Luke 12:8-34

One of the most common themes Jesus teaches is on money. Luke 12 challenges us to open up our wallet, savings account, and investment portfolio for God to see, a very practical thing indeed. Jesus’ overarching teaching in Luke 12 is we must not be consumed by greed, but value things of God over things of the world. He first warns the rich they must not be the kind of person “who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” The person who dies with the most toys/money still dies and, if they are not rich towards God, they have an eternity of judgment awaiting them. How easily we can focus on having a bigger house, newer car, or a larger paycheck, when none of these things will ultimately satisfy.

Jesus then speaks to the poor and warns them to “not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.” If we are just trying to make ends meet, we can easily become consumed by worry, anxiety, and fear, instead of trusting God. Jesus explicitly tells us to “not be afraid…for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” God has already given us the most important things of life (salvation, eternal life, a relationship with him, etc.) so we should be able to trust him with the lesser things. Greed can creep into the heart of everyone, we must embrace the understanding that God is the one who provides and satisfies. The things of this world will leave us empty, but God will leave us eternally secure.

Father God, help me to understand you are what I need more than anything else. Amen. 

Where do you see greed at work in your life?

Luke 11:37-12:7

Do you find yourself more focused on having a transformed heart or simply external conformity? It is far easier to blend in to the behavior of God’s people than to gain a heart that reflects the love and grace of God. Jesus speaks to the greater value of our hearts than simply our behavior in Luke 11. Jesus addresses the most religious people of his day, the Pharisees. They were the seeming model and example of what it looked like to love God on the outside, but Jesus points out looks can be deceiving. The Pharisees were so focused on externals and similarly, were fixated on the externals of Jesus' life. They elevated their traditions to Scripture and, in doing, so missed the heart of God. In not living focused on God, they elevated pleasing others above pleasing God.

We can often do the same thing. We can easily conform to the ways of those around us, rather than seeking God and following wherever he lives, even if it seems distinct and strange to those around us. If we want to embrace the mindset of Jesus, we need to seek God as the primary leader of our lives. Then, we need to follow him wherever he leads. Finally, we need to make sure that our perceived love of God never pits us against loving people. Authentic love of God will always reveal itself in a deep love of others.

Father God, help me to gain your heart. Help me to move beyond simple outward conformity and be transformed by you. Amen.

Where in your life do you see a comfort with external conformity to religion, rather than seeking a truly transformed heart?

Luke 11:14-36

We live in a spiritually saturated world. God is at work and so is Satan. Angels are ministering to people, and demons are seeking to wreak havoc. Are you aware of this reality? In verse thirty-four Jesus says, “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light.” He says we need to see things accurately to live in right response to what he is doing. For Jesus’ original audience it meant seeing his miracles were from God. He was bringing the kingdom of God and was not involved in the work of the devil, which his opponents claimed.

In the same way, we also need to view what God is doing accurately so we can respond correctly. We can so easily fixate on material things that we lose sight of the spiritual world. We can get caught in the hamster wheel of feeding kids, getting them ready for school, going to work, cleaning our house, trying to exercise, and our unending to-do list that we forget what really matters. All of those activities can be done with an eternal perspective or simply for the moment. It all depends on how we see them. So let us put on Jesus’ glasses so we see the spiritual realm around us, are aware of how God is working, and seek to be the blessed who “hear the word of God and obey it.”

Father God, help me to see what work you are doing and partner with you. Help me to stand against things that are against you but participate in things that are of you. Amen. 

How can you better view life from God’s eternal perspective? What keeps you from acknowledging the spiritual realm?

Luke 10:38-11:13

Do you have a spiritual mentor? Someone who models and teaches you how to follow God? This is one of the key roles Jesus played for his disciples. They watched his perfect life and often asked questions about what he was doing. One of Jesus’ common practices was to go off and pray, sometimes by himself, and other times with his disciples. After one of these moments, a disciple asked Jesus how they should pray. Jesus gives a model prayer but also gives a few prayer principles. The first is that we should pray with persistence and shameless audacity. We should recognize it is never a wrong time to pray. Second, we should pray with a level of expectation that God will respond. He may not answer in the way we desire, but we can trust that he will always respond in the way which is best for us. Third, we should pray resting in the goodness of God. The character of God is what should compel us to pray.

Consider for a moment your own prayer life, something we have often discussed as we have made our way through the Gospels. Do you have a regular practice of going to God like Jesus? Do your prayers reflect the Lord's Prayer? Do you persistently pray and expect God to respond? Finally, do you pray trusting in God’s goodness, rather than thinking you must twist his arm? God has given us the gift and blessing of being able to come to him in prayer. Let us never take that for granted.

Father God, thank you that I can come to you because of the work of Jesus, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Help me to continually come to you in prayer. Amen. 

How can your prayers better mirror the teaching of Jesus?

Luke 10:13-37

We learn at a young age how to make excuses. We become adept at blaming others or rationalizing our disobedience. “It was too hard”, “I did not have enough time”, or “I forgot” are phrases spoken often at my house and probably yours as well. One area we might make excuses is how well we love people. We often want to think we are more loving than we are. In this condition, we easily justify our actions in the same way the expert in the law did. When Jesus affirmed the way to eternal life was to love God and to love our neighbor, the man wanted to shrink those he had to love down to a tiny circle. Rather than directly answering who was the man’s neighbor, he told a parable.

The parable communicates we are to sacrificially love everyone who is placed in front of us, regardless of their needs or condition. Eternal life is received from God and then should be displayed in our relationships with others. We are called to "go and do likewise" (vs. 37) in much the same way that Paul tells us our only debt should be to continually love others. We should not ignore people because we are too busy, do not have anything to offer, or we are just too tired. Instead, we should have open eyes and eager hands to respond to the needs that God places in front of us today.

Father God, give me a heart to love you and others. Help me not to be so focused on myself that I ignore the needs of those you place in front of me. Help me to be like the Samaritan by responding to those in need today. Amen. 

What excuses do you use in failing to love people well?

Luke 9:51-10:12

Jesus “resolutely set out for Jerusalem” despite knowing that path led to death. He was willing to do the Father’s will no matter what it cost or where it took him. Similarly, we are called to do God's mission in God's way. The disciples liked the idea of doing God's mission, but they had their own plans of how it should have been done. Notice verse 54 when James and John ask Jesus if he wants them to call down fire from heaven to destroy the town. They wanted to be the original hellfire and brimstone preachers. Their ministry strategy was far from the heart of Jesus. Instead, they were to go with love, compassion, grace, and truth, but not with fire from heaven. God will judge those who reject him, but that is not the role or responsibility of a disciple.

It is critical that we understand the principle of doing God's things in God's ways. Without this, we may find ourselves justifying all sorts of wrong things because of the end we think it will bring. The ends do not justify the means in God's economy. We may need to repent from being distracted from God's mission like those in verses 57- 62. Or we may need to repent of doing what we think God has called us to do but doing it in the wrong way. We need to serve God and serve him in a way that represents his character to the world.

Father God, help me to do your work in your way. Help me to glorify you in what I do and in the way I do it. Amen. 

How can you stay focused on doing what God wants and doing it in the way he wants?

Luke 9:28-50

What does prayer look like in your life? Is it a central part of your life, something that is on the periphery, or something that is largely absent? Notice the role that prayer plays in Jesus’ ministry and that of the disciples. Jesus is consistently going off to pray and we see this in verse 28. In contrast, we have the disciples who are self-reliant. They have become so accustomed to serving God and doing acts of service, like casting out demons, they just go through the motions expecting something to happen. In doing so, they have stopped praying and recognizing their need for God’s power which the parallel passage in Mark 9 makes clear. Their own power fails, while Jesus’ power is successful.

We see this same attitude in verse 45 when the disciples fail to understand the meaning of Jesus’ words. Rather than asking Jesus (essentially what prayer is) they walk away in the dark. Shortly thereafter, they argue over who is the greatest, revealing their deep disconnect with the heart of God. Their lack of prayer soon affects their hearts and minds. This very same thing happens to us as well. When we are dependent on God and calling out to him, his heart will be formed in us, but if we live life on our own, inevitably our hearts will be malformed. So let us learn to rely on God, call out to him in desperation, and trust in his strength and power.

Father God, help me to seek you. I need you. I need your wisdom, guidance, and power in my life. Help me to rely on you and not on myself. Amen. 

How can you make prayer/reliance on God a more central reality in your life?

Luke 9:7-27

How do you feel when your plans get interrupted? Do you get frustrated, angry, or upset? Jesus made plans to get away with his disciples in verse 10. They went to have some quiet time by themselves but end up being interrupted by a massive throng of people. The disciples responded by asking Jesus to send them away. They liked their alone time and were frustrated that it had been thwarted. This may be how you often feel. When you have plans, you want them to work out exactly how you thought they were going to go, and when it does not work out, you blow your top.

Notice in contrast to the disciples the attitude of Jesus. Jesus was willing to change his plans if it meant an opportunity for him to love others. He responded to the needs of the people and miraculously fed them all. Only after he responded to the needs of the crowds, did he go back to his disciples. If we want to respond to interruptions like Jesus, we need to be willing to submit our plans to God and do his will, not our own. God just might be doing something that we cannot see or did not plan, but if it is of God, then it is always better and more exciting then what we had on our calendar.

Father God, I confess I often plan my days without thinking of you. Help me to surrender my plans and desires so your will might be done. Amen. 

How can you better surrender your plans to God?

Luke 8:40-9:6

Luke 8 introduces us to two people who faced circumstances that they could not change on their own. There is Jairus whose daughter was sick. He ran to Jesus so she might be healed. How excited he must have been when Jesus started to head toward his house, but then how deflated he must have been to hear that she was dead. The second impossible situation is that of the woman who had dealt with bleeding for years. Her medical condition seemed impossible, but she turned to Jesus. Jesus entered into the seemingly impossible situations of Jairus and the bleeding woman and this changed everything. When Jairus was told that his daughter had died, Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” As they continued to walk toward his house, his daughter was still dead, but he clung to the promise of Jesus. The guarantee of Jesus could give him hope until his daughter came back to life.

What made the difference was the presence, power, and promise of Jesus. As we experience heartbreaking circumstances, we need to cling to these same realities. We need to stand upon the presence, power, and promises of Jesus. We may not have a promise that guarantees life will be breathed into our difficult circumstances here and now, but we do have the promise God will restore all things one day and we have eternal life. So let us rest today and into the future, on the presence, power, and promises of God.

Father God, thank you that amidst my broken life I can cling to your presence, power, and promises. Amen. 

What promises in Scripture give you hope amidst tragedy?

Luke 8:22-39

Who does God use to do his will? Are there things in your past that are keeping you from boldly proclaiming Christ to others? As we see in Luke 8, God can use everyone as his ambassador. Through Jesus’ ministry he used a motley crew of fishermen, a tax collector, people with widely differing political philosophies, and a huge mix of people as his disciples. Today he similarly uses plumbers, accountants, teachers, retirees, and yes, even pastors, to do his work. God desires to use every person, regardless of their past, to make him known. In Luke 8, he sent out a man as a missionary who had just had a “legion” of demons cast out of him. This man has no track record of spiritual success, no theological education, but what he had was a transformed life due to a relationship with Jesus. He had met Jesus and been made new, so he was sent out to “tell how much God has done for you.”

We may feel ill equipped to share Christ with others or may have a laundry list of excuses, but if we know Jesus then we are called to share. Our story is probably not as dramatic as this man’s story, but all we need to share is Jesus. We can share who he is and what he has done, so let us go. As Jesus sent out the formerly demon possessed man, so he sends us out to go and “tell how much God has done for you.”

Father God, thank you for what you have done for me. Help me to share what you have done for me with others. Amen. 

What is the story you want to share about what “God has done for you”?

Luke 8:4-21

Do you ever wonder why Jesus repeats things so often? The Gospel writers do so as well. Luke 4 repeats the parable of the soils which we have already come across in both Matthew and Mark. This parable speaks to the critical nature of one’s response to Jesus. Some people will hear the word of God but it will be snatched away quickly. These people with short attention spans will hear but never do anything with it. A second group are those who are among the rocks. These people love the idea of Jesus but never allow the word to take root. It is like so many passing fads in their lives, it comes and goes. The third group are those among the thorns. They like Jesus but eventually decide that the pleasures of this world are of greater value than him.

Finally, we see a group of people who hear, retain, and persevere in living for Jesus. This group becomes a beautiful plant that bears massive quantities of fruit. We are called to pursue lives like this last group. We need to hear, believe, and live all our days for the glory of God. This parable is repeated so many times because of its essential nature. We can far too easily find ourselves distracted from God or apathetic toward him. Yet true life is found only when we are dedicated to Christ. Our eyes need to be fixed on him, our lives need to be drawn from him, and we need to pursue bearing fruit for him.

Father God, help me to be rooted in you. May I do all things for your glory. Amen. 

How can you stay better rooted in Christ and bear fruit for him?

Luke 7:36-8:3

Do you ever feel like you are not good enough or wonder how God can love you because of what you have done? The end of Luke 7 introduces us to a “woman who had lived a sinful life.” A woman who was looked down upon by others and viewed only as a sinner by the Pharisees. Yet notice what she does, she comes right up to Jesus and is accepted by him. Though she is a sinner she understands that Jesus loves her and can forgive her. We also need to understand that though we are sinners and are far from perfect, Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient. Our sin, our doubts, our failures, or even other people should never keep us away. We need to run to Jesus and respond with thankfulness for all that he gives to us. There is nothing we need that Jesus does not provide.

We can have the same attitude of this sinful woman who comes right up to Jesus and gets so close that his feet are wet by her tears and her hair dries them off. Closer than would have been socially acceptable. Or we can be like Simon, the Pharisee, who invites Jesus into his home and is near Jesus but does not quite get it. Instead of being in proximity to Jesus, we need to bring him close. We need to make him the center of our lives, the one we live for, and the one who we love more than anyone or anything else.

Father God, help me to recognize my need for you. Help me to run to you for forgiveness and all that I need. Amen. 

How can you learn to regularly and continually draw near to Jesus?

Luke 7:11-35

What excuses do people have for their lack of faith in Jesus? What evidence do they claim they would need to believe? In Jesus’ day many people struggled with believing Jesus truly was the Messiah. Even John the Baptist, when he was in prison needed confirmation about Jesus despite having baptized him and acknowledging him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Part of the evidence Jesus gave for his identity was his miracles. As he told John's disciples in verse 22, "The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor." Jesus is the primary bedrock for our faith, but God has also revealed himself through creation, through his Spirit, through morality, etc. We just need to make the decision to believe.

If you have believed in Christ, why do you believe? If you have not yet believed, what is keeping you from doing so? What is keeping those with whom you have shared Christ from believing in him? We are all called to faith and must push through the work of Satan, our flesh, and distractions which keep us from doing so. Jesus desires to bring the spiritually dead to life, just like he brought the physically dead child back to life in verse 14. This eternal life comes through the simple yet miraculous act of faith.

Father God, help me to walk by faith. Help me to trust in you and proclaim the message of Christ to the world. Amen. 

Do you feel like you have a solid foundation for your belief ? What is it, and how can you continue to increase your faith?

Luke 6:39-7:10

What would you say are the biggest issues which are keeping people from coming to faith in Christ? Sadly, one of the biggest obstacles to accepting Christianity is… well, Christians. We would like to believe that the world is pulling people away, because it is too painful to think that we might be the blockade standing in the way of them coming to Christ. Fess up. When you read today’s reading, did you think of a specific person in your life that really needed to hear what Jesus had to say? I did. And then I realized that Jesus was talking to me—and he was talking to you. He KNEW the human condition, so it is no coincidence that he followed up with “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

Hypocrisy in the church comes down to ego; there is a disconnect between the way we deal with our own sin versus how we judge the sins of others. We all know the concept of “speaking truth in love,” but where we fail is coming from a place of humility. If we do not first acknowledge our own sin, how can we point to the need for Jesus? That is the ONLY way we can remove ourselves as a blockade so they can hear the gospel message. Our message needs to be about the only perfect one, Jesus. So, let us share our Savior with others and do this with a deep measure of humility.

Father God, please let your love and truth flow through me, and convict me when my actions contradict your character. Amen. 

How can you more closely align your character with the heart of God?

Luke 6:12-38

How close would you say that your perspective of things matches God’s? We see a few potential challenges to our perspective in Luke 6. When Jesus is about to make a big decision about his disciples, he goes off and spends time with the Father. There is nothing wrong with getting advice from others and doing research, but are you talking to God about the decisions you make? If our perspective is like Jesus, then we need to be spending lots of time with God. We see Jesus giving us a proper perspective of blessing. We often think that blessing is equivalent to material prosperity, but verses 20-22 shows us that blessing is not about acquiring the things of this world, but instead about our relationship with God. If our perspective is like Jesus, then we will view true blessing through the lenses of eternity.

Finally, Jesus gives us a proper perspective about our relationships— we are to love all people. We often treat others how they treat us, but Jesus calls us to radical love for all. He says to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” We are to move towards those we find difficult with radical love that reflects the love we have received from Jesus. We need to make sure we are not opening ourselves up to abuse or harm, but we do need to go well beyond what most of us are comfortable doing. If our perspective is like Jesus then we will view people the way he does.

Father God, give me your vision for my decisions and your heart for people. Amen. 

How can you more effectively view things from God’s perspective?

Luke 5:29-6:11

I talked with a man recently who called himself a religious person. He summarized his religious belief as doing unto others, as he would want done to him. As impressive as this ethic is, it falls short of the relationship with Christ to which we are called. When we look at the life of Jesus, we find him surprisingly in conflict with good, religious people who got so caught up in rules and religion that they missed the Messiah standing in front of them. In eating with ‘sinners’ and healing on the Sabbath, Jesus placed himself in stark opposition to the religious people of his day. Jesus’ actions contradicted their traditions which they had elevated to Scripture and because of that they missed him, the most important thing.

We are prone to elevate our personal convictions, traditions, and ideas higher than we should. We need to constantly evaluate our ideas against Scripture and live in accordance with what God says. We need to follow God, allow him to lead us, and have the humility to recognize that in areas where Scripture does not clearly speak, God may lead others differently. When we get to the book of Hebrews, we will read a whole letter written to religious people who were were confident in their religion and less certain about Jesus. Yet he is everything. We need to give ourselves to him and when we do, we may find that following God puts us in conflict with religious people.

Father God, help me to be led by your Scripture and your Spirit to know how to live. Help me to obey you. Amen. 

Why are people often content with religion rather than a relationship with Christ?

Luke 5:12-28

What are your biggest needs? If you could snap your fingers and instantly have a problem fixed, what would be your request? Throughout Jesus’ ministry people came to him with their problems. We see a man in Luke 5 who comes to Jesus with leprosy and is instantly cleansed. We then see a second individual carried on a mat by a group of friends. This paralytic was brought to Jesus so that he could be healed. Jesus heals him, but notice that Jesus points out a bigger issue the man has. His ultimate need is not physical but spiritual, and Jesus is the only one who can cure him of this deep ailment.

As we come to Jesus with our needs, why are we coming to him? We can come to him with our physical and spiritual issues, but do we come to him with our greatest needs? Are we regularly asking God for forgiveness, healed relationships, peace, joy, and the truly significant things of life? Not only are we to take to God the spiritual things of our lives, but we must also converse with others about these things. We can talk to our neighbors about the weather, their pets, and sports teams, but are we also talking about things that are eternally significant? Are we getting to know them in a substantial way where we can point them to Christ? Let us be people who are regularly putting all that we are in front of Christ and bringing others to him as well.

Father God, give me a heart, desires, and priorities that reflect you. Help me to share you with others. Amen.

How can you prioritize truly significant things in your life and in your walk with God?

Luke 4:31-5:11

Often toddlers refuse assistance despite their inability to perform simple tasks. Then as those toddlers turn into teenagers, they assume their parents have nothing to teach them. Sadly, as we move into adulthood, we continue to think that we know everything, when we do not. This is revealed by the fact that one of the reasons Jesus came to Earth was to teach us. Every one of us. Often people view Jesus as someone who affirms everything they affirm, and thus make him in their own image. We often want Jesus to validate what we already think, but that is not what good teachers do. Jesus came to confront falsehood—evil, sin, and lies—both in the world and in us. He taught as one with authority, because he is The Truth.

So, when we read of Jesus teaching the crowds, we need to allow him to teach us. What he says is true, and our beliefs and understanding are often far from that. When Peter pulled up the large number of fish in his net, he instantly understood that Jesus was holy and he was not. Because of his sin, he did not deserve to dwell in the presence of Christ. Yet thankfully, the truth Jesus brought is not only that he is holy and we are sinful, but through his death and resurrection, we can be with God forever. So, let us embrace Jesus, let us embrace his truth, and live the life he makes available to us.

Father God, help me to know you, know your truth, live your truth, and proclaim it to others today. Amen. 

Which of Jesus’ teachings confront the way you are living, thinking, or behaving?

Luke 4:1-30

Temptations come at us from multiple directions. It can come internally, from our own broken hearts; and it can come from external sources, like friends, family members, and even the devil. The Bible begins with the temptation of Adam and Eve and their willingness to concede. In contrast, Jesus’ ministry begins with Jesus overcoming the wiles of the devil. The root of our willingness to yield to temptation ultimately comes from lack of faith and an unwillingness to trust God. Adam and Eve believed that God was withholding something good from them, while Jesus trusted that the Father would provide. When the devil tried to get Jesus to doubt his Father, he continually responded with a radical trust in the love of God. He knew that God would provide food, that God would give him his place of authority; therefore, God did not need to be tested. His faith allowed him to say no to temptation in all its forms.

How well does your faith allow you to overcome temptation? Do you believe God will lovingly provide for you or that you will need to disobey God and take shortcuts to get what you think you need? The path of freedom, the path of true life, and the path of Jesus come by faith. So let us trust God and not cave to the temptations of this world, instead live for the beauty and glory of eternity.

Father God, help me to recognize that the things of you are greater than the things of this world. Help me to live by faith and trust in you. Amen. 

How would a greater trust in God help you to overcome the temptations you face?

Luke 3:23-38

Some people view Jesus like they would Santa Claus or the Abominable Snowman. He is a wonderful work of fiction, but nothing more. Luke is very careful to illustrate this is not the case. He roots the life of Jesus in history. We have seen this already in his placement in the Roman Empire, under the rule of Herod, and in a part of the world that you can still visit today. Jesus is not a myth, but a real person who came in space and time. Luke (like Matthew) provides a genealogy to prove this very fact. It is most likely that Luke is presenting Mary's family line, while Matthew presents Joseph's. Mary's genealogy connects Jesus to two very important figures, David and Judah. Both individuals were promised that a king would be among their descendants and Jesus is the fulfillment of these promises.

Judah was told, "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come." David was told at various times, "Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever." Jesus was born as a king; king over us and king over the universe. Finally, Luke’s genealogy ends with Adam alluding that where he failed Jesus would not. As we read Jesus’ family line, we are reminded that Jesus truly came, truly lived, and is truly king over all. So let us submit and worship the one who is king.

Father God, thank you that Christ is king. Help me to live my life in submission to him and all his commands. Amen. 

How would your life be different if you submitted to Christ as king over every area of your life?

Luke 3:1-22

If you are driving on a family vacation to a major city, you are most likely watching the signs that tell you how many miles are left until your destination. John the Baptist’s role in salvation history is like the destination signs on the side of the road. He pointed beyond himself to the coming of Jesus. The way he did this was calling for repentance. To repent is to acknowledge the wrongness of one’s actions and commit to living in a different way. The crowds that came to John included tax collectors, soldiers, and many others, all of whom were called to a new way of life. The proof of their repentance was in radically new relationships. They were called to share clothing with those in need and to not take advantage of the less fortunate.

Faith in God would reveal itself in just, righteous, and earthly relationships. Sadly, many, like Herod, rejected the offer of repentance and reaped judgment. John described the response of Jesus to the unrepentant as, “His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear the threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” We can repent now and experience life, or we can reject Christ and receive judgment that will never end. Let us walk in repentance, and learn to be representatives of Christ here and now.

Father God, I acknowledge my sin and ask for your Spirit to empower me to live for you in every aspect of my life. Amen. 

Are there areas in your life where you need a new commitment to repentance?

Luke 2:36-52 

What do you treasure in your heart? What are the memories, quotes, or events you cherish? Multiple times at the beginning of Luke, we are told Mary “treasured all these things in her heart.” These events are signposts to the significance of Jesus. Mary treasuring something in her heart was first used when the shepherds came to visit at Jesus’ birth. This phrase speaks to the fact that Mary mulled over and meditated upon their visit. What does it mean for a group of shepherds to have been visited by angels and then come to visit her son? Then its second use is in Luke 2 when Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem and was found in his “Father’s house.” It is one thing to hear or read something, but it is something far more significant to reflect and dwell upon something. This is what Mary did, and what is needed in our lives. A deep meditation and treasuring of what God has said and what he has done.

As we read each morning, we should not just fly through the verses, but instead “treasure” what we read. We should be asking the questions: What does this passage teach me about God? What does this passage teach me about myself ? God, what do you want to teach me today? How can I apply this to my life? This takes far more time than our eyes just flying across the words on a page. This slowroasted meditation is what God uses to transform us, just like it transformed Mary.

Father God, help me to slow down and think deeply about your Scriptures and allow you to speak to the depths of my heart. Amen. 

How can you better mull over and treasure what you read?

Luke 2:1-35

Every parent has hopes and dreams for their child. They wonder who they will grow up to be, who they might marry, where they will go to college, and where they might live. Unlike most parents Mary and Joseph immediately knew Jesus’ purpose. When angels broke into the seen realm, they proclaimed Jesus’ identity to a group of surprised shepherds. They shared he would bring joy and peace to all who responded to him because he is the Savior, Messiah, and Lord. He alone can save us from death, sin, and the judgment that awaits. He is the promised Messiah who will reign forever, and he is Emmanuel—God with us. His position allows him to bring joy and peace into the darkest recesses of our lives. Into despair, depression, and brokenness he breathes joy and peace.

These realities are available to us, if we only grab hold of him. No matter how dark the world gets, how hopeless our situation, or how deep our pain, the joy and peace of Jesus is greater. A few days after the appearance of the angels, God spoke through an aged prophet, Simeon. He proclaims, like the angels, Jesus is the Savior of the world. Salvation would come through this tiny infant. Salvation not only for Israel, but for the whole world. Salvation had come for all, and it had come through Jesus. So let us embrace him, share him, and experience his life even now.

Father God, help me to experience the joy and peace which Jesus offers. Help me to seek, share, and value him like the shepherds and Simeon. Amen. 

What keeps you from experiencing the joy and peace which Jesus brought?

Luke 1:57-80

If you are asked about your children or grandchildren, what are the facts you share about them? Do you tell about their academic exploits, how big they are, or how beautiful their eye color is? No matter how special your kids might be, you assuredly do not share the reasons which Zechariah gave. When Zechariah’s mouth is finally opened and he has a chance to speak of his special child, he actually first does not talk about John, but instead talks about God. Verses 68-75 are a grand declaration of praise to God. Zechariah speaks about God's presence, redemption, salvation, faithfulness, mercy, and act of rescue. Only after discussing the greatness of God, he finally talked about his son. He spoke about the role he would play in God’s salvation history, of John's role as a prophet, and a preparer of the way for the Lord. Zechariah eventually answered the question of how amazing his child was, but first, he wanted to point people to God.

As we interact with people, this should be our heart—to point them to a God who loves them. Talking about us, our kids, our grandkids, our jobs, etc. is not what they ultimately need to know. Instead they need to find a Savior. So, whether someone asks you about your kids or something else, let us learn to use all questions to point to the best answer of all, Jesus.

Father God, help me to make you known today. May I be so captured by your beauty and love, I cannot help but share you with others. Amen. 

How can you better steer conversations to Jesus?

Luke 1:26-56

How would you respond to an angel’s appearance proclaiming that a child would be born to you despite being a virgin? Mary is often neglected in Protestantism and overly elevated by other traditions. What she is, is a powerful example of a faithful, humble servant of God. She does not understand how the message of the angel is possible, but she is willing to go ahead with what God has told her.

Mary not only responds with faith but also responds with praise. When Mary travels to visit her relative, Elizabeth, she speaks with an extended verse of praise. What has been traditionally called the Magnificat (Latin for the word glorify) is an amazing declaration of God’s greatness. She speaks of God's holiness, mercy, and power that is able to accomplish his will. This understanding of God’s greatness and, in response, our obedience, humility, and praise should mark our lives as well. God wants to use us, as he did Mary, so we need to embrace her attitudes of faith, obedience, and praise as we go throughout our lives.

Father God, help me to be your humble servant. Help me to conform my life to your ways, and walk in obedience to all you have commanded for me. Amen. 

How can you imitate the way of Mary today?