What to Do While Your Life Is Happening

Life happens. Sometimes we have a say in what is going on, but just as often, we don’t. There are many circumstances you can’t control—earthquakes and floods, wars and terrorist attacks, the spouse who walks out, a sick child. What are you supposed to do when life—for good or bad—is happening around you?

The Bible tells us that we are to live according to God’s Word. Jesus’ teachings are a good place to start, particularly His parables, which are short, simple stories that explain divine truths.

In this series, Stuart takes you through parables in Luke’s Gospel and explains the significance and the lessons in each of the stories so you can apply them to your own life.

Life happens at the rate of 365 days per annum for everybody. What we do while it is happening is very important. Jesus had a lot to say about this in His short stories—the parables. 

Scripture: Luke 7:36-7:50

Celebrities attract crowds. Jesus, while neither desiring it or seeking it, had become a celebrity and the crowds pursued Him wherever He went. But not all of His enthusiastic listeners were effectively responding to what He said. So He told a short story to show how important it is that people take seriously what He had to say. 

Scripture: Luke 8:4-8:15

In Luke 10, we find the well-known story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus’ interaction with the expert in the law sets up this parable by exposing the man’s assumptions about eternal life and what one must do to obtain it. Stuart explains that everyone approaches this question with presuppositions, and he highlights that believing in eternal life is ultimately an act of faith—one with far greater consequences than most people realize.

Scripture: Luke 10:25-10:37

Jesus uses the parable in Luke 11 to teach that while life often “happens to us,” one essential response is learning to pray—something even His first disciples struggled with. Stuart emphasizes that although nearly everyone claims to believe in prayer, few practice it consistently, making Jesus’ instruction “Lord, teach us to pray” as relevant now as it was then.

Scripture: Luke 11:1-11:13

To help us determine our priorities, Stuart shares some points worthy of remembering:

Life is not made up of things. Be on your guard, because if you’re not you’ll be suckered in by the whole flow of our culture.

Life is on loan. One of these days God will foreclose and demand back what he gave you on loan. And a life that is lived egotistically, materialistically, and hedonistically denies the fact that the life is on loan in the first place.

Life in actual fact consists in being rich towards God.

Scripture: Luke 12:13-12:21

It is possible for us to live lives that are rich according to human evaluation, but that does not necessarily mean they are rich according to divine evaluation. In other words, you can be extremely wealthy in a human currency, but in actual fact be bankrupt before God. 

You will be rich towards God, not only when you understand who God is, not only when you have an intensity of desire to see His kingdom established in your life, not only when you relate your worries and concerns and earthly life to Him, but when you begin to demonstrate that your concern for the kingdom is paramount. 

Scripture: Luke 12:35-12:48

Jesus’ teaching in Luke 14 begins with a moment where hostile leaders deliberately “set him up,” much like a sting operation designed to trap and discredit Him. Stuart uses modern examples of being set up to show how Jesus faced similar malicious schemes, yet used those moments to reveal truth and expose the motives of His accusers.

Scripture: Luke 14:1-14:24

Jesus warns potential disciples in Luke 15 that following Him requires counting the cost—placing Him above family, self‑interest, and personal comfort. He explains that true discipleship means embracing God’s purposes, not merely listening to His words, and many who seemed least likely to respond were the ones who truly heard Him.

Scripture: Luke 15:1-15:32

Jesus’ parable in Luke 16 uses the story of a dishonest manager to teach that everything we possess—time, energy, skills, and resources—belongs to God and is only loaned to us. Because we are stewards, not owners, Jesus calls us to account for how we use what God has entrusted, reminding us that our lives are ultimately His, not our own.

Scripture: Luke 16:1-16:15

Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus confronts the Pharisees—who loved money—with the sobering truth that wealth cannot shield anyone from judgment. He shows that ignoring the suffering at one’s doorstep has eternal consequences, and that those who refuse to heed Scripture will not be persuaded even by someone rising from the dead.

Scripture: Luke 16:19-16:31

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