Luke – Page 17 – Be Still…

Luke 11:37-54 – What Sorrow Awaits

Oh my! What sorrow awaits is most certainly true! I think it’s an understatement to say that Jesus’ words “hurt” those religious leaders. Those words should have shaken them to the core of their beings. Yet, they did not understand. Woe to them.

Jesus totally called them out. I wonder if any meal was shared? Could it be that Jesus left with an empty stomach? That’s certainly not the issue here. He did give them their fill, however.

Do you have a bit of a Pharisee heart? You may need to read the passage again. Continue reading “Luke 11:37-54 – What Sorrow Awaits”

Luke 11:29-36 – Shine Your Light

Read Luke 11:29-36

Bring on the floodlights! I don’t know about you, but I want to shine with the light of Jesus. When people tell me I’m glowing, that is the greatest compliment! For us to truly shine, our hearts need to be in alignment with God and his will for us.

It is his light and love that fuels us and keeps us going. Like the energizer bunny has a battery, we have Jesus. But we need to be careful not to be distracted or drawn in by evil. As we know, the evil one is crafty and often tricks us into believing lies. Those lies may start as corners of darkness in our lives, but it can soon envelope the room of our hearts if we aren’t careful. Continue reading “Luke 11:29-36 – Shine Your Light”

Luke 11:14-28 – Demons?

Read Luke 11:14-28

For us, this statement about Jesus getting his power from the demons is a laugh out loud moment (LOL). He is certainly no demon. But for those people, it was probably a scary sight to see. I have not been privileged to see a demonic possession cured, so I can only imagine.

How about the folks that were testing Jesus. There are some in every crowd. Those that jeer and try to rile. They are not my favorite people. I never understood the intent. They must be weak individuals who are a bit uncomfortable in their own skin – they need to tear down others. I can only guess. I pray for them.

I always love it when Jesus rises to the occasion with integrity and wisdom. He knows the thoughts of men (good and bad). He didn’t let their mockery phase him. He took this opportunity to teach a very good lesson about evil and sin. There are actually several nuggets we can glean from today’s reading. Let’s take a look. Continue reading “Luke 11:14-28 – Demons?”

Luke 11:1-13 – Prayer

Read Luke 11:1-13

Seeing Jesus praying would be a common thing for those close to him. Jesus would clearly set aside time to communicate with his Father. So it doesn’t surprise me that the disciples would want to know more about it, and how to do it themselves.

You’ll probably recognize a portion of the Lord’s prayer here. Some churches don’t regularly recite this prayer, and other churches do so as routine practice in their worship services. The Lord’s Prayer is the perfect example of prayer for us to follow. There is a longer version in the book of Matthew. Continue reading “Luke 11:1-13 – Prayer”

Luke 10:38-42 – Are you Martha or Mary?

Read Luke 10:38-42

If Jesus was coming to your house for dinner, would you be frantic about the details or would you be excited to hear his stories? I’m sure Martha was both, but her focus on details kept her from enjoying all that her sister was clearly experiencing.

For me, I would want everything to be perfect, just like Martha. I would only later feel regret I wasted so much time stirring the soup or setting the table that I missed even one story from Jesus. What about you?

As you evaluate yourself, remember it is not Mary vs. Martha. We should be Mary + Martha.

Continue reading “Luke 10:38-42 – Are you Martha or Mary?”