Luke 21:29-33 Lessons from the Trees
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: November 21, 2018 Luke 21:29-33
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
And He spoke a parable to them: Behold the fig-tree and all the trees. Now when they sprout leaves, seeing it you will know that summer is now near. So also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you, This generation shall not pass away until all these things are fulfilled. The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.
(Understanding the Text) Jesus tells us to look at the signs and believe that the kingdom of God is near just as the leaves growing on the trees are a sign of summer coming. However, I get confused by Jesus’ idea of clear signs and near. For me the signs of the last days are confusing. The ones for the destruction of Jerusalem were clear, and the people left and were not hurt, but the ones at the end–“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken”–are confusing to me because it seems that the nations have always been distressed. Also, I don’t understand what the roaring of the sea and the waves will mean. In addition, I don’t understand what it means when it says that the powers of the heavens will be shaken. If the signs in the sun and moon took place in the late 1700s and the stars was in 1833, then my idea of near is very different than Jesus’. It has been over 150 years since the last sign that people are sure of.
Many people do seem to be fainting with fear and with foreboding for little reason nowadays. We actually had more reason to fear in my childhood when there was the threat of nuclear war every day, yet there was optimism in the air. Even if it happened, many people had the courage to die. They were still taking chances, but nowadays, there is an attitude of worry and hoarding. People feel that there is not enough to go around and jump at shadows and fear remote possibilities of danger. They withhold mercy because of the possibility of getting hurt. They refuse to part with their extra now for fear of not having enough later. They refuse to give to the weak while pouring money into the strong. This is a change from our past and my childhood, but it is nothing new in the world. The Bible is full of prophets speaking of seeing the same situation in their people and warning of judgment. However, that judgment was not immediate in many situations. In fact, it could be generations later.
Thus, I come back to not understanding the idea that the kingdom of God is near. Does this not mean the second coming? Also, the “this generation shall not pass away” statement obviously refers to the destruction of Jerusalem; does that mean that the “near” statement before this was also referring to that event rather than the end times? Maybe “the kingdom of God is near” refers to not being afraid. When we see all these terrifying events and everyone else is afraid, believers should feel courage because when these events happen, we are to know that God is near to us. We are not experiencing anything to stress over no matter how bad. Instead, we are to trust our Savior’s words that He is with us at all times and the more we need Him, the closer He is.
(Revelation of God) At the end of this passage, Jesus affirms that His words are permanent. We can count on His words. My problem is understanding His words with confidence. One other event is confirmed here. The heaven and earth shall pass away. The life we live here and now with death, war, disasters, fear, unbalance, hurt, greed, selfishness, and confusion is temporary and will one day vanish. The earth itself will be transformed. However, Jesus persists in being Himself and His words remain.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that the events of this world are going to get worse and worse. There is no recovery from the downward spiral we are in. People may recover their confidence for a while, but it will be false confidence. Other prophecies say that there will be another time of mass conversion followed by a falling away as people realize that following God means giving up self. The mass conversions are actually a sign that there will be worse to come. The world will be falling apart. There could be some kind of cataclysmic event from space like an asteroid passing too near and causing disaster on earth, or maybe the moral decline of those rejecting God will cause so much anarchy that others will lash out. People will fear so much that they will lose trust in God and try to help Him along. While mouthing words of loyalty, they will choose to reject His words. They will try to resolve the problems using worldly ways because they believe that God’s ways are impractical and counterintuitive. Their faith will fail even as they proclaim the need for faith. They will commit atrocities against each other in the name of God. In all this, I must remain faithful to God’s commands, trusting that He knows the best way through. I must distrust my own self and my natural tendencies and follow in Jesus’ footsteps to safety. It will look like He is leading me through the dangerous path when there are safer paths, but I must trust Him to lead. I must believe that the kingdom of heaven is near to me. This is beyond my capacity. I pray that You will give me the faith and courage to believe you and follow you; otherwise, my heart will fail me for fear also.