NKJV Bible in 365 Days
Kingdom Priorities and Heart Examinations — October 8
Luke 14-16
Luke 14
1 Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. 365N 281.1
2 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. 365N 281.2
3 And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the [a] Sabbath?” 365N 281.3
4 But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. 365N 281.4
5 Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a [b] donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” 365N 281.5
6 And they could not answer Him regarding these things. 365N 281.6
7 So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: 365N 281.7
8 “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; 365N 281.8
9 and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. 365N 281.9
10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. 365N 281.10
11 For whoever exalts himself will be [c] humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” 365N 281.11
12 Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 365N 281.12
13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the [d] maimed, the lame, the blind. 365N 281.13
14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” 365N 281.14
15 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat [e] bread in the kingdom of God!” 365N 281.15
16 Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 365N 281.16
17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ 365N 281.17
18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 365N 281.18
19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 365N 281.19
20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 365N 281.20
21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the [f] maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 365N 281.21
22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 365N 281.22
23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 365N 281.23
24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ” 365N 281.24
25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 365N 281.25
26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 365N 281.26
27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 365N 281.27
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — 365N 281.28
29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 365N 281.29
30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 365N 281.30
31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 365N 281.31
32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 365N 281.32
33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. 365N 281.33
34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 365N 281.34
35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the [g] dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” 365N 281.35
Luke 15
1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 365N 281.36
2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man [a] receives sinners and eats with them.” 365N 281.37
3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 365N 281.38
4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 365N 281.39
5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 365N 281.40
6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 365N 281.41
7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine [b] just persons who need no repentance. 365N 281.42
8 “Or what woman, having ten silver [c] coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 365N 281.43
9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ 365N 281.44
10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” 365N 281.45
11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 365N 281.46
12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. ’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 365N 281.47
13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with [d] prodigal living. 365N 281.48
14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 365N 281.49
15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 365N 281.50
16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the [e] pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 365N 281.51
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 365N 281.52
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 365N 281.53
19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ 365N 281.54
20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 365N 281.55
21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 365N 281.56
22 “But the father said to his servants, [f] ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 365N 281.57
23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 365N 281.58
24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. 365N 281.59
25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 365N 281.60
26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 365N 281.61
27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ 365N 281.62
28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 365N 281.63
29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 365N 281.64
30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ 365N 281.65
31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 365N 281.66
32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ” 365N 281.67
Luke 16
1 He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was [a] wasting his goods. 365N 281.68
2 So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ 365N 281.69
3 “Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. 365N 281.70
4 I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’ 365N 281.71
5 “So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 365N 281.72
6 And he said, ‘A hundred [b] measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 365N 281.73
7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred [c] measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 365N 281.74
8 So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. 365N 281.75
9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous [d] mammon, that when [e] you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. 365N 281.76
10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 365N 281.77
11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 365N 281.78
12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own? 365N 281.79
13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” 365N 281.80
14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they [f] derided Him. 365N 281.81
15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 365N 281.82
16 “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. 365N 281.83
17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one [g] tittle of the law to fail. 365N 281.84
18 “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery. 365N 281.85
19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and [h] fared sumptuously every day. 365N 281.86
20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 365N 281.87
21 desiring to be fed with [i] the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 365N 281.88
22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 365N 281.89
23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 365N 281.90
24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 365N 281.91
25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 365N 281.92
26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ 365N 281.93
27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 365N 281.94
28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 365N 281.95
29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 365N 281.96
30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 365N 281.97
31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ” 365N 281.98