Day 297 or October the 24th. Don't be distracted.
Our thoughts today come from Luke chapter 23
verse 34. Jesus said, Father forgive them, for
they do not know what they are doing, and they
divided up his clothes by casting lots. Now the
big picture surrounding this verse. Pilate finally
condemns Jesus, and he is taken away for crucifixion.
Luke faithfully records the death, resurrection,
and many sightings of the risen Christ, as he
concludes his history of the earthly life of
Jesus. It is thanks to Luke that we have a detailed
account of the meeting between the risen Jesus
and the downhearted disciples on the road to
Emmaus. His next writing project is to write
the key events in the early church in a book
that we call Acts of the Apostles. In true soap
opera style, Luke ends with a riveting climax
as Jesus ascends back to heaven. What a sight!
He then repeats this miracle at the beginning
of Acts of the Apostles, just like we often get
a review of what happened last week when we watch
a TV series. And now our action step for today.
In the middle of the most dramatic events in
the whole of history, we read of some anonymous
Roman soldiers sharing out the clothing of a
local carpenter, and not hearing the words that
would have changed their lives forever. I wonder
if these soldiers ever mused over such a missed
opportunity later in life. I wonder if they did,
and we will meet them in heaven. Whatever it
was that happened to them, In this verse we have
a great reminder to fix our eyes on Jesus and
not to be distracted by the irrelevancies of
life. I firmly believe that far more people would
believe in Jesus if they spent a few minutes
considering his claims. However, that is true
for many believers too. We would be so much closer
to Jesus if only we spent more quality time with
him. I know of no one who said on their deathbed
that they had spent too much time with the things
of Jesus, and how they wished they had spent
less. Is it time to get serious, and give Jesus
the time he deserves?