Gallons

Wow, what a life-giving sermon we have in our reading today (Luke 6:27-45). One subject that Jesus mentions twice is giving. Not usually our favorite sermon, right? But look at verse 38. In whatever measure we use to give (teaspoons or gallons), it will be given back to us, "pressed down, shaken together, and running over". Now that is a good return. 

Giving makes me think of being a mother. We first give our body to all sorts of changes. We give birth, milk, sleepless nights, energy for cleaning (vomit?), cooking, washing, time for reading books and carpools and soccer games and homework. Then to top it all off we give that child away to something else as they leave home or someone else in a wedding. So where is the return?

It is so sneaky and so shocking that some Moms miss it. It sneaks in between the diaper changes, in the midst of those many meals together, in the quiet times praying for that child. The greatest gift that a person can get - none other than amazing Love. And it comes in a form that is so powerful and pervasive and enduring and unshakeable that we don't ever forget for the rest of our lives. 

Lord, help us to be gallon givers today so we will know more Your kind of love.

Wouldn't you have loved to have seen it?

Doesn't our Lord's compassion in our passage today (Luke 6:46-7:17) just melt you? Can you see Him as He is coming to the gate of Nain and notices a funeral procession? He finds out that the dead man is a widow's only son. Verse 13 says, " When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said  'Don't cry' ". 

And unlike us, He could step in and remedy the situation. He touched the open coffin and told the man to get up. So he sat up and started talking. Whoa! I bet the pallbearers put that thing down right quick!  But the next sentence says, "And Jesus gave him back to his mother". Oh, the sweetness, the beauty, the compassion, the love. Wouldn't you have loved to have seen it?

Lord, open our eyes to Your compassion and love today.

Escalate Into Leaping

I looks like a sunny day and there is much to be happy about - but "leaping for joy"? I'm wondering if verses 22 and 23 in our reading (Luke 6:6-26) are just some of those that we sort of reserve for those really persecuted in other countries. 

You know the things "they" ought to do. In fact, how many of us feel like we are hated and excluded and insulted because of Jesus? And if we happen to feel put down or cast as foolish because of our "infatuation with Him", are we leaping for joy?

I'm thinking why not! One of the fun things I have been trying to do is to give Him a little applause when I notice a special blessing or present. I'm thinking that could escalate into a little leaping. Anyway....   The main point is to rejoice because great things are coming. We will be held in honor by the One that we honor with crazy love today. 

Dance At The Party

Well, the Pharisees and scribes were upset again in today's reading (Luke 5:27-6:5). Jesus had just had a great time at the reception in his honor with the hated often cheating tax collectors. So the religious were wondering anyway, "The disciples of John  often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink". 

In other words it looks like you guys are always having a party. I'm not sure they understood the explanation that He was the Bridegroom and when the Bridegroom is around you celebrate. However we do! And even though the Jesus is not physically with us, and there may be grievous reasons to fast and pray now, we can still in spirit remember our Bridegroom and dance at the party in which we honor Him. 

Crazy, UnReasonable

Don't you love the crazy devoted love demonstrated the in passage (Luke 5:12-26) today as the friends lug the paralyzed on the stretcher, up onto the roof, clear some tiles, then down into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus.  Can you imagine the gasps and amazement as they interrupt the whole show and confront the Lord of all. Man, they really want this guy to be freed and healed. But what does Jesus say?   

 "Friend, you sins are forgiven you". Whoa!  And, of course, this creates a whole controversy with the scribes and Pharisees around. I imagine it was now the friends who are amazed. 

Have you ever noticed how God has to sometimes bring out the worst in us before He can heal us and bring out the best (the healed guy "went home glorifying God")? To many this Jesus kind of love must look like a crazy kind of love. But it is a love that should ellict in us the same kind of response that the crowd had: "And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying 'We have seen strange things today' ".

Let's enjoy His crazy unreasonable love today.

The Unthinkable In Everyday Life

In Luke 4:38 - 5:11, Peter had seen amazing things. In his own house, his mother-in-law had been instantly healed of a high fever. That night many sick had been brought to his house and Jesus had healed each one. But when Jesus later got into Peter's own boat, and instructed and enabled him to do the unthinkable (catch a record breaking load of fish after vainly trying all day), he knew Him and fell down at Jesus' feet. "For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken" (verse 9). It was then that "they left everything and followed Him."

I'm wondering how is God wanting to "seize us by amazement". Is the unthinkable in the midst of our everyday life?

Who Is Speaking?

Wow! The reading today must be one of the most dramatic so far. I was so tickled to get to Jesus' coming home and revealing to friends and neighbors His purpose or as we learned in "Breaking Free", His job description. But look how they respond to the truth He speaks - rage enough to attempt murder. 

How interesting that in the next town (Capernaum), His message was met with amazement and was spread abroad.  What's the difference? It looks like the hometown folks just did not know who He was. In fact they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?" (I guess they had not heard He was conceived by the Holy Spirit.) But in Capernaum they realized, "His message was with authority". They knew He had to be at least someone important. 

Really, the only clear response to who Jesus is came from the demon,"I know who You are - the Holy One of God".

It is so vitally important that we realize who this Jesus is! Who it is that is speaking to us.

Lord, help us to know You, to desire to know You, and to delight in falling in love with You.

Three If's

It looks like in our scripture today (Luke 4:1-15) that the devil noticed Jesus was embarking on His ministry, so he comes in loaded with some opportune temptations to derail the Son of God. If you check it out, all three temptations have the little word "if" in them. It seems like that one of satan's chief aims is to create and feed doubt in our minds. What defeat we head for as we begin to doubt God in areas of our lives. However even the Son of God does not try to argue with or rationalize what is right with the enemy. He comes back with the same reply all three times, "It is written....". How powerful is God's word!  The devil ends up leaving.

Jesus had gone into the wilderness full of the Holy Spirit, he came out in the "power of the Spirit". Victory over temptation gives us Holy Spirit power. And it comes about through God's truth. Truth causes those doubts to flee. Even if it is for just five minutes (about the time it takes to read this passage), 

• let's read,
•  think on,
•  pray about,
•  memorize, 
• fill ourselves with God's truth. (however you can, )

As we use it, we will have many victories to celebrate with God.

Revelation Expectation

I was intrigued in today's gospel reading (Luke 2:22-40) that the only people recorded to have seen Jesus as He was first taken to Jerusalem were Simeon and Anna. If you think about it, these were two very old people (Anna at least 84 and Simeon about to die) whom a lot of  people would pass over because they have "retired" so are surely not so useful any more. I mean why wouldn't God give His greatest revelations to younger people who can spend a lifetime telling others. 

But it says of Simeon, "this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him". Anna also spoke of Jesus "to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem". That seemed to be the key. They were still expectant. They were still looking for that Messiah. So God orchestrated their meeting -  "at that very moment she came up" (Anna) and "he came by the Spirit into the temple" (Simeon). 

The Father showed off His gift of Jesus to the very eyes of this man and this woman who were still expectant. We never get to old or seemingly useless. What revelation does God have for us today?

Lord help us to be expectant and look for Your gifts to us today.

Yes, Lord

In today's reading (Luke 1:18-38) the word to Mary looked impossible, too good to be true, and bound to look crazy. But she was totally committed (a bondslave to serve her Creator even before Jesus' death had proved His love). So she said, "Do it", "Yes". How awesome God waits for our answer before He executes His wonderful plans.

Let's make this a day of "Yes, Lord".

Our Glory Story

I hope you are able to read today the Mark 15:21-41 reading that we have on the schedule. It is awesome. This is what I heard:

At 9:00 in the morning they crucified Jesus, the king of the Jews. All He possessed they took and divided among them. He was hung crying out between heaven and earth and was attended by two thieves. A stranger had been forced to help Him get everything to this Place of the Skull. Even in His agony there was no pity but continual mocking, abuse, scorn, insults. Some even came from the religious leaders entrusted with the truth about Him.  At noon, the land fell dark for three hours. Then Jesus cried out, "Why God, have You forsaken Me", and He died.

This is our glory story! Let us be in praise and awe today. He did it for me (and for you).