In the first part of Luke 16, Jesus explains that we should focus on serving God. The love of possessions will distract us from our love of God. The Pharisees regarded riches as the reward for abiding by God’s law. In Luke 16:14-31, Jesus explains that the gospel adds to the law and does not void it. Earlier in Luke 10, Jesus explained what must be done to inherit eternal life in Luke 10:27.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself 

The Parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus highlights how important our attitudes and actions are during our life. The rich man lived in luxury but had no compassion for the beggar named Lazarus. The beggar longed to eat the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table but was never noticed by the rich man.

The rich man had received good things during his lifetime but his sin was not what he did in life but that he didn’t do anything to help others and glorify God with his gifts. The result was agony in hell at his death. Lazarus suffered during his lifetime on earth but lived an eternal life of comfort in heaven.

This day with You Lord, help us to notice the needs of others around us. Help us to be serious about our attitudes and actions; to listen to the lessons taught in the Gospel. The teachings of Jesus are the sure way to finish strong and win the gold medal of eternity. Help us to do what we can to share about the teachings of Jesus and the love He has for all people. Amen.

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