaluate our relationship with our Creator, and prepare ourselves for the day that Jesus depicts in verse 28. Do we know God? Does God know us? Yesterday, we talked about the dangers of religion and how Christianity can become a checklist instead of a relationship. Today, Jesus is telling us just how important this is. So, what do we do now? We follow Jesus’ advice. We need to fervently pursue Him in every aspect of our life through the context of a deep relationship.

Reflections:

• How is your relationship with God?
• How can you deepen your relationship and be more available to God?
• Challenge: I admit it. I have struggled with devoting myself to God daily, but I am so thankful to have a community that keeps me accountable. Identify one person in your life who you can talk to and who can hold you accountable in your walk with God.
• Prayer: God, we thank You for Your grace and love. I am always astonished that You love us the way that You do. I pray that we pursue You intentionally so that we may know You, and You would know us in a deep relationship. It’s in Your name we pray, Amen.

Family Application: Luke 13

Author: Carrington Stuart

• Today we’ll read another passage in the book of Luke. Guess who this story is about? That’s right- we’re talking about Jesus again!
• In this passage, Jesus tells a lot of parables. Do you know what a parable is? A parable is a story that’s supposed to teach you a lesson. Jesus used parables a lot to explain to people what God wants them to learn about how to live a good life for Him!
• The first parable that Jesus tells is about how dangerous sin can be. We know that sinning is something that we do when we disobey God. We also know that when we sin, it hurts God’s heart because we don’t obey Him! He only wants what is best for us.
• Jesus’ first parable is about a fig tree. The fig tree is dying and won’t grow anymore- just like our hearts can’t grow when we sin against God! He tells this story because He wants us to remember how important it is to try our best not to sin against God. But guess what? When we do sin, we can ask God for forgiveness, and He ALWAYS forgives us when we ask Him to. Every single time!
• The next parable that Jesus tells is about a mustard seed and some yeast. Both of these things help other things to grow! A mustard seed can grow into a big tree when you plant it in the ground, and yeast can help bread to rise when you bake it. Just like these two things, Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God can help us grow, too!
• God’s Kingdom is made up of everybody who believes in Him and lives for Him! If you believe in Jesus and tell others about Him, you’re a part of this Kingdom too!
• The last parable that Jesus tells is about a narrow door. He tells us that believing in God and getting into Heaven one day is a lot like going through a door that’s not easy to go through. Living your life for Jesus may be hard, but we know that it’s worth it because we get to spend forever in Heaven with Him! Not everybody will believe in Him, though. It’s a lot easier to do what the world wants us to do and only spend our time doing things that will only make us happy for a little while.
• That’s why Jesus tells us to keep going even when it’s hard and trust in Him- we want to be happy forever in Heaven with Him, even if life isn’t always easy when we follow Him! We know that God loves us and is always with us. We can do hard things with God helping us, and He will never leave us to do things all alone! We want to go through the narrow door to Heaven one day and take as many people as we can with us. We don’t want anybody to be left out!
• The last thing Jesus talks about is how the things that the world says are important are the opposite of what He says is important. The world makes a lot of rules - like you’re only special if you’re rich, famous, and have the most friends. However, trying to impress everybody else only keeps us from being close to Jesus. He wants to heal us and protect us from the things that aren’t good for us. He already loves everything about us. We can come to Jesus just like we are!
• What are some things that we can do to grow closer to Jesus? Do you spend time reading the Bible or praying and talking to God? How can we pray for our families and friends to know, love, and follow Jesus?
• Prayer: Dear God, thank You for giving us the Bible so that we can learn more about You and grow closer to You! I’m so glad that we have Jesus’ parables so we can know how to live a good life and honor You. Please forgive me for the times that I’ve sinned and help me to lead as many people as I can to know You so that we can all live together in Heaven one day! I love you, God. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.