Lutheran Daily Devotional 28th July 2022 || Learning to Say No

Lutheran Daily Devotional 28th July 2022 || Thursday Message By Lutheran Hour Ministries

Read Lutheran Daily Devotional 28th July 2022

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TOPIC: Learning to Say No

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Luke 12:13-14 – Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” I feel sorry for the man who asked Jesus to become a judge in his inheritance case.

We can’t be sure whether his case was just or unjust, because he never got far enough with Jesus to tell the story. Jesus stopped him cold by saying just one sentence: “Man, who made Me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

Lutheran Daily Devotional 28th July 2022 MESSAGE

Jesus is correct, of course. He was not a legally appointed judge among the Jews. He did not hold public office; He had no legal authority. The man asking Him for help doubtless knew this; but he was counting on Jesus to feel flattered. If Jesus had given an opinion, His status as a famous rabbi would add unfair pressure to one side of the case. And that would be wrong.

This happens to us too, doesn’t it? People come to us asking for help in areas which are really none of our business. They may want us to interfere in their private relationships with other people. They may ask us to take on jobs or offices we are not qualified for. However they phrase it, they are asking us to do things God has clearly not called us to do.

And we may be flattered! It’s hard to say no to somebody who is treating you like the fount of all wisdom. “Surely she would listen to you,” they say. Or they may phrase it this way: “You’re the first person I thought of for the job. You know how badly we need help. Can we count on you?”

Against this, we must learn to say no. Saying no to the wrong things is the only way we can say yes to the right things! This is what Jesus did, again and again, when people tried to turn Him away from the task God the Father gave Him of saving God’s people.

“Come be our king!” they cried, and Jesus knew how badly they needed political reform. “Heal us, make us well, raise our loved ones from the dead!” And Jesus knew how much grief and love were in those cries. “Feed us, because we are poor and hungry!” And Jesus knew that those words, also, were true.

But Jesus could not do those things—all those things—as the focus of His one, single life. God the Father had sent Him to do something even greater—to give His life to rescue all people from the power of sin, death, and the devil. God had sent Him to die and to rise again, so that everyone who trusts in Him will have life forever.

That was not compatible with doing miracles 24 hours a day. To give us the very best, Jesus had to say no to the second best. And this was hard. People didn’t understand. They blamed Him. But He did it for us—because He loves us. We, too, can learn to say no at the right times—because we are serving Jesus whom we love in the ways He has chosen for us.

WE PRAY: Lord, help me when I need to say no and it is not easy. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

1. Generally speaking, do you have trouble saying no to people?

2. Why or why not?

3. When has the Holy Spirit helped you say no to people, or tell them something they didn’t want to hear?

Today’s Bible Readings: Psalms 104-105    1 Thessalonians 1

Lutheran Daily Devotional 28th July 2022. Lutheran Hour Ministries is a trusted resource in global media that equips and engages a vibrant volunteer base to passionately proclaim the Gospel to more than 150 million people worldwide each week. Lutheran Daily Devotional 28th July 2022.