October 2nd, 20

Know and Be Known

Ezra 5 - 6 , Psalm 138, and Luke 16

He’s a rich man with no name.  His name and identity were lost amid his riches, as was his soul. He’s in a hell - a place of the dead.  Lazarus, a ‘named man’, is seated next to Abraham, another man with a name.  Yet, the rich man still only sees himself as he was - rich.  He can’t remember who he is.  He can’t remember his name.  He’s wanting poor Lazarus to come serve him. That’s the way he remembers things.  He wants father Abraham to  be his messenger to Lazarus and his family. 

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.’ (Lk 16:24 NLT)

There’s a hardening of the heart that we must guard ourselves against.  We can get to a place where we’re unable to see who we are and what we’ve become. We can get to the place where we can’t remember our name.  We can’t see our need for God. 

 We can get to the point where our riches, position, and our power, blind us to the message of Abraham and the other ‘named ones’.  The ultimate message of the ‘named ones’ is the resurrection of the dead.  God’s going to raise the dead to life, and it will begin with his Son.  That’s what all the Prophets foretold.  This message of resurrection can be missed by a heart that is blinded by riches and position. This blindness creates a heart that refuses to see its soul’s poverty before God. Our riches can blind us to the words of Abraham and the Prophets. It can blind us to the message that God alone can raise us to new life.  Lazarus believed that it could.  Even in his poverty he believed that God could raise him up.  And God honored him in the end, and seated him at the table with Abraham. That’s what God does. He demonstrates over and over again, the resurrection, and offers the honor of sitting at the table with all of God’s named children. This is a gift that we must receive by faith.  The righteous, the ‘named ones’, will live by faith.  They will not trust in their reputations or their riches.  And they will know their name and their God. 

Find yourself, even today, sitting at the table, with all the ‘named ones’, feasting on the Word that God has for you.

You are loved!