"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."~from ISAIAH 61 Bible verse for this Blog

APOLOGY to READERS who followed a SEARCH to HERE & didn't find it

On July 18, 2017, I drafted almost 3000 blog posts that I had published since 2008 when I began blogging, rather than edit each one. So if you clicked here from somewhere else and ended up with the post unavailable or error, I am sorry but this is why. It'd be too much work for me to go back and fix them. There's an explanation on 7/19/17 as I'm still learning.

Sunday, May 21, 2023

JESUS, the Storyteller (21)



In Section Four, we encounter

JESUS

the Storyteller

19. The Seed Sower 5/7
20. The Best Boss    5/14
21. The Eye Opener 5/21
22. The Divine Auditor 5/28
23. A Better Financial Planner 6/4
24. The God of Tomorrow        6/11
25. The Life of the Party          6/18
26. A Hospitable Host              6/25
27. The Object of Our Worship7/2
28. The Grace Giver                7/9
29. Discerner of the Heart       7/16
30. A Divine Divider                 7/23

Since last week I began giving you an opportunity to make a guess in the comments as to which Parable James Merritt will be sharing in this week's devotional, based on the unique title he's chosen; I decided that I would help you out a little by giving you a list of Parables.

This week, I am listing the Parables given in the Book of Luke for you to make your choice:

1.Parable of The Good Samaritan - Luke 10:29-37
2.Parable of The Friend at Midnight - Luke 11:5-13
3.Parable of The Rich Fool - Luke 12:13-21
4.Parable of The Barren Fig Tree - Luke 13:6-9
5.Parable of The Invited Guests - Luke 14:7-14
6.Parable of The Lost Coin - Luke 15:8-10
7.Parable of The Prodigal Son - Luke 15:11-32
8.Parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus - Luke 16:19-31
9.Parable of The Persistent Widow - Luke 18:1-8
10.Parable of The Pharisee and The Tax Collector - Luke 18:9-14

Those Parables are unique to the Book of Luke. Yet you might find similarities of the Story from the other Gospel writers that present JESUS, the Storyteller and these Parables.

So now look over that short list and make your choice of which Parable you think is:

#21. The Eye Opener

Now before reading or even glancing at the rest of this blog
stop, go to the comments, and share your guess

CHOOSE & COMMENT


I must admit, this one is a little difficult for me!

Often as I read God's Word, particularly the Parables

as JESUS, the Storyteller

brings a life lesson to me

through His Story

my

EYES

are

OPEN

and

His Word

becomes relevant to me today

and each of us can apply it to our own life

making it personal & part of our story too

His Story in our story

JESUS

alive & living

in us & through us

if only we allow Him & His Story to

change us

by not only

OPENING our EYES

but our ears and our hearts and our minds

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Have you ever had the experience of having your eyes opened?

Maybe not your physical eyes (but that too) however your mental or spiritual eyesight?

To have a better understanding or a fresh perspective

perhaps to see things differently from someone else's view?

Similar, to the idiomatic phrase (and Elvis' song & others):

"Walk a Mile in my Shoes"

before judging someone (commenting on social media, etc.)

you need to understand the other's experiences, challenges, thought processes, etc.




The Scriptures for this week for 

The Eye Opener

are
 
Luke 10:25-37; James 2:14-17; Luke 6:32-36; Colossians 3:12-17; Hebrews13:1-3

More than ever, this life lesson needs to be heard and applied in the time we live.

The devotional is broken down into the following segments with these subtitles:

"A Surprising Neighbor"; "A Trick Question"; "Friend in Need"; "Rationalize the Situation in Your Mind"; "Respond to the Situation with Your Heart"

As with most messages, lessons or knowledge;
it needs to be understood as we listen and go 
from our heads to our hearts

When our eyes are opened, I pray our hearts are changed

OPEN to ACT

OPEN EYES - OPEN HANDS

OPEN to SERVE

OPEN to LOVE

"Lord, I admit that I am tempted to pass by those who suffer. Give me courage to recognize a "neighbor" in the face of those in need."

There are so many life lessons taught in this Parable needed today in our world.

"Understanding the ..... Parable"
for some in-depth info

So many comparisons and applications for today.

Let JESUS be the EYE OPENER in your life.

Did you guess correctly?


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My new friend & author, Shirley Alarie has a wonderful Life Lesson 
on this Parable & others.
You can learn so much more from her devotionals at Finding God Among Us.
And she will be launching a book at the end of 2023 or in 2024 on
PARABLES of JESUS - LIFE LESSONS
Can't wait!

Shirley Alarie
is an excellent 
Resource!

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I also found various reading plans on You Version!

I have chosen this one:

JESUS

Parables on Justice




To my faithful visitors;
all of you who spend your valuable time here with me
I do appreciate you so much!

Thank you for taking your time to visit!

Love, Sweet blessings & Hugs!

DIOS TE BENDIGA
GOD BLESS YOU

always

Peggy