Wednesday, April 2: Luke 10- Sheep among wolves.

Verses 10:1-4: After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

I want so much to be liked. I want people to appreciate the opinions and faith I hold and to agree with me. And yet, I hear Jesus saying as He sends out his disciples, Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. That is not a very pretty image.

I lived in farm country and wolves and mountain cats would occasionally wreak havoc in herds of defenseless sheep in our community. And yet, that is precisely the image Jesus uses sending out is followers. And they are the sheep!

I sit here thinking. Being a Jesus follower is not easy. Not all people will be receptive to Jesus’ Message… but we go because there will be some in whom God is already working and who will be receptive. And this is the joy… this is why we labor. This is why we go risking life, reputation, what have you.

Too often in the American Church we think following Jesus should open us to a wonderful life, a safe and comfortable life. And yet, I read again what Jesus said, Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Are we somehow exempt from this word?

Lord, give me courage to serve You faithfully, no matter the reception, no matter the hardship. Lord, I pray for the strength to be faithful to You, first and foremost. My life I trust to You; here and throughout eternity You are my God and I will serve You, Holy and Merciful God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Tuesday, April 1: Luke 9- Life agendas.

Verse 51 seemed to leap off the page as I read it. Upon completing the reading of chapter 9, I returned to verse 51, praying that the Lord would speak.

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem (NIV).

I looked up this verse in various translations. A number of others used the phraseology; he set his face to go to Jerusalem (KJV, NRSV, ESV). The NASV, God’s Word and ICB all translated it; he was determined to go to Jerusalem. And the Message reads, he gathered up his courage and steeled himself for the journey to Jerusalem.

What caught me was Jesus fixed on the task ahead…

·         Resolutely set out for…

·         Set his face to…

·         Determined to…

·         Steeled himself for…

The task was great and Jesus was ready to give what it cost. He was determined, set, and steeled Himself for the work ahead.

Then this thought snuck into my head, as followers we should emulated Jesus. We should be like Jesus. Soon these thoughts circled back around to me… “Am I resolute, steeled and set to do the bidding of Jesus with my life?”

Jesus showed no wavering, no distractions, no worries about self or comforts. He was on task and on mission.

I feel as if I am juggling multiple agendas:

·         I take part in Jesus’ agenda, advancing the Gospel near and far;

·         But I also have an ‘I-have-to-live agenda,’ working to eat, cloth and care for my family, including things like fun, sports, vacations, and the like;

·         I also have a relational agenda, maintaining friendships with those I love and pal around with.

I’m sure I could come up with other agendas in my life. What I am realizing is that I am a man of many agendas for life.  And though each one may be necessary, I seem to let my ‘Jesus agenda’ be the one which gets crowded out by the others.

Ouch, this stings…

How are you fairing?

Lord, thank You for this glimpse of honestly into my life. Forgive me where I am lax about the Your things. Forgive me where I am out of balance, generally tilted toward caring for self rather than giving self away.

Help me, Lord, find the strength in You to live for You. As The Message translation puts it, help me find the courage to steel myself for Your Work. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Monday, March 31: Luke 8- Decision Time.

As I was opening my Bible this morning, I saw on another open screen the words, “Decision Time.” Those words stuck with me as I read chapter 8. I thought, when Jesus arrives on the scene it is Decision Time…

The women cured of diseases made the decision to follow and support Jesus.

To the crowds following Him, Jesus told a parable about decision. Decision isn’t merely a momentary response to Jesus, it is a lifelong pursuit and many obstacles will try to undermine the decision to follow Jesus. Only those who persist truly decided to follow!

Verse 18 says, so consider how you listen… Decision time.

And in a curious response to someone shouting your mother and brothers are here, Jesus replies, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice" (21). Decision time means putting into practice what God’s Word says.

Have you made your decision to follow Jesus, to practice what He preaches and what God’s Word says and to continue doing so, no matter how hard the road gets?

Think about it…

Lord, as the old hymn says, I have decided to follow Jesus… no turning back, no turning back. Lord, give me the strength to stay the course with You, come what may. No matter what! Amen.

 

Saturday, March 29: Luke 7- All eyes on him.

Chapter 7 opens with 2 miraculous healings. The second one is the only one I can think of where Jesus initiates the miracle without being asked by someone for it.

It is, however, the first healing that captivated by thoughts and meditations.

First, the father sends town elders to petition Jesus for his son’s healing in public. This father doesn’t send a servant; he has the clout to send town elders. To add more pressure on Jesus to perform when the elders arrive, the text says they plead earnestly saying, "This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue" (4-5). Talk about pressure to perform!

Before Jesus even gets to the house of the dying boy, a servant of the centurion-father arrives saying, ‘Just say a word and the boy will be healed. My master doesn’t deserve to have You under his roof and he understands authority. Just command and the boy will be healed.’

The boy is healed…

The pressure on Jesus, everyone was watching him. And if he didn’t heal the boy, people would have abandoned following Jesus in droves. But Jesus wasn’t fazed. He knew whoHe was and why He had come. He knew the Father’s voice, too. And this was a moment to confirm He was Who He claimed to be!

I find myself falling before Jesus. Amazed, yet again, at my Savior, the God-man; the perfect Spirit empowered One…

I worship You, Jesus, and I seek to emulate You… to grow so in tune with the Holy Spirit You have sent to be in me as a follower of You. That I, too, can do the things You ask of me, so that Your glory is displayed today as it was displayed in Your day. May You gain all glory and honor from anything done faithfully in Your name. Amen.

 

 

Friday, March 28: Luke 6- Prayer and BIG decisions.

In the middle of this incredible chapter filled with much Jesus teaching, there is a single snapshot that gives a glimpse into Jesus’ manner of living.

In verse 12 & 13 we read: One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles…

Crowds of people were considered disciples of Jesus (see verse 15) and huge numbers of people from all over came to listen to Him teach and to be healed by Him. And out of His throngs of followers, Jesus was going to appoint some to be apostles, sent ones.

Did He make lists and perform a pro vs. con analysis? I don’t know. Did He get references for the probable candidates? Probably not. In fact the only thing we do know that He did, was to pray. In fact, the text says He spent the night praying to God. Then come morning, He chose his 12 apostles.

Jesus gave significant time to prayer about His choice before He made His choice….

It seems like such a natural act for Jesus, to spend a night with his Father and to talk over the choice of the 12.

Prayer, talking with God, is a powerful connection with the Almighty.

I find myself wondering why I don’t exhibit a prayer life like Jesus did…

Lord, do I think I can make important decisions by myself? Lord, do I not understand the power and connection prayer avails? Am I too lazy to spend a night or significant time alone with You in prayer? Am I so used to constant talking and radio and music and such that I have no space for quiet conversation with You?

Lord, I don’t know the answers to my questions. But I know that I am feeling inadequate compared to the example Jesus, my Lord, set. Lord, I have so much to learn about prayer. Help me. Teach me. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Thursday, March 27: Luke 5- Wonder of the word.

I love the Gospels, fast paced and action packed. It seems Jesus is always doing something astounding. Oh, those miracles… it must have been amazing to follow and watch Jesus.

Despite my natural draw to the supernatural, this morning I was drawn to the first verse and the power of the Word.

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God.

Listening to the word of God. Those words rung in my ear as I kept reading. People were drawn to the Word of God. This passage doesn’t mention anything about Jesus’ manner of teaching. And although that might have been part of it (at least it appears so from other passages, He taught as one with authority (Mt 7:29, Mark 11:22)). In this passage it is the content of the word that is the draw. [T]he people crowding around him and listening to the word of God. The attraction was the Word of God… Jesus teaching the Word of God.

I can never go back in time to see Jesus when He was in Palestine, but I can attend to the same Word of God that He gave the people when He was in Palestine. And thanks to the gift of the Holy Spirit, I can have the Spirit of Jesus with me as I attend to the Word of God.

Oh, what a gift these moments in the Word with Jesus are!

Lord, thank You for meeting me today and day after day. As I listen and attend to Your Word, please bring it alive in my soul as you apparently did for the men and women who heard You during Your days in Palestine. I pray in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

 

Wednesday, March 26: Luke 4- lessons from the desert.

I found myself drawn to the opening verses.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread" (1-3).

Jesus, a Spirit-filled man, is led by the Spirit into the desert. That shouldn’t be. Right? Aren’t we supposed to have cushy lives if we are following God faithfully? This text and many others say, ‘No’. It may be a staple teaching by many a TV and Internet preacher but it isn’t Biblical. If the Spirit will lead Jesus into the desert, He may just do the same for us!

In the desert Jesus fasts for 40-days. Oh my! I have never done that. I may fast once in a while (fasting is certainly not a regular pattern of my life in Christ), but I have never gotten close to 40 days.

Then there is that slimy devil, the enemy of God and God’s people. What does he do? He slithers up to Jesus at His weakest point and attacks. 40 days of fasting, Luke records; at the end of them he was hungry. Duh! Who wouldn’t be hungry after 40 foodless days? I suspect that God inspired Luke to put in this obvious fact so that we couldn’t over spiritualize the story and make Jesus into some super-savior who fasts for 40-days but doesn’t get hungry.

When Jesus is at His lowest what does the devil do? He pounces on the weakest link! "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." What a low blow. But if I were trying to bait an opponent, this is the perfect play. Hit’em where he is weakest.

Thoughts rolled in my head. The devil is still like that. He will attack any of us at our weakest, most vulnerable point.

A warning flashed in my head. Keep up your guard. Beware, God’s enemy is looking to pounce. Stay close to the Lord. Admit to Jesus your weaknesses that He might protect you.

Back to the story, Jesus was not lured into sin. Despite human weakness, He must have drawn on His connection with the Father and the Spirit’s anointing. He fought back and over came through God’s Word.

I thought of Paul’s words, when I am weak then I am strong (2Corinthians 12:10). When we are at the end of our human strength and we are at our weakest, God by His Spirit can and will strengthen us if we turn to Him.

When we rely on God to overcome the enemy, God gets the glory.

Lord, You took me on an interesting journey today. Thank You for opening my eyes to Your Word today. Thank You for the warning about the devil and for the reminder that in Christ and filled by Your Spirit I (we) can overcome the evil one. Hallelujah.

Lord God, all glory and honor to you!!! I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.