““Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher. “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.””
Luke 6:37-49 NLT
The way of Jesus is not a natural way of thinking; in fact, it is impossible to live without the help of the Holy Spirit living inside your heart. Jesus asked why we call Him Lord but don’t obey His teaching; following Jesus includes knowledge, allegiance, trust, and loving obedience. Those who do follow His way will endure the storms of life. The way of Jesus is not normal, but it does work. It produces fruit and has good discernment. It doesn’t judge (condemn) others but self-inspects with humility.
To follow Jesus is to follow His teaching and way of life. For many people, they don’t even know the words and ways of Christ. They have subscribed to a (false) theory that if one merely knows who Jesus is, that is enough. Knowing that food exists isn’t the same as eating. We are called to follow Jesus as Lord. This starts inviting Him inside our hearts and making a commitment to follow Him with devotion. We study, and memorize the teachings of Christ. This moves to living out Christ’s words in our lives, relying on His strength, and experiencing transformation. Our old lives must die for our true life in Christ to rise.
What teachings of Jesus are you living out in your life? What is a verse so far in Luke you could write down to memorize?
