2195 Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector

Matthew 7: 24-27, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is build on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Jesus tells a simple story, but its message is anything but simple. Two people build two houses. One builds on rock. The other builds on sand. Both houses look fine when the sun is shining. Both appear strong. But everything changes when the storm comes. The rain pours. The floodwaters rise. The winds beat against both houses. And suddenly, the difference between the two builders becomes obvious. On the coast of Southern California are gorgeous homes built along the cliff of the Pacific Ocean. Their views are priceless – but the homes are now worthless. Why? Because they’re literally falling into the ocean. The sandy cliffs are crumbling with each storm that comes through. They’re for sale but no one will buy them. Why is that? Because they’re now a huge liability and inevitably doomed. One home fell into the ocean and the owners were fined $100,000 per day until the mess was cleaned up. You know what this tells us – building your home on the wrong foundation is entirely too costly! We can’t afford that, my friends! One of my favorite retreat houses was a mansion in Cape Cod. It was absolutely stunning, sitting on a peninsula all by itself with views for miles of water from every window in the house. We were the last people to get to stay in that mansion because the sandy bluff it was built on collapsed. The entire house was torn down knowing it wouldn’t survive the next storm. Who would build a house on land like that? Oh girl, when you’re focused on that view, it’s easy to be fooled. That makes me question – what would fool me? Success has fooled me in the past. Looks have fooled me in the past. Money has fooled me several times. I’ve been a fool building great things on the sand more than once – have you? It all has a real special way of crumbling and leaving a massive mess. Jesus says the wise builder is the person who listens to His teaching and follows it. The foolish builder is the person who hears His teaching but doesn’t obey it. Did you catch that? The difference isn’t who heard Jesus. They both heard Him. The difference was what they did with what they heard. That makes this parable intensely personal. You and I are the builders and we’re choosing our foundations today. Will what we are doing today last – or will it be another mess to clean up when it crumbles? It’s possible to know God’s Word without building your life on it. We can hear a sermon, highlight a verse, and even agree with everything Jesus says – and then walk away and live according to our own wisdom and our own feelings. We can get fooled by the views and build on the sand. Jesus says that’s foolish. This is huge – make a note – Information isn’t the foundation. Obedience is. (Let’s make sure you really get that – information is not your foundation. Information will not save you. Obedience is. Hearing about Jesus is not enough. Knowing his word isn’t enough. You have to do something with this!) Maybe you know Jesus says to forgive, but you’re still holding tightly to that hurt. Maybe you know He tells you not to worry, but anxiety is still controlling your thoughts. Maybe you know He tells you to love your enemies, but you’ve decided someone is the exception. Maybe you know He tells you to trust Him, but you’re desperately trying to control an outcome He never asked you to control. You know what He says. But are you building your life on it? Jesus is our solid rock. Psalm 18:2 says, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior.” When Jesus is our foundation, we have something solid beneath us when everything around us begins to shake. (And shake it will.) Notice something very important about Jesus’ story: Both houses experienced the storm. The house on the rock wasn’t protected from the rain. The flood still rose. The wind still beat against it. Following Jesus doesn’t mean you’ll never have a storm. You will. I seemed to miss that truth early in my journey with Jesus. I was shocked when our business fell apart. I was absolutely shocked when we couldn’t pay the bills. I couldn’t understand why we weren’t protected from those hardships. Somewhere along the way, I had formed an expectation that if I followed Jesus, He would keep the really hard stuff from happening to me. I was naive enough to think Jesus was the perpetual storm stopper. He’s not. Yes, Jesus has the power to stop storms. We’ve seen Him do that. But sometimes He calms the storm, and sometimes He allows us to walk through it. And when He doesn’t stop the storm, that doesn’t mean He has stopped being good, faithful, or present. Sometimes Jesus doesn’t remove the storm. He reveals that He is strong enough to hold us through it. That was a lesson I had to learn. The promise was never that my house would never be hit by wind. The promise was that if my house was built on Him, the wind wouldn’t be able to take it down. I had confused God’s protection with God’s prevention. I thought being protected meant the storm wouldn’t come. Jesus teaches us that sometimes being protected means the storm comes—and we don’t collapse. The business can fall apart, and you can still have peace. The bills can pile up, and you can still trust God. The diagnosis can come, and you can still know He is with you. The relationship can break, and you can still believe He is good. The future can feel uncertain, and you can still stand. That’s what it means to build on the rock. Jesus doesn’t promise a life without storms. He promises with him, you have a foundation strong enough to withstand them. And sometimes, we don’t recognize how solid our foundation is until the storm gives us the opportunity to find out. There will be seasons of disappointment, loss, uncertainty, heartbreak, financial pressure, relational conflict, unanswered prayers, and circumstances you never saw coming. None of us were promised perpetually sunny skies. But we were given something far more valuable than a storm-free life. We were given a foundation that can withstand the storm. The storm doesn’t determine whether your foundation is strong. The storm reveals it. When life is going well, almost anything can feel like a foundation. Success can make you feel secure. Money can make you feel safe. A relationship can make you feel loved. Accomplishment can make you feel valuable. Control can make you feel powerful. People’s approval can make you feel worthy. But then the storm comes. And suddenly you discover that what you thought was holding you up was never strong enough to hold you at all. That’s why we don’t wait for the storm to start building on the rock. You build before the storm. You build when you’re making ordinary decisions on ordinary days. You build when you choose truth instead of convenience. When you choose obedience instead of what feels good. When you choose prayer instead of panic. When you surrender control instead of trying to manipulate an outcome. When you choose God’s approval over people’s approval. It’s all here in Jesus’ teachings for us – that’s our solid rock foundation. Those choices may not feel significant in the moment, but they are laying stone beneath your life. And when the storm comes, you’ll discover what you’ve been building all along. We can’t claim we don’t know what Jesus teaches. God’s Word has been recorded, preserved, and put right into our hands. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful.” These aren’t just some ancient words sitting on a page. God’s Word speaks into our lives today. It challenges us, corrects us, comforts us, convicts us, and changes us – but only when we allow it to move beyond our ears and into our lives. There’s power in these words, but the power has to be plugged into. We plug into the power of God’s word when we actually DO WHAT IT SAYS. Don’t just read the Word. Build on it. Don’t just hear what Jesus says. Do what He says. Because someday the storm will come. And when it does, you don’t want to discover that you’ve spent your life building on sand. You want to still be standing. Build your life on Jesus. Build it on His truth. Build it on obedience. The storm may shake you. But it doesn’t have to destroy you. When Jesus is your foundation, you can stand. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Luke 18: 9-17 “Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Who are you more like – the Pharisee or the tax collector? To see yourself in this story Jesus tells, lets understand who each were. A Pharisee was a religious leader. They studied and taught scripture. They were very serious about obeying God’s law. To the Pharisee, everything was a box to be checked, and in order to be right with God, all boxes must be checked. It was all performance. And for those who didn’t perform to their standard of God’s law, they were judgmental. Their desire to obey God wasn’t the problem. The problem came when outward obedience became more important than the condition of their hearts. The Pharisee had all the checked boxes, but his heart was unchecked. His behavior looked right, but his heart had become filled with pride and judgment. A tax collector was seen as someone who had sold out to the Roman government. Because they worked for the occupying power and were notorious for taking more than was owed, tax collectors were deeply despised by their own people. They were viewed as traitors, cheats, and sinners. Nobody liked a tax collector, and most didn’t even want to be seen with them. So here you have two very different men. One had an impressive religious résumé. The other had a terrible reputation. Both went to the Temple to pray. But their prayers revealed something much deeper than their reputations. Their prayers revealed their hearts. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, “I thank you, God, that I am not like other people…” Did you catch that? He came to pray to God, but his prayer became a speech about himself. ‘Look at what I don’t do. Look at what I do. Look at how good I am. And look at how much better I am than others.’ His prayer wasn’t really about his need for God. It was about his need to feel righteous. He stands in the temple knowing everyone sees him and admires him, praying from a place of righteousness with his checked boxes of fasting and tithing. His problem wasn’t that he was doing good things. His problem was that his good things had become evidence he used to convince himself—and perhaps everyone else—of how good he was. You can do the right things for the wrong reasons. You can serve God and secretly want people to notice. You can give generously and still have a heart that wants recognition. You can read your Bible every morning and still be growing more judgmental. You can raise your hands in worship while your heart is consumed with what everyone else thinks of you. Good behavior can become bad worship when it becomes a performance. Then there is the tax collector. He stands at a distance. He won’t even lift his eyes toward heaven. He beats his chest in sorrow and says, “God, have mercy on me, for I am a sinner.” No excuses. No comparison. No explanation. Just honesty. He didn’t come to prove himself to God. He came to pray that day because he knew he needed God. So, who leaves the temple that day justified and made right by God? The one who was humble. Why? Because God isn’t looking for people who can impress Him. Really, what could possibly impress God. He created the entire Universe all by himself – how are you going to do anything that impresses him? He holds the whole world in the palm of his hand, knows all things, controls all things, and works all things together in ways your human mind could never comprehend – what could you possibly do that would impress him? You were never created to impress God. But is that what you’ve been trying to do? Honey, you’re failing. You were created to surrender to him. To need him. To seek him. To worship him. And when he finds a genuine heart worshiping him instead of trying to impress him, he responds with offering righteousness. The Pharisee was looking sideways. The tax collector was looking toward God. The Pharisee was comparing. The tax collector was confessing. The Pharisee was defending himself. The tax collector was humbling himself. The Pharisee said, “Look at me, I’m good.” The tax collector said, “God, look at me. I need mercy.” And Jesus tells us that the one who humbled himself was the one who went home right with God. My friends, this is a heart issue. You can have all the right religious habits and still have the wrong heart posture. And if we’re not careful, our relationship with God can slowly become a checklist. Church—check. Money in the offering—check. Read my Bible—check. Pray—check. Christian music—check. Volunteer or serve —oh girl, you get a double check. Look at you! But here’s the question Jesus wants you to ask: What’s happening in your heart while you’re checking all those boxes? Are you serving because you love Him—or because you want to be needed? Are you giving because you trust Him—or because you want to look generous? Are you reading Scripture because you want to know Him—or because you want to sound impressive? Are you worshiping because you’re totally in awe of God—or because you want people to see you worship? The Pharisee’s greatest problem wasn’t his behavior. It was that his behavior had convinced him he didn’t need mercy. That’s pride. And that is a dangerous place for any of us to live. Proverbs 16:8, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” First pride, then the crash. Every time you boast, it becomes a prophesy of future failure. The higher you lift yourself up in pride, the harder you’ll fall in disgrace. Sometimes pride has a Bible in its hand. Sometimes pride is sitting in church. Sometimes pride is serving in ministry. Sometimes pride is singing worship songs with tears streaming down your face. Pride can look holy on the outside while quietly pushing God out of the center of your heart. Here’s the question Jesus presents us in this story today – WHY ARE YOU DOING THE THINGS YOU’RE DOING? Is this just a checklist to make you feel better about yourself or look better to someone else? Where’s your heart in this? God, please have mercy on me. I have a special way of really screwing this up and making it about me instead of about you. Remind me that I was never created to impress you, I was created to NEED you – and wow, do I ever need you. Ultimately, in this story, the Pharisee trusted in what he had done himself with his exalted heart – the despised tax collector could only trust in what God could do with his humbled heart. Only the humbled will be made right with God. There’s no reason for us to compare. Let’s all just stop performing. Stop trying to impress God or anyone else. We have nothing to prove, because if we prove anything, we prove we could never be good enough on our own. Let us come honestly, come humbly, and just come as our true selves to simply say, “God, have mercy on me. I need you.” Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Luke 18: 1-8 “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. ‘There was a judge in a certain city,’ he said, ‘who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’ Then the Lord said, ‘Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?’” What’s the meaning of this story? Thankfully Luke tells us completely in the first verse: “You should always pray and never give up.” Okay, so this circumstance you’re dealing with, this decision you have to make, the situation with this person – what should you do? You should PRAY ABOUT IT! Whatever it is, whoever it is, no matter what, you should always be praying about it. What exactly does that mean? Really, what would it look like to really pray about what you’re facing or what you’re going through? We can make prayer overly fussy and complicated. It is just conversation with our Father. It is a continual consideration of his input. It means you don’t just think about it – you talk to God about it. You have a decision to make? Talk to God about it. You’re frustrated with someone? Talk to God about it. You’re worried about what might happen? Talk to God about it. You don’t know what to do next? Talk to God about it. And then—and this is the part we sometimes miss—you listen. Prayer isn’t just presenting God with your list of requests and then going back to doing whatever you were going to do. Prayer is inviting God into the situation and then being willing to consider what He has to say about it. God, what do You want me to do? Is there something You’re asking me to see differently? Is there something I need to surrender? Is there something I need to do? Is there something I need to stop doing? How do You want me to respond? That is prayer. And sometimes the answer comes through Scripture. Sometimes it comes through wisdom. Sometimes through a sudden clarity or conviction in your spirit. Sometimes through circumstances. Sometimes through another person. And sometimes you simply don’t get an answer right away. But you keep the conversation open. Do you know what really happens in an open conversation with God? He goes to work on YOU! We pray asking God to change the situation. But while we’re talking to Him about the situation, He’s changing us. You’re coming to Him looking for solutions to a problem, a situation or a relationship, and while you’re talking to Him about it, He’s working on you in the process. Conversations with God give Him space to align your will with His. They give you a different perspective, a softened heart, a renewed mind and a clearer understanding of what really matters. You may come to God asking, “God, what are You going to do about them?” And somewhere in the conversation, you begin to realize He’s first doing something in you. You may come asking Him to change your circumstances, and He begins changing your attitude. You may ask Him to fix someone else, and He begins revealing something in you. You may ask Him to give you an answer, and He begins giving you wisdom. You may ask Him to take away the problem, and He begins giving you strength to walk through it. Prayer changes things. But sometimes the first thing prayer changes is YOU. That’s why we don’t give up praying when the answer doesn’t come quickly. We keep the conversation open because God is still working—even when we can’t see Him working on the situation. He’s working on your heart. He’s working on your perspective. He’s working on your faith. He’s working on your trust. He’s working on YOU. And sometimes, while you’re waiting for God to change what’s happening around you, God is doing something far more important within you. For seven years, I prayed over a situation that seemed to get worse before it got better. And now, seven years later, that prayer has been answered. Is it sweet? Ahhhh, yes it is! Has a burden been lifted? Absolutely. But let me tell you something: I’m not the same person I was when I started praying seven years ago. Those years of continual conversation with God changed me. Those moments on my knees changed me. Those tears on the days when things got worse instead of better changed me. The waiting changed me. The disappointment changed me. The desperate prayers changed me. God was doing something in me while I was asking Him to do something about my circumstances. And looking back now, I can honestly say this: I don’t wish I could have those seven years back. Not because they were easy. They weren’t. Not because I enjoyed the waiting. I didn’t. But because I can see now what God was doing in our lives during those years, and what He built in me through those years is far too valuable to trade away. I wanted an immediate answer. God was building something eternal. I wanted Him to change the situation. He was changing me. I wanted Him to restore what had been lost. He was preparing me to receive the restoration. And now I can look back and see that not one of those years was wasted. I cling to this promise found in Joel 2:25, “The Lord says, ‘I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts.'” This promise from God comes after a historic and devastating plague of locusts and a with a severe drought that had completely stripped the land of Judah. All the crops had been destroyed. The vines and the trees were dead. The entire community was in deep famine and mourning. Through years, they had watched nothing but destruction. But then God says HE WILL GIVE THEM BACK WHAT THEY LOST. God sends rain to heal the soil, he provides an OVERWHELMING harvest that overflowed their barns, he restored them with MORE than enough. But God didn’t stop there, when God gave them back what they had lost, he also drove out the enemy that had threatened them and, most importantly, he poured out his spirit. After this time of hardship, this time of loss, this time of waiting, then God brought spiritual renewal. My sister, I may not know what you’ve been waiting for and what damage has been done, but I know our God is the God who can give you back what you lost and he can make it sweeter than you ever imagined. He can drive out the enemy, bring an overwhelming harvest, and start a spiritual renewal in your entire family. For 7 years the enemy divided my family, but nothing in that time was wasted! God was doing his work and he’s given us back everything we lost. And I assure you, God loves you just as much as he loves me, and he can do the same thing for you! The point of Jesus’ story of the persistent widow is not only that you should always pray, but that you should never give up. When is it time to give up? Never. I don’t know what you may be growing weary of, but God’s word says IT’S SIMPLY NOT TIME TO GIVE UP. I don’t know what seems hopeless in your life right now, BUT GIRL, DON’T YOU GIVE UP! Jesus says, “Don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly!” YOU are God’s chosen people. There’s only one way you’ve come to this place of knowing him and believing in him – HE CHOSE YOU FIRST. That alone proves you are chosen. And because you are chosen, he hears you when you cry out to him day and night. HE HEARS YOU. Honey, he’s not ignoring you. Daniel 9:23, “The moment you began praying, a command was given.” Heaven moves when you pray. But you don’t always see that movement immediately. Why is that? If Jesus tells us God will grant justice quickly – why did I wait for 7 years – why are you still waiting? Well, quite simply, when God holds all eternity, his ‘quickly’ may not align with our ‘quickly’. He sees the bigger picture and he knows perfect timing over immediate timing. Left to myself, I would always choose immediate timing, but I’m grateful I don’t get to control that – perfect timing is always worth waiting for. And knowing that our God holds the ultimate power to restore everything that was lost during that time of wait means nothing is wasted! In the story Jesus tells of the persistent widow, she is dealing with an unfair judge who didn’t care. THAT IS NOT WHO WE ARE DEALING WITH! Our God is not reluctant, he is sovereign. In this delay while you continue to ask and pray, you’re not changing God’s heart. Sometimes that’s what I think I’m doing. I think I’m somehow going to convince God to change his will to match mine. That’s embarrassingly foolish of me. I wonder if you do the same thing? When what’s really happening is in this delay, in this waiting, in this struggle, in the seasons where things just get worse, while we keep praying and fight to keep from giving up, the heart being changed is OURS. The will being changed is OURS. Persistent prayer isn’t about wearing God down until He finally gives you what you want. God isn’t the unjust judge who has to be convinced to care about you. He already cares. Persistent prayer is about refusing to disconnect from God simply because the answer hasn’t come yet. You keep talking to Him. You keep bringing it to Him. You keep asking. You keep listening. You keep trusting. You keep going back to Him instead of trying to carry it all yourself. Because sometimes the greatest answer to prayer isn’t that God immediately changes the circumstance. Sometimes He changes you in the middle of the circumstance. He gives you peace before the problem is solved. He gives you wisdom before you know what to do. He gives you strength when you don’t have any left. He changes your perspective. He changes your heart. He reminds you who He is. And sometimes, yes, He changes the situation. But whatever the outcome, prayer keeps you connected to the One who is with you in it. And that’s why Jesus ends this story with such an interesting question: “When the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” He starts with prayer and ends with faith. The real question here isn’t, “Will you get the answer you want?” The question is, “Will you keep trusting God while you’re waiting for the answer?” Prayer is how we keep bringing our circumstances back to God instead of allowing our circumstances to become bigger than God. Pray. And don’t give up. Not because God needs to be convinced to care. But because prayer keeps your heart connected to the God who already does. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

This story told by Jesus is quite different. Unlike all his other stories, this story includes specific names. This tells us it’s a true story of real people living real lives with a real destiny. These are true events. I’m a documentary junkie. It’s the only TV I ever watch. So imagine this story as we read it unfolding like a docuseries. I’ll split it into episodes for effect. Follow along in Luke 16: 19-31 Episode 1: “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.” —— Understand this scene. In these days, the rich were extravagant in their wealth and it was most displayed in their meals. The fatter a person was, the wealthier it showed them to be because they had the pure luxury of abundance. The rich would often wipe their messy food covered hands on pieces of bread while they feasted on their massive meals. And these pieces of bread used as napkins, were what the poor man named Lazarus lay at the gate begging for. The rich man was aware of Lazarus. He was aware of his need. And fully aware of his own ability to meet his need by simply affording him the bread where he wiped his hands. The rich man passed by him each time he left his palace. But, Lazarus was left laying there longing. Episode 2: “Finally the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from here.” —— So, they have both died, but their destinies were eternally different. Lazarus, the beggar, went to Heaven. The rich man went to hell. Why would that be? Lets be clear – it wasn’t because of money. Money has nothing to do with our future with God. You can’t buy your way into Heaven and you can’t spend your way into Hell. This is the great separation that Jesus warned us about in Matthew 25. He says, “There will be a time when all will be gathered in his presence and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. On his right, he will says, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. What you did this for the least of these, you were doing it to me.’ Then he will turn to those on his left and say ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. When you refused to help the least of these, you were refusing to help me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.” Lazarus is on his right. The rich man is on his left. Lazarus is credited as righteous. The rich man is indebted to eternal punishment. And now, after their death, there’s no changing their fate. They can’t go back. They can’t cross over. They can’t change it. When time is up, eternity is sealed. It’s easy to twist this and assume there’s a heavenly reward happening for suffering, and a hellish punishment happening for refusing help. But that’s not what Jesus is teaching. The issue wasn’t Lazarus’s poverty or the rich man’s wealth. The issue was the heart. Lazarus wasn’t saved because he was poor. And the rich man wasn’t condemned simply because he was rich or greedy. Scripture is clear that salvation has never been something we earn by suffering, by giving, by serving, or by doing enough good things. We are saved by God’s grace. So what is Jesus exposing? A heart that could see suffering and remain completely unmoved. The rich man wasn’t unaware. That’s what makes this story so uncomfortable. Lazarus was lying at his gate. He knew his name. He knew his condition. He knew his need. And he had more than enough to meet it. The need wasn’t somewhere across town. It wasn’t hidden. It wasn’t complicated. It was literally at his doorstep. And every day, he stepped over it. The rich man’s problem wasn’t that he had possessions. His problem was that his possessions had possessed his heart. He had become so consumed with his own comfort that someone else’s suffering could sit at his gate without disturbing his life. The rich man’s greatest problem wasn’t what was in his bank account. It was what was missing from his heart. Compassion. Mercy. Generosity. Love. This was a heart issue. What happens in the heart eventually reveals itself in how we treat people. And his heart condition is what led him to an eternal place of misery. A hardened heart that had refused God. Episode 3: “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’” —– Now, in this place of eternal torment, understanding what really brought him here was not accepting God and allowing his heart to be transformed, his concern turns to his brothers who are still alive. He knows it’s not too late for them. He begs for his brothers to be warned so they can have a changed heart and not be tormented as well. Imagine this for a moment. Imagine knowing what you did wrong and wanting desperately to go back and warn your loved ones, but not being able to. Wouldn’t that be torment in itself? But, my sister, here’s the beauty in this – we don’t have to wait until our eternal destination and then wish we could go back and tell others. We’ve been told what is coming – we already know – so the time we have here today is our opportunity to do precisely what we would want to do from our eternal destination. We would want to warn others. We would want to tell them the truth so they could avoid future torment. AND TODAY WE STILL HAVE THE GIFT OF TIME. One day, we won’t. Notice what the rich man is told – he’s told his brothers had the opportunity to read what was written. They’ve been warned. What was written? The Bible. Scripture was always there telling the truth, inviting a change of heart. Have we forgotten the power in God’s word? When is the last time you gave someone the gift of a Bible? Do you have an extra just ready to give someone who needs to know God’s truth and God’s promises? Episode 4: One last effort from the rich man to reach his brothers who are still alive with the warning from hell. “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” ——- The rich man thinks of someone came back from the dead and told his brothers they would surely repent of their sins and turn to God. But God knows better. Do you know how? BECAUSE IT HAPPENED. Someone did rise from the dead – that was his son Jesus. And even with Jesus rising from the dead and reports of him being seen again, evidence of his Holy Spirit then filling people – still people choose not to believe and turn to God. It’s still happening today. Jesus came back from the dead to tell us, and we still ignore him. We have His Word. We have His warning. We have His invitation. We have His Spirit. We have the testimony of people whose lives have been transformed by Him. And most importantly, we have Jesus. The rich man wanted a miracle to change his brothers’ hearts. But he is told, “They already have what they need. They have God’s Word. They have the truth. They have the opportunity to respond.” And so do we. We don’t need another sign. We need a surrendered heart. That’s the sobering message of this story. The greatest danger isn’t that we don’t have enough evidence. It’s that we can have all the evidence in the world and still choose not to let God change our hearts. So while we still have time, let God search yours. Don’t wait for eternity to recognize what matters eternally. Don’t wait until the chasm is fixed forever to wish you had crossed it today. Don’t wait until someone you love is gone to wish you had told them about Jesus. Don’t wait until your heart is so hardened that you no longer hear His voice. Today, you can respond. Today, you can surrender. Today, you can soften your heart. Today, you can love the person at your gate. Today, you can give someone a Bible. Today, you can tell someone about Jesus. Today, you can turn toward God. Because there is one gift we have right now that the rich man no longer had: TIME. Time to choose. Time to repent. Time to believe. Time to love. Time to obey. Time to tell someone else. One day, our time will be finished. And when it is, our eternity will be sealed. So don’t waste the gift you’ve been given today. Let God have your heart while there is still time. Let this question settle into your heart today, “What am I doing with Jesus while I still have time?” Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

This could be one of the most confusing and easily twisted stories Jesus told. Maybe you’re like me and you’ve read it before, said “well that doesn’t make sense”, and quickly moved on. On the surface this one doesn’t make sense. However, if you really seek, you will find a deep message that truly does make sense. So, let’s read this story together and this time we’re committed to not digging deep for the message instead of skimming on through. Luke 16: 1-9 Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’ The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’ So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’ ‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’ The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.” First glance – is Jesus telling us to cheat? Is he praising twisting the truth or dishonest business? Absolutely not. This manager was no doubt doing wrong – he cheated and he was caught cheating by his boss. He knew his boss was going to fire him, so before he could, he made friends with everyone who owed his boss money. He lowered their bills in order to earn their good graces. Now, when he was fired, he would have friends who would help him. And the boss had to “admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd.” The confusion comes in this word ‘shrewd’. I liken that word to mean slimy, sneaky, crooked – but that’s actually not the definition of the word. Shrewd actually means wise and strategic. The boss admired this man for seeing what was coming (getting fired), and making strategic decisions now (using what he have to prepare for the future.) Now, understanding this word ‘shrewd’, we understand what Jesus is saying – “Children of this world are more wise and strategic in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light.” As followers of Jesus, personally chosen by God and redeemed to be considered righteous, we are living in this world, but we are not children of this world. We are children of the light. We live by different standards. We have a different calling and a different compass. Children of this world are those without Jesus – those who aren’t covered in the grace of his blood. And Jesus is saying as children of the light, we can use a lesson in being more shrewd – that is more wise and strategic. And here’s why … Every single one of us will be called to give an account of our stewardship. We are all just managers here of things that don’t really belong to us. Everything you think you own doesn’t really belong to you – you can’t take it with you. That’s all on loan. The people you love and care for, they don’t belong to you. You may get to raise them, you may get to share life with them, but they’re not yours. You’re a manager of all that really belongs to God. And just like the manager in Jesus’ story, you will be held responsible for how you’re managing your bosses affairs. I will literally stand before God one day and give an account for everything I did and didn’t do. Every word I spoke, and every word I didn’t speak. Every time I helped, and every time I walked on by. Every time I made the right choice, and every time I made the wrong choice. How I spent every dollar and every day. How I treated others. I’ll be held responsible for how I managed my entire life … and so will you. Romans 14:12, “Each of us will give a personal account to God.” Imagine God reviewing your life and asking why you walked by when you saw someone in need. What will you say? Imagine God asking why you wasted your time (which was really his time being given to you to manage) on things that didn’t matter. What will you say? Imagine God asking why you spent so much energy trying to impress people instead of minister to people. What will you say? Imagine God asking why you were so consumed with accumulating things that you couldn’t take with you, while neglecting the things that would last forever. What will you say? Imagine God asking why you had opportunities to love, serve, encourage, forgive, give, speak up, invite, pray, or share Jesus – and you didn’t. What will you say? Imagine God asking, “I gave you that money. I gave you that time. I gave you those relationships. I gave you those gifts. I gave you that influence. I gave you that platform. I gave you that opportunity. What did you do with what I gave you?” What will you say? Because that’s the point Jesus is making. Be shrewd. Look ahead. Think beyond today. Recognize that this life is temporary and eternity is coming. Then use what you have TODAY to prepare for what is coming TOMORROW. The manager in this story understood something that many of us forget: What I have right now is an opportunity. He knew his time was limited, so he acted. If we know we will be called to stand before God and give an account for how we managed all that was his, why aren’t we living different? And if we know every single person we come in contact with is one day soon going to stand before God as well, why aren’t we aggressively pointing them towards Jesus? SOULS ARE ON THE LINE! Isn’t that what really matters? All of this is going away, but eternity is waiting. What are people willing to do to grow a business, to make more money, to get another client, to make a deal … practically anything, right? Billboards, advertisements, slipping up in your text messages, spamming your email, paying influencers to use their products. People will beat the streets, pull overtime, get another degree, invest, and sacrifice – just to make more money. BUT WHAT ARE WE WILLING TO DO TO REACH ANOTHER SOUL FOR JESUS? If we pursued the Kingdom of God with the same zeal as the children of this world pursue profits and pleasure, everything would be different! If we used our present resources to plan for eternity the same way we use our resources to plan for our next vacation or promotion, imagine how many more people would be saved, rescued, redeemed, healed and changed! THAT’S WHAT JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT! WHY AREN’T WE USING EVERYTHING WE HAVE TO PLAN FOR THE ETERNITY WE KNOW IS COMING? Jesus is telling us that we should have the same urgency as this manager who knows his time to prepare for the future is limited – not to cheat, not to manipulate, not to be dishonest – but to be wise and strategic with what God has given us to manage. To use this time to prepare for what is coming and what truly matters. If you have money, use it strategically for God’s purposes. If you have time, don’t waste all of it on things that won’t matter in eternity. If you have influence, use it to influence people toward Jesus. If you have a home, use it to welcome people. If you have a gift, open it and share it. If you have a story, tell it. If you have resources, share them. If you have relationships, invest in them. If you have a voice, speak life. If you have an opportunity to do good, don’t keep waiting for a better one. Be shrewd. Wise and strategic for eternal good. Because one day, the opportunity will be gone. The money will be gone. The house will be gone. The career will be gone. The possessions will be gone. The calendar will be empty. And all that will remain is what you did with what God entrusted to you. That’s why Jesus isn’t telling us to become more like the dishonest manager in character. He’s telling us to become more like him in urgency. The manager looked at his future and allowed it to change the way he handled his present. The manager knew he had to give an account to his boss for how he managed things and he started preparing immediately. We should do the same. We know where our story ends. We know eternity is real. We know Jesus is coming. We know our time here is limited. We know we will give an account. So let’s stop living like we have forever. Let’s be shrewd. Let’s live today with eternity in mind. Let’s manage what God has placed in our hands in a way that makes sense in light of where we’re going. Maybe Jesus wants us to wrestle with a few questions today through this story he told. What are you doing with your time? What are you doing with your money? What are you doing with your influence? What are you doing with your relationships? What are you doing with your gifts? What are you doing with your story? What are you doing with the opportunities God keeps putting in front of you? You don’t have to have more. You just need to become more faithful with what you already have. You are the manager. God is the owner. And one day, the Owner will ask for the report. So make today’s report count. See what’s coming. Understand what matters. Act accordingly. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Jesus tells us a story of 2 sons. One was the prodigal, and one was not. Of course the prodigal, the one who struggled, the one who messed up is the one who often gets the focus in the story. Afterall, he is the one who was lost and was found. He was the one who the father celebrated. But what about the other son. The son who didn’t struggle. The son who didn’t mess up. The son who stayed close to the father the entire time. Jesus’ story is about TWO SONS. It’s not just about the lost son, but it’s also about the son who was never lost. We find ourselves in one or both of these sons. Yesterday in part 1 of this parable we saw how the younger son asked for his share of the father’s inheritance early and left home. He quickly wasted all his money on wild living and end up starving and literally living with the pigs. But then he finally comes to his senses and realizes it would be better to be a servant in his father’s house than stay where he was. So, he prepares a big speech to return to his father and beg for forgiveness. But before he even reaches home, his father sees him still a long way off and runs to meet him. He doesn’t need to hear his speech, he celebrates that his lost son has returned and he throws a big party. The prodigal has come home and the father gladly welcomed him back. Yay! But there’s the other son. Jesus continues his story and you need to know about the other son, because maybe you find yourself more in the son who never left than the son who did. Here’s the rest of the story when the party began. Luke 15: 25-32: “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to do. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’ His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!” Can’t you understand how the older son must have felt? He never felt celebrated. He never felt rewarded for his faithfulness. But now his screw up brother comes crawling back and he’s given a full blown party? What about his reward for never leaving? Really, isn’t that a fair feeling? We celebrate the milestones of recovery in addiction, but what about the one who has always chosen sobriety? We celebrate the marriage saved after the affair, but what about the spouse who never strayed? We see God in saving the business from the brink of disaster, but what about the business that has always seemed to just thrive? We praise the girl who lost 60 pounds, but what about the one who has consistently chosen health the entire time? Where’s that party? Where’s that recognition? When the older son asks that very fair question, the father answers, “YOU HAVE ALWAYS STAYED BY ME AND EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS.” Jesus is saying, the best rewards have always been here for you. The benefits have always been yours if you stayed. You’ve been given the best because you didn’t stray. Really think about that – do you need a big celebration for returning if you’ve enjoyed the daily benefits of never leaving? Are you being shorted when your life has been blessed with all this goodness all along? Are the angels full on celebrating in heaven over us continually getting it right, staying on the right path, seeking God first, and living well? No – they don’t have to. They’re celebrating the ones who have been lost and finally comes back. And if that seems unfair – if that makes you feel like your faithfulness doesn’t matter because only the rebellious one is celebrated, think about this: YOU’VE ALWAYS HAD WHAT THE REBELLIOUS ONE HAD TO COME BACK FOR. The fact that you’ve ALWAYS HAD IT is the reward! If you’ve never left God’s goodness, you’ve been living in a continual reward. God doesn’t need to throw us a celebration – we need to celebrate him! Every day we wake up to everything he has for us. GOD WE CELEBRATE YOU! And really, that’s where the older son had failed. He had missed the fact that he always had everything at home with his father. He was jealous of the celebration his brother received, all while he had taken for granted what he had every day of his life. He failed to celebrate the RELATIONSHIP he had always had with the father. All this time he had remained physically close to his father, never leaving home like his brother did – but his heart had become distant. He says to his father, “All these years I’ve SLAVED FOR YOU …” He missed the relationship with his father. He was never asked to treat life at home as a servant trying to earn a reward – he was invited to live as a son receiving an inheritance. While he was standing outside the party, angry, keeping score, comparing his faithfulness to his brother’s failure – he had missed the relationship he always had. Girls – have we taken for granted what we’ve always had as we stay here close with God? Have we taken his protection for granted? Have his blessings become expected? Are we no longer in awe of what he does for us every single day? Woah – isn’t that us? I think so. I see myself in the older son who had grown ungrateful. I see myself in the older son who stayed but lost the sweetness of the relationship. I see myself in the one who started going through the motions of all he “had” to do and forgot the blessing in it all. The father didn’t see him as a slave. He saw him as a SON. The older brother had been living in the father’s house, but he had forgotten what it meant to live as the father’s son. He was so focused on what his brother had received that he had forgotten everything he already had. And maybe that’s the warning Jesus is giving to those of us who have stayed. You can do everything right and still miss the joy of being God’s child. You can stay close to God and still become resentful when someone who wandered receives grace. You can be faithful and still start keeping score. You can obey God and secretly believe He owes you something for it. You can spend so much time watching what God is doing for someone else that you forget to celebrate what He has already done for you. The father doesn’t tell the older son, “You’re right. Your brother doesn’t deserve this.” He simply reminds him: “You have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.” In other words, my child, you haven’t been forgotten. You haven’t been overlooked. You haven’t been cheated. You have been here with me all along – and everything I have is already yours. That’s the beauty of staying. Girls, we already have it all! There may not be a dramatic testimony of what you were rescued FROM, because you never went there. There may not be a spectacular story of what you came BACK FROM, because you never left. But don’t ever mistake a quiet life of faithfulness for an insignificant one. There is a miracle in never needing to be rescued from the pit. There is a blessing in never having to rebuild what you chose not to destroy. There is freedom in not carrying the wounds that come from years of running from God. There is something incredibly beautiful about a life that simply keeps saying, “Yes, Lord.” So if you’re the older son today, don’t stand outside the party. Don’t let someone else’s restoration steal your gratitude for your own journey. Don’t resent the grace God is giving someone else. And don’t believe the lie that because your story isn’t dramatic, it isn’t powerful. Your reward isn’t that God throws a bigger party when you mess up and come home. Your reward is that you never had to leave home to experience the goodness of the Father. Don’t wait for God to throw a celebration for you – live in such continual awe of God’s faithfulness and goodness that you throw the praise party for HIM! You got to live in His presence. You got to know His voice. You got to experience His protection. You got to receive His provision. You got to walk with Him through the ordinary days. And when you really understand that, you don’t need to stand outside with your arms crossed asking, “What about me?” You can walk into the party, put your arm around the one who finally came back and say, “Gosh, I’m so glad you’re home. Look at all our blessings here together!” Because the Father’s heart isn’t choosing between the two sons. He wants both sons at the table. The younger son needed to discover that he could come home. The older son needed to discover that he already was home. Are you the one who needs to come home? Or are you the one who needs to stop standing outside the party and realize just how good it is to already be home? Either way, the Father is coming toward you. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

This is the final of the trilogy of stories Jesus tells to explain the worth of a single soul to God. We had the Parable of the Lost Sheep where the shepherd leaves the 99 to find the 1 who has been lost. We had the Parable of the Lost Coin of the woman who has 10 coins, but when she loses 1 she looks relentlessly until it’s found. Notice the numbers – 1 out of 99 – 1 out of 10 – and now Jesus takes it down to even a more personal and direct number – 1 out of 2 with the Parable of the Lost Son. This is the story we often refer to as the Prodigal son, depending on the translation you’re reading. This story told by Jesus has so many layers and so many life changing truths, we will divide this one into 2 devotionals. Today will be part 1, only covering the first half of the story. Let’s read it together in Luke 15: 11-24: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.’ So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible, and really for many reasons. I’ve been rather open about the 7 year journey with our own prodigal daughter. She walked out of our house at 17 and just never came back. Many times we had no idea where she was or if she was even alive. She made horrible, dangerous choices, and just kept running further and further. The Lord showed me how to wait in hope and faith. He showed me how not to chase her and make things worse. He showed me his faithfulness in the wait. I learned my job was to pray relentlessly for her and always be ready with the welcome home party when she returned. And when our girl finally did return to her family this year, he showed me how he had been allowing my daughter to step into her own testimony of his faithfulness. And yes, we had a party – a wedding party! My prodigal had come home and our relationship continues to grow and flourish every day. It’s truly one of my greatest joys. But this story is also one of my favorites because I realize it’s my own story as well. I am the prodigal. No, I never ran away from my family. No, I’ve never had a wild lifestyle or racked up a bunch of regrets. But gosh have I ever missed out on God’s best by chasing after something else. I am the prodigal. I am the lost one. The Father waited for me to come home and return to his best. Can you see how that’s you too? That’s all of us. The youngest son in Jesus’ story had made a mistake. His mistake was in LOCATION. The provision of his father was in location. He left his father’s house and he struggled fiercely. He ends up living with the pigs, just wishing he could eat the pigs food. But you know what that hunger did – that hunger brought him back home. God lovingly allows us to struggle and suffer when we have chosen to be away from him. He allows hunger because hunger brings us back. Desperation makes us hit our knees. Rock bottom becomes a solid foundation for a turn around. But wow, have you ever noticed that some of us have basements to our rock bottoms? We can go further and further down – further and further away – run harder and harder – make even worse choices with harder consequences … but let me tell you something, THE FATHER IS STILL WAITING FOR OUR RETURN. He’s still waiting for our surrender. He’s still waiting for us to stop running, stop resisting, stop making this worse. The timing of this particular parable is so perfect because just last night I went to a really special service at our church here in Carlsbad, California. Surfers and beach babes basically went to a rodeo at our church. It was the strangest mix of beach people trying to be country. In our church parking lot was a corral surrounded by hay bails and bleachers. In the middle of the corral was a wild horse. Then a legit cowboy enters the corral. Have you heard of this guy? His name is Todd Pierce with Riding High Ministries. In front of a live audience, he trains and rides a wild horse for the first time, all while giving us the most powerful visual of God’s loving patience with us. If you ever get a chance to go see Todd in action, I highly recommend it. I cried through the entire experience. It was one of the most spiritual things I’ve ever witnessed. This horse was 2 years old and up until that week, he had never been touched by a human hand. He had been roped and trailered into California from a ranch in Idaho … and he was NOT happy about it. Todd enters the corral and this horse runs. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with this cowboy. Todd every so slowly works his way closer and closer to the horse as it’s running in circles. He introduces the touch of his rope, then the touch of his hand. Little by little, the horse comes to trust him. But then, the horse would get scared and it would run wild again. Todd explained that this is so often us with God. God begins His work in our lives. He gets closer. He reaches for us. We begin to trust Him. And then something scares us. So we run. But God doesn’t give up. He waits. He tries again. He gets a little closer. And when the horse would refuse his touch, Todd would do something that absolutely broke my heart. He would get down on his knees. He would lower himself beneath the horse and show him tenderness and care. He wasn’t chasing him. He wasn’t forcing him. He was allowing the horse to see that he wasn’t there to hurt him. The horse still had the power to run. And Todd was willing to let him. But as that horse watched this cowboy kneel before him, something began to change. Little by little, he came closer. And closer. And closer. I’m sitting there crying and crying because suddenly I recognized myself. I’m the wild horse. I’m the one resisting. I’m the one who gets scared. I’m the one who doesn’t want to surrender. I’m the one who sometimes runs when God gets too close. And yet…. God waits. God doesn’t stop loving me because I run. He doesn’t abandon me because I resist. He doesn’t force me into surrender. He patiently pursues me. He keeps reaching. He keeps waiting. He keeps inviting me closer. But there was another part of this demonstration that really got me. Todd explained that every horse is different. Some surrender quickly. Some take much longer. Some fight hard. Some even try to hurt him. But ultimately, if a horse refuses to be trained, it loses. Not because the cowboy doesn’t love it. But because the horse cannot become what it was created to be while it remains wild. Think about that. A horse can spend its entire life running wherever it wants, doing whatever it wants, refusing every bit of restraint. That may look like freedom. But it isn’t freedom if it keeps the horse from becoming what it was created to be. A trained horse can do incredible things. It can carry someone into battle. It can help a rancher. It can serve a purpose far greater than simply running wild. But a horse that refuses to surrender to its trainer will never experience that purpose. And I couldn’t stop thinking about how often I do the same thing with God. I want His blessing, but I resist His training. I want His purpose, but I don’t want His process. I want Him to lead me, but I still want to choose the direction. I want the life He has for me, but I don’t always want to surrender the life I have chosen for myself. And maybe that’s the question this parable is asking us: Am I willing to be trained? Because surrender to God isn’t losing my freedom. It’s finally becoming free to be who He created me to be. The wild horse thinks the cowboy is taking something away. But the cowboy knows what the horse doesn’t yet understand: Surrender isn’t the end of the horse’s life. It’s the beginning of its purpose. And maybe that’s what God is saying to you today. You don’t have to run anymore. You don’t have to fight Him. You don’t have to be afraid of what happens when you finally let Him get close. The One asking you to surrender isn’t trying to diminish you. He’s trying to develop you. He’s not trying to take away your purpose. He’s trying to lead you into it. So maybe today isn’t about trying harder. Maybe it’s about stopping. Turning around. And letting the Cowboy come close. Stop running. Stop resisting. Stop fighting the hands that are trying to heal you. Let Him train you. Let Him lead you. Let Him transform you. Because the greatest version of your life isn’t found in running wild. It’s found in surrender. Whether you’re the prodigal running from the Father or the wild horse running from the Cowboy, the invitation is the same—come home. Stop running. Stop resisting. Stop believing that your freedom is found somewhere outside of God’s will. The Father isn’t standing at the end of the road waiting to punish you. He’s watching for you. He’s running toward you. He’s ready to throw His arms around you, put a robe on your shoulders, and celebrate your return. And the Cowboy isn’t trying to break you to ruin you; He’s trying to teach you how to live. He knows what you were created for, even when you don’t. So today, maybe it’s time to stop running and let yourself be found. Stop fighting and let yourself be trained. Stop trying to build your own life and let the One who created you lead you into His. Because surrender isn’t losing the life you wanted. Surrender is finally coming home to the life God created you for. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

When Jesus tells a story, you listen. When Jesus repeats 3 stories with the same meaning, you REALLY listen. Every story he told during his time here on Earth was of important purpose, but to repeat the same lesson 3 times in 3 ways tells us Jesus desperately wants us to get this message. Today’s parable is part of that trilogy teaching. The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and the Lost Son. The teaching of the Lost Sheep was recorded by both Matthew and Luke, so we already looked at that teaching earlier in our series. But now as we look at the accounts of Luke, we see the remaining 2 stories taught back to back by Jesus to the same crowd of people. Who were these people in the crowd, and why would they so desperately need to understand this message? This was a mixed crowd of religious leaders, along with as Luke puts it, “tax collectors and other notorious sinners”. These were people who didn’t mix. Religious leaders of this day made very clear distinctions between who was considered acceptable and who was not—who was “clean” and who was “unclean.” And the people Jesus was attracting—the tax collectors and notorious sinners—were the very people the religious crowd believed should be kept at a distance. They didn’t mix. But as Jesus taught this trilogy of stories about the lost, the sinners came crowding in. The people who had been pushed to the edges were now pressing into the center—right there at the feet of Jesus. Why were the unclean and the sinners coming in? Because for the first time, they were being told they belonged, they mattered, and there was a path for them to be made clean. Up until then, as part of the unclean, they had been pushed to the edges. They were the people you avoided, the people you didn’t touch, the people you didn’t invite to your table. They couldn’t simply blend in with everyone else. Their reputation went ahead of them. Their past followed them. Their failures had become their identity. Imagine that for a moment. Or maybe you don’t have to imagine too hard because this is a story you continually tell yourself now. You don’t belong. You’re unworthy. No body wants you. You’ve felt like part of the “unclean”. For these people being constantly told that they’re not good enough, not acceptable, not clean, eventually they started believing it themselves. Maybe they had assumed God was only for the clean people. The religious people. And then Jesus came. And Jesus changed everything. Jesus didn’t stand on the other side of the crowd pointing at them. He moved toward them. He welcomed them. He ate with them. He touched the untouchable. He talked to the unacceptable. He gave dignity to people who had been reduced to their sin. And suddenly, these people who had been told, “You don’t belong here,” were crowding around Jesus because Jesus was telling them something completely different: You matter. You are wanted. You are worth finding. You are not too far gone. That is the setting for these three stories. And that is why Jesus tells them three times, in three different ways: God goes after what is lost. He tells the story of a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to find one lost sheep. Then a woman who turns her house upside down to find one lost coin. And finally, a father who watches the road, waiting for his lost son to come home. Three stories. One message. God is not standing far away waiting for the lost to find their way back to Him. God is actively pursuing them. And Jesus wants these religious leaders—and every outcast listening at His feet—to understand something that would have been almost scandalous to them: The lost are not an inconvenience to God. They are His pursuit. The very people everyone else had pushed away were the people Jesus was drawing near to. What was literally happening in this moment was James 4:8, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” The unclean were drawing in close for the first time believing maybe this man Jesus was sharing the Good News with them, and as they came in close, God came in close to them. A message worth repeating 3 times! So today, we look specifically at “The Parable of The Lost Coin”. The short little story tucked in between the other 2 more popular stories of something that had been lost. Luke 15: 8-10 “Suppose a woman has 10 sliver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lot coin.’ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.'” And here in the crowd were the sinners who were told they were unclean and unworthy of anything from God. They were written off and excluded. Now, Jesus is telling them, YOU ARE LIKE A LOST COIN THAT IS WORTHY OF BEING SEARCHED FOR! What does a coin have to do to be found? Absolutely nothing! The coin doesn’t crawl its way out of the corner. The coin doesn’t shine itself up to be found. No, the owner comes looking and will not quit until it is found! Notice what the woman does when she loses the coin – She specifically lights a lamp and sweeps the entire house in a careful search. This is precisely what God does when he comes looking for one of his lost children. One who has gotten lost in the darkness, swept to the side, fallen in the cracks and been left alone. First, HE SHINES THE LIGHT. What is this light? John 1:4-5, “In HIM was life, and that life was the LIGHT of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” But, the light doesn’t stop with God. Through Jesus, we become his light bearers. Matthew 5:14, Jesus says, “YOU are the light of the world.” Girls, this means for those of us with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we carry the light that God uses to search for his lost coins. WE ARE PART OF THE SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM FOR LOST SOULS!!!!!! Are they unclean? Are they not to be touched? Are they to be avoided? NOT ACCORDING TO JESUS!!!!!!!!!! THEY ARE TO BE SEARCHED FOR! Jesus says with this light, the woman sweeps the entire house in careful search. GOD IS WILLING TO GO ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE LOOKING FOR A LOST SOUL. He will move the furniture. He will lift the rug. He’ll turn the sofa upside down. He’s not quitting the search for what is his. Here in the crowd, lost souls are hearing Jesus say that he will not stop caring about them. And here today, those within the sound of my voice are hearing Jesus still saying the same thing – HE WILL NOT STOP CARING ABOUT YOU. No matter where you’ve been hiding – no matter what darkness you’ve been stuck in – no matter how dirty you’ve become – HE WANTS YOU BACK!!!!!!!! You are his daughter. You belong to him. Nothing changes that. Just because the coin was lost didn’t mean the woman no longer claimed it. No, she said, “MY COIN”. It was hers when she held it, hers when it was lost, and hers when she found it. “I have found MY lost coin.” You’ve always been God’s girl. That’s not changing. Let yourself be found! Do you know what will happen when he finds you? A FULL BLOWN CELEBRATION!!!!!!!!! Literally Jesus says “There is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” The angels are throwing a party over every soul who is pulled up out of the darkness. Over every soul who is picked up and dusted off. Over every soul who is restored to the place where they belong. THERE IS JOY WHEN THE LOST IS FOUND! Not disappointment. Not condemnation. Not, “Well, look who finally came crawling back.” JOY! Jesus is painting a picture for these sinners sitting at His feet—and for the religious leaders standing there judging them—that would have been impossible to miss. THIS is how God feels about sinners coming home. And I think sometimes we forget that. We know how to feel guilty. We know how to beat ourselves up. We know how to replay our failures and remind ourselves of every place we’ve fallen short. We know how to tell ourselves that we should have known better, done better, been better. But Jesus tells a different story. He tells us that when we are lost, God searches. When we are in the darkness, God brings the light. When we are buried under the mess of our own making, God starts moving things around to find us. And when He finds us, He celebrates. Girl, let that sink in. God isn’t looking for a reason to reject you. He’s looking for you. You may have wandered. You may have messed up. You may have made choices you wish you could undo. You may feel like you’ve fallen so far into the cracks that nobody could possibly find you. But you are not forgotten. You are not disqualified. You are not too dirty. You are not too far gone. You are still His. The coin didn’t become worthless because it was lost. Its location changed. Its condition may have gotten dirty. It may have been sitting in a dark corner where nobody could see it. But its value never changed. And neither has yours. Let Jesus find you exactly where you are. Because He already knows where you are. He’s already looking. He’s already searching. And when He finds you, He’s not going to pick you up and say, “What a mess you are.” He’s going to say, “There you are. I’ve been looking for you.” And heaven will rejoice. If you’ve believed the lie that you’re unworthy, let Jesus tell you the truth. You are His. You have always mattered. You have never been too far away for His light to reach. And you are worth finding. Because that’s the message Jesus repeated three times so we would never forget it: The lost matter to God. The lost are worth pursuing. And when the lost are found, HEAVEN REJOICES. So, Sis, let yourself be found. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Luke 12: 16-21 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” What if the things God has blessed you with slowly become the things you live for? Have you ever seen a hearse pulling a Uhaul? No – you truly can’t take it with you. Everything you’ve ever bought – everything you’ve ever built – everything you’ve ever worked for – it will all be gone in an instant when you take your final breath. And my friend, I assure you of this – your final breath is coming. One day you will wake up, and it will be your last. You may not know it, but that day will come – and when it does only heavenly things will matter. Every earthly thing will be over. But while we’re here having our earthly experience, it’s so easy to get wrapped up in our earthly things. It’s so easy to allow this entire life to become about work – about earning, about building, about buying, about having. All while we forget the entire point of our existence – this is our opportunity to have a rich relationship with God. The one who created you wants you to know him. The one who imagined you, designed you, and knit you together cell by cell in your mother’s womb – the one who watches over you, the one who aligns good plans for you, the one who is always working all things together for good concerning you – he has given you this time to grow to know him, trust him and love him. Everything else is temporary. Everything else is either a bonus – or it’s a distraction. In this story, there’s nothing wrong with the man being rich. He had a fertile farm. Guess where that fertile farm came from? That was God’s creation. God made that land. God allowed that land to be fertile. And that land produced fine crops. That’s a blessing. But here’s what those blessings did – they created wealth for this man and that wealth became a problem for him. He was so successful that he didn’t even have room to store all his crops. So of course, he plans to builds bigger barns. But, in all his success he failed to realize how extremely numbered his days were and his time was up that very night. Is it sinful to be successful? Is is wrong to have money? No. That’s not the point of Jesus’ story. The point here was this man had spent his life building success but hadn’t built a relationship with God. The man didn’t do anything obviously evil. He worked. He was productive. His land produced. He succeeded. He planned for the future. He built bigger barns. None of those things, by themselves, are bad. The problem is that God was completely absent from his plans. Notice how many times he says “I” and “my.” My crops. My barns. My wheat. His entire world had become about himself and what he could accumulate. Everything is “mine”. And yet, the truth is, everything he had was ultimately something he had received. The land wasn’t his creation. The rain wasn’t his creation. The fertility wasn’t his creation. His ability to work wasn’t his creation. His life itself wasn’t even his creation. BUT HAD HE FORGOTTEN ALL THAT IN HIS SUCCESS? This is really a story of building a life that looks successful on the outside but is becoming spiritually empty on the inside. This is a story of allowing the things God has blessed you with to become the things you live for. And really, isn’t this a huge threat to all of us? Have your blessings become the reason you live? If you lost those blessings, what would you have? You would still have your relationship with God – but if you haven’t been building that relationship with God, then you would be completely without a reason to live. And in the end, in that last breath, all you have is God. That moment is coming for every one of us. We all fear failure, but you know what’s more dangerous than failure … success. When life is hard, we tend to reach for God. When life is going swimmingly well, we get all wrapped up in our blessings and God gets crowded out. That’s dangerous. We pray when we’re desperate – but do we pray when we’re successful? We seek God when we’re broken – but do we seek him as much when everything is working? We beg God for provision when we don’t have enough – but do acknowledge him with that same fervency when we have more than enough? The danger isn’t having a lot. This is all God’s and he’s happy to share everything he has with his children. The danger is in having a lot and forgetting who gave it to you. I’ve done that. Haven’t you? The man in Jesus’ story didn’t make a mistake by building a bigger barn. His mistake was building a bigger and bigger life without building a bigger relationship with God. What’s the title of this podcast? BIG Life. We’re here seeking the BIG Life God created us for. We believe each of us were created for a big, beautiful life. What’s the key part of that BIG Life – our relationship with God. Otherwise, we’re just building barns that we can’t take with us! Here’s what God wants to ask his girls today: All while you’re working on building a bigger life with your business, and your house, your family, and your health – how’s your relationship with ME? With all this building, HOW IS YOUR SOUL? My girl, are you becoming more like Jesus? Are you learning to trust me? Are you growing to be more generous? Are you living more peacefully? Are you loving my people better? Are you spending time with me? Are you really enjoying this life I gave you to live? If all you’re doing is building bigger barns, your soul may be getting smaller. And Jesus says that’s dangerous! The man in Jesus’ story is planning for YEARS, but in reality his timeline is brutally short. We plan as those we have forever, but God asks us to live faithfully today with an eternal focus. We don’t know how many more summers we get. How many Christmases. How many mornings with the people we love. How many conversations. How many sunsets. God doesn’t remind of this to make us fearful – he reminds us of this to help us WAKE UP. When you remember how temporary this life is, you can actually learn to live more fully. In my moment of believing this life was truly over there were only 2 thoughts in my mind – I was going to see Jesus THAT day -and- did I tell my people that I love them. That’s it. Nothing else mattered. When I received the miraculous gift of more time, I was forever changed in how I woke up to each new day. I know what’s important, so I know how to live. All this other stuff is temporary. If you knew you only had one year left, what would suddenly become important? Would you still work the same amount? Would you still care about having the same things? Would you still spend hours scrolling? Would you still keep putting off that conversation? Would you still be waiting for someday to do what God has been asking you to do? Would you still be obsessed with how you look? Would you still be trying so hard to impress people who won’t even be at your funeral? Would you spend your time differently? Would you love differently? Would you give differently? Would you slow down? Why are you waiting for a terminal diagnosis to start living like your life matters? You don’t have to know when your last day is to start living differently. Jesus isn’t saying: Don’t have anything. He’s saying: Don’t let what you have become who you are. You can enjoy beautiful things without worshiping beautiful things. You can dream BIG without making your dreams bigger than God. The issue isn’t what is in your hands. The issue is what has captured your heart. Before we build absolutely anything – let us make sure we are building the one thing that that matters – our relationship with God. The rich fool spent his life accumulating things he couldn’t keep. But Jesus invites us to spend our lives building something we can take into eternity—our relationship with Him. If I keep living exactly the way I’m living today, what will my life look like five years from now? Will I simply have more stuff? More money? More accomplishments? More things checked off the list? Or will I know Jesus more deeply? Will I love people better? More faithful? More courageous? More alive? Because that’s the measurement Jesus gives us. Not how much we accumulated. Not how impressive our barns became. Not how successful we appeared. But whether we became rich toward God. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Jesus tells a little story with big impact. Luke 8: 16-17, “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.” Imagine a dark room where you can see nothing. You light a lamp so you can find your way around. How ridiculous would it be to cover that light up and stumble your way through darkness again? You have light now – use it! Jesus is reminding us that he has put his light in us. And his light within us is meant to be seen. Here’s where we get this twisted – we make this about us. Girl, this isn’t about you. This isn’t about others seeing you, noticing you, or liking you. This is about others seeing JESUS IN YOU. The lamp doesn’t say, “Look at me, look at me, I’m so glorious.” No, the lamp simply shines the glorious light it has from within. The lamp doesn’t create the light – the lamp CARRIES THE LIGHT. You don’t have to manufacture God’s light. You don’t have to become impressive. You don’t have to have your life perfectly together. You simply have to stop hiding what God is doing in you. What is God doing within you? If you’ve surrendered your heart and mind to him, he’s changing you. Can you see how he’s rewritten your desires to align with his desires? Can you see how he’s realigned your priorities? Can you see how he’s changed the way you see people and respond to situations? This is the literal work of 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.” Do you see how Jesus’ work within you is making you a new person? Can others see it? THAT’S WHAT JESUS IS TELLING US! Let me light something within you that everyone can see. Don’t hide it – let it shine! Does anyone else look back on their journey and cringe at who they once were? Y’all, I disgust my own self. My number 1 goal was to own a private jet. My number 2 goal was to look ridiculously good in my private jet. And you know what I see when I look back on this journey – God was so incredibly patient and gracious with me. While I was growing materialistic and self-absorbed, he was absolutely determined to relentlessly chip away at my heart and recreate me. Now, the deepest desires of my heart are to have an old 1970’s Volkswagon bus where I can roadtrip to a parking lot near you, invite you to come sit down with me for coffee and a devotional, then we lock arms that day and go serve together in your community. I just want to hit the streets with you and shine Jesus in dark places. I want to get my hands dirty. I want to hit my knees. I want to sweat with hard work right along side you that makes a difference. I want my heart to break for the things that break God’s heart and actively do something about it. I want to dance and celebrate and relentlessly cheer for the good things God is doing. And then I want to hop back in my old 1970’s Volkswagon bus and roam around with God to find the next Jesus follower who wants to hop in for some coffee and live devotional and go out on another mission opportunity in their community. This is what Jesus has done in me. He changed me. He changed my desires. He changed my goals. He changed my priorities. I went from wanting a jet to an old van and a mission roadtrip. What has he done in you? What is he DOING in you? Don’t hide it – let it shine! Jesus warns of the danger of the bowl or the bed. He says, “No one lights a lamp and then COVERS it with a bowl or HIDES it under a bed. What’s your bowl? What’s your bed? It’s the things that try to cover or hide the light of Jesus within you. • It’s fear. Fear says hide while Jesus says SHINE. Then your fear becomes the bowl that hides that Jesus light in you. • It’s comfort. Sometimes it’s not that you’re really afraid, it’s just that you’re so darn comfortable as you are. God’s been nudging you to do something, but doing nothing is just easier. God’s been telling you to go, but you’ve been thinking maybe later you’ll do it. God’s been telling you to say something, but you’re just hoping someone else will speak up. Then you know what – your comfort becomes the bed where you lay and hide that Jesus light underneath it. • It’s shame. Shame whispers secrets of the past to us. Shame tells us we’re not worthy. Shame throws every bowl it can find over that Jesus light so the real you isn’t revealed. But there’s one thing you need to remind your shame – Your testimony was never ‘Look how good I’ve been’ – your testimony is forever ‘Look what Jesus has done.’ The darkest places in your life are actually where that Jesus light shines best! You know what else is the bowl trying to cover that Jesus light in you, or the bed trying to hide his light … • It’s busyness. Oh that sneaky little sucker that will slip right into our days and just make us so busy doing a thousand things, but still be hiding the light. We’re busy. We’re accomplished. We’re looking good. But we are so distracted that we aren’t actually showing the light of Jesus to the very people God has placed all around us. That’s my biggest bowl right there. I just get too busy. And my busyness will cover the light of Jesus in me and I’m just leaving people in their darkness instead of just showing them Jesus. Are you doing this too? Let’s get rid of these bowls that try to cover the light of Jesus in us. Let’s banish the beds that try to hide his light. Girls, let’s let what he has put within us SHINE! Matthew 5:16 says: “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Notice what Jesus doesn’t say: “…so everyone will praise you.” He says: “…so everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” That’s the whole point. We don’t shine so people will see us. We shine so people can see Him. That’s a powerful test for our lives: When people encounter me, do they see more of me—or more of Jesus? Your job isn’t to create the light. Your job is to carry it. And your job isn’t to make people admire the lamp. Your job is to make sure the lamp isn’t covered. Jesus, where do You want Your light to shine through me today? And then pay attention. Your life is someone’s opportunity to see Jesus. Don’t hide the light. Carry it. Let it shine. And when somebody sees something different in you, you don’t point to yourself. You point to Jesus. A few years ago I learned a prayer that Mother Theresa would pray every single day. I put that prayer in my notes and began praying it daily myself. It’s not magic words – it’s just a reminder to throw the bowl away and move the bed out so the LIGHT OF JESUS CAN SHINE. Here’s the prayer and how I say it: Dear Jesus, help me to spread your fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that my life may only be a radiance of yours. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel your presence in my soul. Let them look up and no longer see me, but only you, Jesus. Shine on others through me.
Let me praise you in the way you love best, by shining on those around me. Let me preach YOU without preaching, not by words but by example of everything I do in love for you. Amen. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com