Luke – Page 17 – Be Still…

Luke 11:14-28 – Demons?

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?”

Luke 10:25-37 – Do This!

Read Luke 10:25-37

The Good Samaritan story was a genius example to help us understand who our neighbor is. It also shows us what being a poor neighbor looks like.

Jesus affirmed the man’s question about eternal life. This is what you must do to live. “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Living in a neighborhood, we often think that our neighbors are those living close by. Jesus opens our eyes to the real meaning.

To be a good neighbor you need to be present. We see two examples of folks, upright and presumably spiritual, who did not do the right thing. Were these folks too busy? Where these folks afraid to get their hands dirty? They were Jewish, just like the beaten down man, so it wasn’t like they were afraid of helping a foreigner. Did they fear for their own lives? Perhaps the greedy bandits were still nearby ready to pounce on their next victim. Continue reading “Luke 10:25-37 – Do This!”

Luke 10:21-24 – Childlike Faith

Read Luke 10:21-24

Do you remember what it was like to be a kid? Granted, our childhood memories look a lot different then the memories children today will make. It was a simpler time, and I sometimes long for those days.

Jesus’ words here today seem to indicate that it is to those with faith like a child that truth will be revealed. Jesus said, “Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.” Jesus was full of joy at the thought. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and see if we can’t find our inner child. Continue reading “Luke 10:21-24 – Childlike Faith”