RSS

Tag Archives: christianity

Luke 6:12-49

07 Sep

12 One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. 13 At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names:

14 Simon (whom he named Peter),
Andrew (Peter’s brother),
James,
John,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
15 Matthew,
Thomas,
James (son of Alphaeus),
Simon (who was called the zealot),
16 Judas (son of James),
Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

17 When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil spirits were healed. 19 Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.

20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,

“God blesses you who are poor,
    for the Kingdom of God is yours.
21 God blesses you who are hungry now,
    for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
    for in due time you will laugh.

22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.

24 “What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
    for you have your only happiness now.
25 What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,
    for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,
    for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
26 What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,
    for their ancestors also praised false prophets.

27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.

35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

39 Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? 40 Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.

41 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 42 How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

43 “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 44 A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. 45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.

46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? 47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

Luke 6:12-49

Dear God, to set the context, the “soon afterward” referred to in verse 12 is the stuff about Jesus being in conflict with the Pharisees about the Sabbath. So he goes away to pray all night. This is one of those times that I suspect he might have visited with you, Moses, and Elijah. But he knew he had some important decisions to make. I’m sure as he was going through the “hiring” process of picking the 12 and offering them the job he was going over the strengths and weaknesses of each of them. Peter: bold but can be impetuous and foolish. John: A bit of a hot-head and immature, but sincere. Thomas: Passionate but overwhelmed and confused. Judas: Well, we probably wouldn’t normally pick him, but we will need him later.

Then Jesus puts the 12 in front of everyone and starts his stump speech. Luke kind of gives us the condensed version of the Sermon on the Mount here, and the closer I get to you the more I lean into this sermon as the foundation upon which I need to build all of my perceptions and attitudes towards life. Don’t be afraid if I find myself suffering in some way. It will end one day one way or another. Love others, especially my enemies. Have mercy. Give selflessly and generously.

And to some extent I do these things, although maybe not as much as I should. So help me today. Help me to love those who have really hurt me. Help me to offer forgiveness and mercy to them. Help me to be what you need me to be for those who need me, regardless of what it costs me. Be glorified in my life.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on September 7, 2025 in Luke

 

Tags: , , , ,

Luke 6:1-5

06 Sep

6 One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples broke off heads of grain, rubbed off the husks in their hands, and ate the grain. 2 But some Pharisees said, “Why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”

3 Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests can eat. He also gave some to his companions.” 5 And Jesus added, “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.”

Luke 6:1-5

Dear God, so this is an interesting example for Jesus to use when he refers to David and his men eating the sacred loaves when he was on the run from Saul. I say it’s interesting because I was always uncomfortable with that David story. He lied to the priest (which eventually led to Saul killing that priest and all but one of the others). And frankly it’s not even clear from the way the story is told (1 Samuel 21) that he actually had any companions with him at that point. From the way I read it, he only said he had companions waiting for him. But in Luke’s telling of this story, Jesus affirms that David told the truth about the companions and he was justified in getting the sacred bread. In any disagreement between my biblical interpretation and Jesus’s interpretation, I will yield and say that I am wrong, but this is curious to me. It’s the lying in the story that bothers me the most. I can see where taking the bread was justified. But the way he did it was deceptive and set Ahimelech up to be brutally murdered (1 Samuel 22).

Not to harp on this too much, but it reminds me of my feelings on Lance Armstrong’s performance-enhancing drug (PED) use. It doesn’t bother me that he did the PEDs. I truly believe everyone was doing it and the only way to compete was to do it. What bothers me is the lies he told when others told the truth. He ruthlessly destroyed people’s reputations and ability to make a living to protect his lie. That is reprehensible to me. It’s one thing to do something wrong and take responsibility for it. It’s another thing to make others pay for what you did, and he (and David with Ahimelech) made others pay.

Okay, that’s enough of that soap box. Back to Jesus dealing with the Sabbath and the teaching of the day. I’ve sometimes ruminated on the idea of moving to a more Godless area and living as light in the middle of darkness, but then I remember that the area where Jesus lived and taught was actually more like where I live now. What I mean by that is I live in a very conservative area of Texas where calling yourself a Christian is the politically correct thing to do. People are culturally Christian, but many are not actually pursuing relationship with you and working out their faith with fear and trembling. It’s a lot like the Israel of Jesus’s day. There were a lot of philosophies about what it meant to be Jewish and hold to your law, but there wasn’t a lot of deep introspection of how they might be missing you in the process.

So Jesus, in this story, is teaching them that there is a line between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. By the letter of the law, the disciples were wrong. And the Pharisees only cared about the letter of the law. But what was the spirit of the law? What was the why behind the commandment for us to observe the Sabbath? That’s what I think Jesus was trying to get them to consider in this story.

Father, teach me your whys. I want your law written on my heart, but I don’t want it so that I can just follow your rules so you’ll be happy with me. I want to understand the why behind the commands. I want to fall deeper and deeper into knowing you and letting my knowledge of you and the love and mercy you have for me extend to the world through me. So teach me today. Show me the why in everything you have for me to learn. I want to be able to, in turn, show it to others so we will be the most effective worshippers and followers of you we can all be.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on September 6, 2025 in Luke

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Luke 5:33-39

05 Sep

33 One day some people said to Jesus, “John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?”

34 Jesus responded, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. 35 But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

36 Then Jesus gave them this illustration: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment.

37 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. 38 New wine must be stored in new wineskins. 39 But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.”

Luke 5:33-39

Dear God, what is the role of fasting in my faith? I was having lunch with a friend three days ago, and he asked me when the last time I fasted was. I told him it was about 6 months. He was actually surprised it had been that recently. And I remember that day. I just woke up and as I started my morning it just felt like the right thing to do to fast that day. I had some big challenges at work that I wanted to bring to you at that level. I have the ever-present sorrows in my personal life I wanted to lift to you. So I took the day to fast and pray. And I think it was good. I’ve seen great success with that one specific challenge at work. And while I haven’t seen progress in my personal sorrow, I continue on with faith that you are working in ways I cannot see.

Interestingly, I just did a search for fasting in the New Testament and found only two references outside of the gospels. They were all in Acts and both involved selecting Paul and Barnabas for work.

I wonder why it wasn’t more a part of Paul’s instructions in his epistles. It seems like the kind of thing James would have told people to do. And John might have mentioned it too. Why did it kind of disappear?

Father, I know the point of this passage isn’t necessarily to get me to fast more. In fact, Jesus seems to be introducing a new standard while still saying that his disciples will resume the practice of fasting when he is gone. No, I think the point of this story is more about setting the tone for the difference between what Jesus is teaching us about who you are vs. the perception by the Jewish people up to that point. I’m not sure if I have things in my life that I’m doing that are foolish because they are no longer relevant. I don’t even think I can see those things on my own. So I guess my prayer is that the Holy Spirit will reveal to me the things I’ve made sacred that are irrelevant and the things that should be sacred that I’ve ignored or been reluctant to adopt. I guess I do have something else I need to lift to you before I stop this prayer. I am interviewing two people today and one person Monday for an open position where I work. Help me to see what you see and guide me to the right person. I have someone helping me in this process. Guide here as well.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
1 Comment

Posted by on September 5, 2025 in Luke

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

John 5:1-11

04 Sep

5 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”

5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.

Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

John 5:1-11

Dear God, okay, this is a fun story with a lot of layers. Here’s what I’m noticing when putting it in context with chapter 4:

  • Jesus has been watching Peter for at least a day or two. Maybe more. Maybe he was staying at Peters. but I need to go to John’s Gospel to see how he describes Peter meeting Jesus and how that overlaps with this. Peter’s brother Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist and went to find Peter after he met Jesus: 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. 41 Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). 42 Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”). 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” With this, I presume that John was baptizing in the Jordan near the Sea of Galilea because it doesn’t seem like it was a big decision to go on to Capernaum. Maybe Peter invited them there to stay. And then when Jesus was teaching one day he saw Peter’s boat and the pushed off.
  • This story isn’t about the content of Jesus’s teaching, but about Peter’s (and James’s and John’s) decision to follow Jesus. But I have to wonder what Jesus was saying and how Peter was hearing it. Was he giving his Sermon on the Mount stump speech? Was he talking about how the poor in spirit and mourning would be blessed? Was he talking about forgiving enemies, suffering through persecution, raising the bar on the standards of sin, teaching them to pray, etc.? What did Peter hear before the next part?
  • Jesus uses the miraculous catching of fish to not only impress and recruit Peter, but James and John also.
  • Peter had already seen the healing power. He had heard the lessons. But it doesn’t seem he was very impressed until this moment. He might have justified the healings. Maybe he had seen that before. But he had never seen the obvious power to manipulate nature and bend it to your will. I guess you could say the healings were that too, but these might still be rationalized.
  • Peter’s response to Jesus is to say he himself is not worthy of Jesus’s presence. Maybe he had just heard about all the ways Jesus said you can sin by lusting and hating and wanted Jesus to know up front that he was guilty. Guilty in your eyes. Guilty in Jesus’s eyes.
  • Jesus invited him, James, and John to follow him. Jesus ignored his admonition to leave him because he was too sinful. Instead, he invited him to follow. Jesus knew they would work out the sin part as they walked together.
  • Peter, James, and John decided to follow. They could have easily stayed in their squalor. And their paths would not be easy. It might have been easier to stay and fish. But they were part of changing the world and we are still talking about these simple fishermen from Galilea 2,000 years later.

Father, thank you for inviting me to be on this journey with you. Help me to know how to walk it. Love through me. Lead through me. Lead me through others you appoint to teach and show me the way. Your way. Help me to not veer from the path. Help me to show others the narrow way.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on September 4, 2025 in Luke

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Luke 4:38-44

03 Sep

38 After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. “Please heal her,” everyone begged. 39 Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them.

40 As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. 41 Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.

42 Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. 43 But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.” 44 So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.

Luke 4:38-44

Dear God, after my experience teaching on Saul and David, and then looking at the maps when it came to the seven letters to the churches in Revelation, I am becoming more interested in place. In this case, I am becoming more interested in Capernaum. And I’m also interested in the context of this story of Simon’s (Peter’s) mother-in-law in relation to when Simon was called as a disciple. I probably should have realized this by now, but I never noticed that this story happens before Jesus calls Simon to become Peter. So Simon has Jesus in his house, witnesses not only his mother-in-law’s healing, but also several other healings, and then will later have the fishing experience where there are so many fish the nets tear. So this is a prelude to that.

I wonder what Simon was thinking as this new prophet was in his house and healing all sorts of people. It must have been quite a spectacle. How did it set him up for the experience on the boat and Jesus calling him to follow?

The first thing I thought of this morning was a recent conversation I had with someone about something that is plaguing them. When I saw the description of everyone begging Jesus to heal Peter’s mother-in-law I wondered if I shouldn’t be begging you for the healing of several people I know. And these aren’t just physical ailments. Some are, but the ones that really distress me are the emotional ones. Hurts from the past that are unhealed. Secrets. Nightmares. The truth is, I don’t really know how to pray for this. I don’t have the words to say. But I know these situations need you. I know they need healing. I know they need the Holy Spirit to be praying, ministering, and helping.

Father, I beg you to help the people on my heart right now. Holy Spirit, I beg you to pray to the Father for them. Groan. Moan. Communicate the depths of my heart. Be with them. Break through the darkness. Tear back the lies. Shine light on the secret places so they might be freed. Oh, God, love them. Heal them, please, Jesus. Jesus, please heal them.

I pray this in that same Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on September 3, 2025 in Luke

 

Tags: , , , ,

Luke 4:31-37

02 Sep

31 Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. 32 There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority.

33 Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil spirit—cried out, shouting, 34 “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

35 But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further.

36 Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!” 37 The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region.

Luke 4:31-37

Dear God, to what extent am I supposed to pray like this? To what extent am I supposed to recognize demons and cast them out? Is my prayer life failing you in this way? Am I failing those around me in this way?

I looked at the map this morning to see where Nazareth and Capernaum were in relation to each other and to Jerusalem. Capernaum was on the Sea of Galilea while Nazareth is southwest of there and inland. Then Jerusalem was much father to the south. So the people in Nazareth tried to kill Jesus and his next move was to go to Capernaum. I wonder why. What took him that direction? Was it because it was farther from Jerusalem and he wanted to teach while letting some of the controversy die down a little? These are all wild suppositions. I don’t have the slightest clue. But it’s an interesting thing to note.

But back to demon possession, rebuking, and casting out, this seems like a big deal that I pretty much overlook in present day. I probably need to recognize it more. I probably need to look for it more. And maybe I should start in my own life and the lives of those closest to me. Am I or my loved ones being messed with in the demonic realm, and am I overlooking that in my prayers?

Father, I beg your protection right now. I beg it for myself, wife wife, my children, my siblings, my nieces and nephews, and my parents. For my coworkers. Over my home and the building I work in. Be with me. Be with us. Protect us. Guard us. Heal us. Redeem us to yourself. Whatever lies are keeping us trapped, let them be released. Oh, Father, be merciful, powerful, and healing. Cast out any demons involved in our lives through the power of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. Free us, please. Holy Spirit, pray for us. Guide us. Teach us. Love us.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on September 2, 2025 in Luke

 

Tags: , , , ,

Luke 4:14-30

01 Sep

14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
    that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19     and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

22 Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

23 Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24 But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.

25 “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 And many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.”

28 When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. 29 Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30 but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.

Luke 4:14-30

Dear God, they went from pride in Jesus to fury in one moment. And why? All because he said your glory was being extended to the Gentiles. It was only a year or two ago I heard someone teach on this. I had never noticed it before. I thought they were offended at his insolence. “How dare this boy from our hometown think he’s better than us?!?” But that wasn’t it. They were mad because he invoked the idea that he was there for Gentiles too. The captives released? Gentiles too. Blind see? Gentiles too. Good news for the poor? Gentiles too. And here’s the biggie. The Lord’s favor? Your favor? Gentiles too.

As humans, we are simply too focused on our own good and survival. Our own advancement. If Jesus were to walk into a Russian church today and say he was there for the Ukrainians too, they would be furious. If we walked into a Ukrainian church and said he was there for the Russians, they would be furious. And I could go down the list. An Iranian mosque and say he was there for Americans too. An American church and say he was there for the captive, blind, poor South and Central Americans too. In every case, we would be mad he wasn’t there for us. And we certainly wouldn’t be inclined to help him help them. Those are the other people on the other side of the proverbial fence. We need to take care of our yard first. And we expect your loyalty to be with us.

It makes me think of the older son in the Prodigal Son parable. Of course, the father in that parable represents you. And you have your rebellious child you love, Israel. But is that child only Israel? Is maybe the younger child the Gentiles coming home to you while the older child, Israel, says, “No way!” I’m not sure if I’ve ever considered the rebellious child who left to be Gentiles before, but I need to go back and look at the beginning of that parable now:

The setup for the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:12) actually starts before two other similar parables at the beginning of the chapter:

15 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

So the intimation here is that Jesus is referring to sinful Israelites, but I would say Gentiles can certainly be part of the mix.

Father, you are not mine and mine alone. And I don’t demand that you do anything for my life here. Sure, I will gladly accept what you’re willing to provide me. I’ll gladly accept any answers to my prayers for people I care about. But I don’t demand it. I am your child. You are my father. You know so much more about this world and what is your best for me and all of us than I do. I am just here to learn to love you and others better. And I cannot love them well if I am jealous of your love for them at the same time. So I offer my worship to you. I offer my love and time to others. Help me to know how to live a life that draws others closer to you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
1 Comment

Posted by on September 1, 2025 in Luke

 

Tags: , , , ,

Luke 14:7-14

31 Aug

7 When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: 8 “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? 9 The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

10 “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. 11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

12 Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

Luke 14:7-14

Dear God, why do we need to be honored in front of others? What itch is that scratching? Is it insecurity? Is it the desperate need to know that our lives mattered? Typing this made me think of the passage in Matthew 16 about Jesus saying we need to lose our life to find it. He was referring to death and his own crucifixion (this is right after he rebuked Peter and told him to get behind him), but the lesson is consistent for this story. The day…no, the moment I start looking out for myself first is the point where I start to diverge from you. Not that you don’t want me to have good things. I don’t need to live an austere life to be submitted to you. But it is better for me to take less, offer someone else more, and then let you offer me something greater than I took for myself. The layers of these lessons from you are so consistent and so deep.

And it makes me think of the stuff I prayed yesterday about idols. When I worship an idol I understand there is a value exchange. I give up something so I can get something. And the idol is also offering me something so it can get something. The idol doesn’t want me. It tolerates me so it can get my affection and build up its ego. Of course, I’m speaking of traditional idols, but the modern idols we have in America fit this description as well. If I make the economy, my health, my job, or even the U.S. military my source of peace and safety then those things will always need fed. All of my decisions will be to maximize any of those things. I will start to idolize my physical health above all else. I will make decisions or support decisions that will make the economy work better for myself regardless of what harm that change might cause for my neighbor. I will say, “Take my money and build the best military you can to keep me safe, but don’t use any money to serve others who are suffering.” And those idols, as inanimate as any little statue, will take my money or attention and feed on it. They will just keep taking and taking and taking. And one day they will fail me. They have to. The economy will hit a recession or downturn. Something will happen to my body and it will get sick and die. And the Chinese, Russians, or, more likely, some terrorist (foreign or domestic) will still threaten me.

Father, only you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. And only you just loves me and wants relationship with me. Yes, you want me love, but it’s only because you love me so much. And you want me to love others because you know it’s what’s healthiest for me. So help me to be mindful of my selfishness. Help me to know when and where to sacrifice so that you might be glorified. And while I’m here, let me pray for my wife. She’s about to do a beautiful act of service this morning, but it might also expose her to some pain. Protect her from that pain. Protect her heart, mind, body, and soul. Please, Holy Spirit, walk with her. She will be loving on some people in pain. Give her your words to speak to them. Give her your insights into what they are saying and help her simply enjoy being your presence for them. And if there is anything you need to teach her or me through this, give us ears to hear. Give us eyes to see. Give us knowledge to know. And give us courage to change.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on August 31, 2025 in Luke

 

Tags: , , , ,

Ephesians 2:11-22

30 Aug

11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2:11-22

Dear God, the verse of the day from Bible Gateway was just verse 19, but I’m so glad I went back and picked up the context for it. As I slowly read through these 12 verses this morning, I kept thinking, “Oh, that’s great!” There is such good stuff in here. I think I just need to go verse by verse:

  • Verse 11 – There was division among God’s creation. Gentiles were excluded from the blessing you gave to the Jewish people. How does that work? That’s an awful lot of people who lived and died without you. The vast majority, in fact. But it’s also interesting that Paul takes a little dig at the Jewish people saying their were Jewish and your people on the outside, but many were proud of that but did not submit their hearts to be conformed as their bodies were.
  • Verse 12 – I think the key sentence in verse 12 is, “You lived in this world without God and without hope.” Hope in what? I’m sure if you had asked a Roman who was worshipping his or her idols they would have told you they were fine and had plenty of hope. I think part of the uniqueness of following you and your ways is that it’s how you taught us to live and experience your redemptive love for us that brings us a joy and peace we would never know otherwise. Forgiveness. Mercy. Love neighbor. Worship you, a God who loves me and wants me. I don’t know that any of the Roman or Greek idols were perceived to have wanted their worshippers. They needed them for their own egos, but I don’t think the other Gods wanted the people just because they loved them. So the hope I experience in you is wholly different than what an idol offers me. An idol is created to fulfill my desires and worshipped so that the god will agree to give me what I want. In this relationship with you, I am just yours and you are mine. And if I will live by Jesus’s instructions (see the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7), I will find great hope that is beyond what idol worshippers ever experience.
  • Verse 13 – Jesus brought me near to you. Oh, Jesus, thank you for your blood. Thank you for your redemption. I know the Father has a list of the frustrations and pain I’ve caused him and others, including even myself. But he cannot see it through your blood. It’s gone. That’s amazing. He/you had no reason to do that for me except that you love me. Thank you.
  • Verse 14 – We are one creation again. We are your human creation. No longer Jew or Gentile. Male or female. Slave or free. Jesus made us one with each other and you. He gave us that pathway. This whole passage is beautiful!
  • Verse 15 – As I see this verse about “end[ing] the system of law with its commandments,” I can’t help but think about some of the American church who is convinced that children will be drawn to you and your Lordship by posting the 10 Commandments on classroom walls. I asked my wife recently what Bible passage she would put on a school wall if she could pick anything. Here answer was John 3:16. Yeah, I think that’s a better choice than the 10 Commandments too.
  • Verse 16 – Our hostility towards other people is so ridiculous. I was at a college football game last night, and I sat next to two young women rooting for the other team. We had a nice time talking with them. It could have been hostile because we have constructed a division between us by getting behind our respective universities. But we kept is fun and gracious. But isn’t it interesting how much we, as your human creation, find ways to build our tribes so we feel like we can belong to it and get some of our self-worth out of that identification instead of simply getting that affirmation from your love? We are such fools.
  • Verse 17 – Both groups needed your peace. Even though the Jewish people were nearer to knowledge of you, they still lacked the peace of forgiveness and mercy, both received and given. And the Gentiles had much to learn about you. But make no mistake, both groups needed your peace. As I think about the secular Israelis majority in Israel today, I wonder if this passage doesn’t describe both them and the Palestinians.
  • Verse 18 – Jesus prayed for us to be one in John 17. He gave us the path through his redemption of our souls and he taught us what it would look like. Paul, Peter, and the other apostles tried to teach us too. If only we would follow your teaching.
  • Verse 19 – Jesus brought me here to your feet this morning, Father. I am nothing if I wake up this Saturday morning with only my selfishness and need to fulfill my own desires over the next person’s. Help me to worship you and worship others like I should.
  • Verse 20 – The foundation of your house for us (with many rooms?) is made up of the teaching and lives of the apostles and prophets. But Jesus is the cornerstone. You built the foundation for Jesus to build on, but he first standard setting stone sets the stage for the rest of our church.
  • Verse 21 – And now we build from that cornerstone into your holy temple, both personally/individually and corporately. Oh, how we need to do better in both areas! How I need to do better in both areas! I need to be better about continually making you the cornerstone of my individual life, and I need to be better about building your church with you as the cornerstone.
  • Verse 22 – And the temple isn’t just about having a place to perform. It’s a place about building an internal, personal culture as well as being part of building a dwelling where all of us can live under you and your authority.

Father, it was such a delight to spend this time thinking about these things this morning. Thank you. Thank you for all of this. I love you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

P.S. As I was closing, I got to thinking about John’s/Jesus’s letter to the church in Ephesus some years later. They did all the right things, but they lost their first love. And when they are just performing but they aren’t loving you as part of it, then the cornerstone is no longer setting the standard for the house. Help me to keep you as my cornerstone.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on August 30, 2025 in Ephesians

 

Tags: , , , ,

John 6:22-71

28 Aug

22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. 23 Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. 24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. 25 They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

26 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. 27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

28 They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”

29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

30 They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? 31 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. 37 However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. 38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. 39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

41 Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

43 But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. 44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. 45 As it is written in the Scriptures,[i] ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

47 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.

53 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”

59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

60 Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”

61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? 63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) 65 Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”

66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”

68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”

70 Then Jesus said, “I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil.” 71 He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would later betray him.

John 6:22-71

Dear God, this is a long passage, but it’s too easy to take one or two verses out of context so I didn’t want to not look at all of it together. The verse of the day from Bible Gateway was just verse 29, but since this all seems to be part of one scene on one day I wanted to link it all together.

I almost feel like I need to outline this to really see what John’s trying to communicate to us through his telling of this story:

  • It’s the day after walking on water the night before.
  • The crowd is surprised to see Jesus gone and they go looking for him. I wonder how big that crowd was.
  • They found him and John tells us they explicitly asked him to solve the mystery of how he ended up there without a boat.
  • Jesus doesn’t answer. He changes the subject and starts to challenge them. Was he frustrated with them? I think so. What frustrated him? Was it that they were still only wanting to use him for themselves. He tells them they are just wanting a sign and fun miracles. Jesus claims to have your seal of approval, and says they need to seek the eternal life that he can give.
  • They change it back to works and miracles. I think they are saying they would love to be able to do some miracles. That would be cool and fun.
  • Here is the verse of the day (verse 29). Jesus tells them to let go of the flash and glory of being able to do cool things and simply believe in him.
  • They hold onto the miracles and the show. They want to see a sign so they can believe in him. I have to admit, I would not have believed in Jesus if I had been there. Not just because he told me to.
  • They want him to be like Moses. At that level. That’s the kind of liberator they are looking for. Maybe he can do what Moses did and bring on some food.
  • Jesus deflects the glory from Moses and even himself to you, Father.
  • They still want bread.
  • Jesus challenges them a little more by claiming to have come to them directly from you.
  • They aren’t buying it.
  • Here’s a fun one that causes controversy even to this day. From Jesus: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” (NASB1995) Predestination? I’m not going there today. Your ways are too complicated for me to fully understand.
  • And now the divisive issue that permeates the church even to this day. The idea of us eating Jesus’s flesh. The living bread. Again, I have my thoughts on this, and people I love and respect have other thoughts. I’m going to trust you with our disagreements and simply move on and love you.
  • Most of the crowd leaves. He finally culled the herd a little. It’s interesting that you don’t seem to want to have every last one of us in the fold. I think you want each of us as individuals. You love us all. But it’s almost like hiring someone to work for me. I love each person, but I can’t have them all work for me. There are some that I know would be a bad fit for our team and our work. Is it the same for you? You can’t have just anyone in the fold? You need each one to be bought in and working together?
  • Jesus looks at who’s left (the twelve) and asks if they are in.
  • Peter looks beyond the tricks and miracles and simply says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” (NASB1995)
  • Jesus affirms his selection of them including Judas, indicating he knew all along what Judas would do.

Father, I am grateful for the successes you give me in life, but I know they are for your glory and not mine. If you are blessing me with good things it is so I can give them away and do good for others. I don’t think your desire for me to be your ambassador and hands and feet in the world takes a break. You just want me to love and worship you. To love and share you with others. Help me to be your love to others today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on August 28, 2025 in John

 

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older posts
Newer posts →