Luke 9:28-45 ~ The Blessing of Being Bipolar

Symptoms may include extreme feelings of happiness and deep despair. Fluctuations in mood can vary by minute, week or even months at a time. These emotions have been reported as powerfully motivating and have resulted in Hollywood suicides.

Medication may be described.

Drugs can veil the emotions, or even flip them completely backwards. If something is despairingly wrong, street drugs or even some prescription drugs can float your mind to “never land” where everything feels warm and fuzzy.

The only adverse affects involve the aftermath. Coming down can be one of the most emotionally destructive feelings. This may result in overdose as patients choose not to deal with reality.

What if we embraced the highs and lows of life with Faith. Blind faith. Unbelievable faith. Indescribable, incomprehensible faith. Reckless, careless faith. All rooted and grounded in the incorruptible power of God. He is the unchangeable, unstoppable, fearless, mighty, compassionate, fully capable God of the Universe. Hoping in Him will never fail, and the outcome is always sure and profitable.

What if we realized that in our coming down moments that God was still with us? What if we stopped asking “Why is this failure happening” and started asking “How can this failure along with God’s power teach me?”

In Luke 9:28-45 Peter, James and John surely felt defeated as they saw Jesus transformed before their eyes and then the next day heard that their fellow disciples had lacked the ability to do what Jesus specifically empowered them to do. They were faced with defeat and probably second thoughts. What if this happened to them? What if what they just saw wasn’t real? What if…

In these moments we must force ourselves to faith. Faith that the failure will teach us and that God is not disappointed but lovingly jealous. He wants us to have more than we want, if we would only believe. We must chose to float out into “faith-land” where we believe God can do anything and will do everything for His glory and our eternal benefit.

Mandy

Luke 10:1-16 ~ Willing Sacrifice

Remember, I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves….. from Luke 10:1-16. What a way to hand out an assignment. Want to be a victim anyone? Don’t take any supplies with you. Oh, and if you are rejected publicly, reject them (Want to get beat up?).

As Jesus sends out the seventy disciples on a mission in Luke 10: 1-16, perspective makes all the difference. Instead of victim, a voluntary sacrifice. A sacrifice grounded in prayer and trusting the arm of God. The workers share the vision of the master, so much so that he trusts them with a very special project: Preparing the way for the Messiah.

Luke For Everyone suggests that perhaps the number seventy was to remind people of the chosen 70 elders of Israel who were given a share of the Lord’s Spirit to help Moses (Numbers 11.16, 25), and that Jesus is sending out workers for the new Exodus. In Luke 9:31 on the occasion of the transfiguration, Jesus, Moses, and Elijah are discussing Jesus’ “departure”. The Greek for departure is “exodus”, a unique word for Jesus’ death (LABC, p. 250).

What a beautiful picture of the way that we are just passing through this life—the peace that they were bringing to the people. (Hebrews 11:8-10)

Oh when the Saints, go marching in……

Carol

Luke 9:46-62 ~ True Discipleship

If Jesus were to physically walk into our home, our school, our workplace and ask us to go with him, what would we say? Would we ask him to wait while we finished our presentation for the boss? Would we say, “just a minute Lord, I want to finish teaching this class”? Or maybe we’d ask him to hold on until our spouse got home and we can say goodbye to them, or see if they want to come too. Perhaps we’d ask him where he was headed.

So, the question we all to need to ask ourselves is, is there anything we would want to take care of before getting up and following Jesus? Are there any conditions, however minor they might seem to us, that we would put on following him? Is there anything we’d be reluctant to give up? And if we did manage to just get up and go, would we eventually miss something we’ve left behind?

If we are honest with ourselves, most of us would answer yes to the above questions.
However, that’s not what Jesus expected of the people we read about in today’s passage. He expected them to literally drop everything and go with him on the spot. Those who wanted to do something first received a rebuke. It’s not clear from the passage if these people did go with him. Perhaps Jesus told them not to bother.

I think Jesus has been very gracious to most of us in the western nations when it comes to discipleship. He usually only asks us to give up certain habits or activities, thoughts, attitudes, or language; or to take part in certain ministries at church; or maybe to go on a short-term missions trip. Our response to even these is often not what was expected by Jesus when he was on earth.

How many of us could be the type of disciple we read about in Luke?

John

I Stand Amazed!

Just for fun and encouragement! Bart Millard is one of my favorites.



Blessings
Bill H

Luke 9:18-27 ~ Peter’s Declaration

“God’s Messiah,” declared Peter.

Peter had it right, He was the Messiah. He was the one that brought fear into the hearts of the demons. Alright, I doubt demons have hearts, but I think you get the point. They trembled at His very presence. He confused the Pharisees and other religious leaders because the Messiah would never spend time with sinners. He gripped the hearts of the people as he healed lives and brought hope to the crippled. Who did some think He was? John the Baptist? Elijah? An Old Testament Prophet?

Peter answered with conviction, “You are the Messiah!” He had it right and he was given clear instructions not to tell anyone. Don’t tell anyone? How could he keep it in? The Messiah had come. Don’t tell anyone! No one really was around to tell so not saying anything right then was not hard. Later he would be told by the Messiah that he would deny him. No I won’t! But he did deny the Messiah three times.

Are we like Peter at times? When no one is around we want to shout the greatness of our Savior and when people are close by we lose the ability to speak. We are not bound by the “do not tell rule” the disciples had at that moment, so as we approach Christmas, how about telling people about the Messiah. He is the Messiah!

Mark

Luke 9:1-17 ~ Pre-Test vs. Final Exam

Do you remember in grade school how the teacher would give you a pre-test or a pop quiz? The purpose of a pre-test is for the teacher to see if you are studying the right material and learning what was covered in class. As students we may not have enjoyed pre-tests or pop quizzes and grumbled every time those words were uttered by a teacher.

Once we graduate high school and college “real life” seems to step into the teacher’s shoes and brings its own “pre-tests” and “pop quizzes.” Some of them are easy hurdles but a few of them rush to mind when a “final exam” comes around.

In Luke 9:1-17, Jesus sends his select 12 disciples out into the cities with power and authority. They could cast out demons and heal the sick. How amazing would that be?! Christ even warned them that they would be accepted several places but once in a while they and Christ’s message would be rejected.

When they return from their short mission, Christ wishes to talk privately about their experiences but the crowds wanted to see and hear from Jesus. Late in the day the disciples want to send everyone away, knowing the people are getting hungry and they had no provision for them. So Christ presents to them their “final exam” for this chapter: “You give them something to eat.” Unfortunately the disciples didn’t do so well on that test and still had a bit of learning to do.

God wants us to learn through different “pre-tests” in life so that when a “final exam” comes we can remember God’s faithfulness and provision and pass with flying colors.

~Shannon Birdsall~

Luke 8:40-56 ~ Desperation

What do you do when everything else fails; the doctors, the treatment, the money runs out? When all hope seems to have evaporated, Jarius was there. His daughter was gravely ill. All the treatments that were available had been attempted. The words “We have done all we can do” were echoing in his mind.

Then word that Jesus was returning reached Jarius. He runs to the shore to meet him pushing the others aside and he throws himself at Jesus’ feet, pleading for Jesus to come help. In those next moments, as Jesus was on the way, he stops and asks a question, “Who touched me?”

Another desperate act, a woman who was in need; the loneliness of her illness kept her from the company of friends and loved ones. She reaches out to Jesus and is healed, not by her touch, but by her faith.

In those moments as Jesus is meeting her need Jarius hears the words no father wants to hear, “Your daughter is dead, don’t bother the teacher anymore.” In that moment his heart sank, hope for his daughter was gone.

Jesus tells Jarius not to be afraid but believe, and she will be healed. As they reach the house the mourners are already there, his wife is sobbing, anticipation is in the air as they enter the house Jesus reaches out his hand and bids the child to get up, and at once she stood up! Hope had returned, and joy with it!

Jesus added hope and joy to a desperate situation just when it was needed, but I am left to wonder; what about the times when Jesus doesn’t come in and heal or rescue? Would Jaruis still believe, would the woman still believe, would I still believe?

David

Luke 7:36-50 ~ Contrasts

This passage in Luke is full of contrasts. Here we have a woman who was once a sinner and a Pharisee who is scornful. We have a man who has unspoken thoughts that are read by an all-knowing Savior, and this same man who speaks while this woman acts. We have an invitation to an inhospitable house, in contrast to an act of indescribable love.

Jesus is at the house of Simon a Pharisee and a woman seizes the opportunity to pour her affections upon Him. The breaking of her perfume bottle fills the room, as if her presence had not already done that. This is no quiet or small act. Everyone sees what is going on and now the smell fills the room.

“Her sins, which are many, have been forgiven because she has shown great love” Are we seen as our sins being forgiven by the measure of love we display? Was it a small forgiveness or was it huge? We know it was huge because it took our Savior to the cross, and we know in our hearts are sins are many! By our actions we need to show a world who does not know Jesus our great love for the One who died for us.

Janis

Luke 8:16-25 ~ Rough Waters

This summer, I, my girlfriend and my youngest brother went on a boat swim in one of the big lakes in North East Poland. We had an old boat that belonged to my girlfriend’s grandfather. I have gone never swimming on a boat before, but I was excited and confident that I can do it. So we did, everything was going well until we got to the middle of the lake where suddenly a strong wing started blowing. The lake changed from peaceful and harmless to stormy and dangerous. I got scared, suddenly I realized that I was not in control, I was scared because the boat could turn over at any moment putting two of my loved ones in danger.

Isn’t that typical of our life? We often are quite confident and think we have the control of our life. Sometimes we realize the dangers but we feel strong enough to overcome them. We plan ahead so that we would be prepared when trouble comes. Sometimes, however, things get out of our control.

I think of Jesus disciples. They were experienced fishermen and yet when the storm came they were frightened, “They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" They were hopeless and their only refuge was their master Jesus Christ - the only person who is in control of everything. Jesus is God and therefore it was natural for him to calm down the storm.

We will encounter dangers in our life. We will sometimes feel hopeless, and yet this will make us realize that we can’t have confidence in anything except God. He is in control and He can calm down any storm in our life.

Timothy

Luke 7:11-17 ~ A Widow’s Tears

When reading Luke’s record of Jesus raising the widow’s son from the dead at Nain, two things stuck out to me. The first was Jesus’ compassion towards the widow, he tells her not to cry. I’m sure this woman had plenty of reasons to cry—her husband was dead and her only son had died. In those days, a woman without any male relative to support her was basically destitute, destined to beg on the streets or possibly given over to prostitution. This woman’s tears moved Jesus to compassion—He could’ve healed the son without saying anything but he spoke kind words.

The second thing that stuck out me was that Jesus turned a funeral into a celebration. What a turn-around of emotion—from deep sadness to overwhelming joy! The son was restored to life and the mother is able to survive another day. When Jesus would bring people back from the dead, they were not the only one who benefitted, but the people who loved them were blessed as well.

“You have turned for me  my mourning into dancing; You have  loosed my sackcloth and girded me with  gladness” (Psalm 30:11). Jesus made this verse a reality for the widow.

Samantha Page

Luke 8:1-15 ~ Passion or Apathy?

Several women were following Jesus and His companions to help them with their needs out of their own pockets. These women had been healed by Jesus, or had demons cast out of them by Jesus. They were truly grateful for what Christ had done for them. They were passionate followers of Christ.

Passion can be defined as an intense emotion compelling action.

These women dared to be different. They left their homes and families, which would have gone against everything their society had taught a women should do. But these women were so passionate about serving their Redeemer and Healer that they couldn’t just sit around while Jesus walked away. They HAD to follow even though it cost them money from their own pockets because their desire to serve Christ compelled them to. Their passion was to follow Christ and they would not be stopped.

How about you? We are faced with a choice just like these women were. We can sit in our apathetic state and watch as Jesus walks by or we can join Him on the mission to spread the message of the Kingdom of God. We can try our best to understand what Christ did for us and give our lives back to Him in a thankful manner or we can take our salvation for granted.

Apathy can be defined as the suppression or absence of passion.

Will you allow yourself to suppress your passion down, or will you rise to the challenge of letting your passion ignite a spark in your life? I challenge you as I challenge myself to hold nothing back in your service to God. Don’t limit yourself to what God can do. Put yourself aside and live an unrestrained life for His glory.

><> Josh

Luke 7:18-35 ~ Never What We Expect

“John called two of these followers and sent them to the Master with this message: ‘Are you the Coming One, or should we expect someone else?’” (Luke 7:18-19)

Even John the Baptist, the one chosen to prepare the way of Christ, had some doubt as to whether or not Jesus was the Messiah. He was most likely expecting Jesus to establish some sort of a “messianic kingdom.” Instead, Jesus did many things that were out of the ordinary and unlikely.

I get pretty passionate about today’s church in many different ways. We deal with legalism, Bible translation issues, and one that particularly hits home for me, “The Worship War.” I have heard it asked before, “If Jesus was sitting on the back pew in our church today, would we recognize Him?” I tend to think, if anything, we would most likely shun Him and eventually drive Him away from our congregation. Something tells me Jesus would not be what we expect Him to be.

It says in Proverbs chapter 3 to “lean NOT on our own understanding.” How often does our own understanding get in the way of God’s sovereign plan? Can we not just accept God’s Word for what it is and in turn, let God be God? Being finite people serving an infinite God, we should expect the unexpected as Christ works in our lives. Let us not be so naïve as to think our way (works, methodology, beliefs) replaces God’s Word or in any way gets us on God’s “good side.”

We live under grace. It is because of the “unexpected and unlikely” blood of Jesus Christ that we have an opportunity to have a relationship with Him. Let us remember that when it comes to God, even to expect the unexpected we can still be surprised as it relates to our understanding of the nature of God and what He is going to do in our lives. “Know that we cannot claim to know.”

Michael B

Luke 7:1-10 ~ Amazing faith

What do you get when you mix a Roman soldier, a sick servant and Jesus? Amazing faith. That‘s what Jesus called the faith of the centurion in Luke 7?

But how does this pagan general fit into the spiritual scheme of things?
Was this man a spiritual giant? Did he memorize or keep all the 10 commandments? If he did, it isn’t mentioned in the text. It just talks about his belief in Jesus.

His basic premise was simple. If I command my men, they obey me….so if Jesus says it, it will happen. Jesus’ power to heal? He believed in it. Jesus’ authority over illness? He knew Jesus had it. He didn’t seem to stress over it or doubt it or worry about it. He just believed it.

He also knew he didn’t deserve to have Jesus heal his servant, but had faith that Jesus would do it anyway. No airs. No demands. Just a simple request from an undeserving soldier. Jesus not only healed his servant but admired his faith.

Do we try to make this too complex, too deep, too spiritual? Why not believe that what Jesus says he can and will do. He has the power and the authority to heal but also to forgive, to change us, to do whatever needs to be done. We need the faith to believe. What do you get when you mix a student, a problem and Jesus? Let’s see.

Jeannie Vogel

Luke 6:39-49 ~ Judge lest you be judged

In Luke 6:37 Jesus says “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

All too often I have found that the most judgmental people are Christians. As Christians, we have accepted the fact that we need a Savior and not only a Savior but a Forgiver. We have said that we know that we are sinners and that without the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus Christ we have no hope. We have come to a place where we have said that we cannot live life the way we have been living because something is missing.

Christians have confessed their total dependence to a Righteous Judge. So why do Christians continue to judge and be critical? It is because we have forgotten about our complete and total dependence upon a Savior. We seem to be the last to forgive when we have already confessed our need for a Savior who forgives. We need to be reminded of the very words of Jesus that states “Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

In a world filled with the message that everything is relative we as Christians need to be the leaders in forgiveness. We need to be the last to judge or condemn because unlike our unsaved friends we have admitted that we need a Savior. If ever we are to reach a lost and dying world with a message of hope we must be willing to show our everyday need for a Savior. We must not judge or condemn or not be willing to forgive and therefore forget our own admittance for the very thing that we deserve. We have been pardoned because of Christ. May we go and walk in this amazing truth.

Bryan Baxter

Luke 6:27-38 ~ The Golden Rule

This passage is one of the toughest pills to swallow in the Christian life; maybe because it exposes our self-righteousness.

As Christians it is a lot easier to have a list of do’s and don’ts. We tend to feel a lot better about ourselves as we check them off the list. But in these twelve verses He cuts to the heart. We are supposed to give to those that ask; not hit back if we are hit; be kind to those who are mean to us, and the list goes on – but the list goes against my nature.

Then in the next paragraph we are told not to judge others; we are told to pardon others. It seems consistent with James 2:13, “He will have judgment without mercy who has shown no mercy.” We often can become too eager to cite other’s faults, or broadcast them to everyone. I think because it makes us feel better about ourselves.

This passage is about the “Golden Rule.” The problem with the golden rule is that we focus on ourselves and not others. The thread that runs through these twelve verses is all about our heart: are we loving, kind, forgiving, and willing to be spent?

Andy Harkleroad

Luke 6:12-26 ~ The Beatitudes

This passage contains Luke’s abbreviated summary of the Sermon on the Mount (Luke 6:12-26). The Sermon has been called the basic ethic of the Christian life. In a very real sense, it is God’s discipleship manual for Godly living.

Essentially it tells us: do this, have these attitudes, and God will bless you.

In “Luke for Everyone” Wright uses the illustration of how one would organize and coach a new football team (p. 70). They would keep it simple. In reading it, I couldn’t help but recall a little speech I give to my softball team (for those that don’t know, I’m the Head Softball coach at BBC), probably at least once a week: “Softball is a simple game, all you have to do is hit the ball, catch the ball, and throw the ball, and the better you do each of those simple things, the better player you’ll be, and when we all do it well, the better team we will be.”

I get the sense that this is what Jesus is doing here. He is telling them the basics of the Christian life. He is telling us "to keep it simple."

Sometimes—just like we coaches can with simple games like softball—we can make living for God a bit too complicated and complex.

Jesus, through Luke, is simply reminding his listeners of what it is that God wants—and doesn't it sound very similar to Micah 6:8—indeed, to do good, live simply, nurture righteous attitudes, consider all suffering as joy, etc.

I wonder what I need to simplify in my pursuit of Godly living?

Bill H

My King

The Mini-Lecture for this week . . .



Blessings
Bill H

Luke 6:1-11 ~ WWJD?

WWJD bracelets: We’ve all seen them, if not worn them. The concept is good, a visible and tangible reminder for us to think about what we’re doing and how we’re living. It’s an attempt to try and measure our living against what Jesus would, or wouldn’t, do. Really, it’s not a bad idea.

But we also realize the impossibilities of actually carrying out those ambitions. For one, we are not God, thus, severely limiting our potential to be true to our intent. Second, and what today’s reading points out to us, is that Jesus was so unpredictable. Think about it, not only were his enemies clueless about what and why he did certain things, many times his closest followers were as well. And in many cases, we’re still trying to figure it out. The truth of today’s lesson is one such example.

As Wright points out about our text (P. 68)—Luke 6:1-11—Sabbath keeping may not be much of an issue to us today, but we have our own unique rules and regulations of the Christian life that govern our particular slice of the Christian world.

I wonder which of our beliefs Jesus would blow out of the water?

And let’s face it, as much as any of does not want to be called a legalist; we all have some individual idiosyncrasies that we, whether privately or publically, use as criterion for spiritual judgment of others. I know I have a few, and even in knowing them it is still so hard to rid myself of them.

So, WWJD with our wrongly placed attitudes? In the Life Application Bible Commentary it asks us this question (p. 142), I’ll end with it: “Are you more concerned with opposing certain sins and cultural movements or in advancing the kingdom of God and proclaiming his love for men and women?”

Really: WWJD?

(Ed has dropped the course, so I filled in for him today)
Bill H

Luke 5:27-39 ~ Jesus and the Tax Collectors

Free Water Saving Ideas!

In the Bathroom

• While waiting for hot water to come down the pipes, catch the cool water in a bucket or watering can. You can use it later to water plants, run your garbage disposal, or pour into the toilet bowl to flush it (saves 50 gallons a week per person).
• Replace your regular showerheads with low-flow showerheads (saves 230 gallons a week).
• Keep your showers down to five minutes or less (saves 75 gallons a week per person).
• Don’t let the water run while brushing your teeth or shaving (saves 35 gallons a week per person (adapted from a 1993 Metropolitan Water District of Southern California pamphlet quoted in More Hours In My Day, Barnes, Emilie, Harvest House Publishers, 1994).

My family tells me I don’t need another book on organization but I do get quite a bit out of them—often not what the author intended. When I first read this, I remembered a recent drought when people were called to conserve. I can see the Susquehanna River out of my front window. The kind of water scarcity in California is outside of my experience.

In Luke 5:27-39, there were three groups of people—Jesus and the tax collectors, the Pharisees and legal experts, and John and his disciples. Jesus and the tax collectors were celebrating whereas as the others were fasting and praying. Jesus and the forgiven tax collectors certainly had something to celebrate about. The Holy Spirit was working in the hearts of the tax collectors. Jesus said that this was the appropriate time to celebrate, the bridegroom was with them. John and his disciples were in a different season of life and were fasting and praying. Jesus had already experienced this season as he prepared for his public ministry (Luke 4:1-2). The Pharisees and legal experts were only looking for something to condemn.


Where are we in this dynamic? Sometimes I am in the preparation mode, other times, I am being sent. I know I am not taking advantage of the discipline of fasting. Water is so precious to those who do not have it, how much more is the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in our lives to which we can become more in tune by fasting.

Carol

Luke 5:17-26 ~ Spiritual Paralysis

According to the Random House College Dictionary, paralysis is a loss or impairment of sensation, especially of muscles, caused through disease or injury, or a crippling of powers or activities. A paralytic is someone who suffers from paralysis. The body of a paralytic does not respond to the commands of their mind.

Doesn’t this describe our spiritual condition as well? We suffer from a loss of “spiritual” sensation. We are “spiritual” paralytics. We want to have compassion for people in difficulty, but we can’t always get ourselves to help. We want to keep our minds free of evil and impure thoughts, but we often seem to have little control over the occurrence of these thoughts. The root of our spiritual paralysis is our basic sinful nature.

In Luke 5:17-26, Jesus heals a paralytic. The man was physically paralyzed and, as we, was spiritually paralyzed. His friends brought him to Jesus because they had heard that he was a great healer. They and the man had faith that Jesus would heal the man’s paralysis.

It’s striking that Jesus first forgives him his sins. Jesus was looking at the cause of his spiritual paralysis. It was only after hearing complaints from the Pharisees that He healed the man’s physical paralysis as a sign that He had the authority to forgive sins.

This is how Jesus deals with us. He first forgives us our sins. Then through the process of sanctification, God begins to heal our spiritual paralysis. But we need to come to him, or be brought to Him, with the faith that He is who He says He is.

John Best

Luke 5:12-16 ~ The Power of Affection

I can vividly remember as a child anxiously waiting for my Daddy to bend down on his knee so I could wrap my arms around him and give him a big, breathtaking hug. Or at least I thought I could take his breath away, if I squeezed him hard enough. As I grew a little bit, the new challenge became trying to run and jump so high that my dad couldn’t catch me. Needless to say, he always did. I remember when I was almost eighteen my parents had been divorced for a while, so sometimes it was a few weeks before I got to see my dad. I ran through the parking lot to him, jumped, and he let out a huge groan as I nearly crippled him to the ground when he caught me. I felt pretty bad, but I was simply overwhelmed by finally seeing him after so long.

As I’ve been at school for months now, I can’t wait to go home and feel my dad’s comforting hug. No one else gives me a hug like my daddy.

I wonder how the leper felt when Jesus touched him.

Had he been longing for healing all his life, or had he gotten over it and learned to cope? Physical touch was far removed from his everyday life, I wonder if he remembered what it felt like to be hugged, or affectionately encouraged by a loved one’s touch.

Jesus has a way of giving us what we need and sometimes even what we want. I bet this leper had tears in his eyes as he hopefully looked up at Jesus, from a prostrate position, and begged to be cleaned. The leper believed Jesus could do it, and he hoped that this healing would be everything he needed plus more.

We know Jesus could see his heart, and he knew the man was aching to be free from this disease and all the hindrances. Jesus touched him on the hand, and with two simple words, changed the man’s physical and eternal life – forever. As he can, and does, for us as well.

Mandy

Luke 5:1-11 ~ The Impossible

One of my favorite movies is Apollo 13. The movie centers on the failed Apollo 13 mission to the moon. The mission control team was certain the chance of getting the astronauts back to earth alive was slim to none. When the head of mission control was asked what he thought he said, “Failure is not an option.”

Have you ever not tried something because you were convinced you would fail before you started? Have you ever worked really hard only to fail? The fear of failure is probably one of the greatest tools Satan has in his arsenal today which holds back the church.

In the passage today (Luke 5:1-11) we see that after a long night of unsuccessful fishing, cleaning their nets and getting ready for the next day, Christ tells them to drop their nets one last time. They were tired and had already experienced failure, but they did as they were told. And when they pulled their nets up, they were so full they began to break, and the sheer weight of fish in the nets caused the boats to nearly sink. Though they had a long night of empty nets Christ showed them failure was not an option. The impossible is possible in Him.

Do we live there?

Is the impossible possible in Christ?

If we really believe the impossible is possible with God then our spirit will respond like Peter and fall down at the feet of Jesus in humbleness and awe. If we really believe that the impossible is possible with God then we should be seeing God do great things, unless we have already cleaned our nets and put them away for the night. Maybe it is time to pull them out and drop them on the other side of the boat.

Mark

Luke 4.31-44 ~ On the Road Again

Jesus always seemed to be on the move. He didn’t stay in one place very long. He knew that he had a lot of ground to cover. He had to stay mobile and not “settle down” anywhere. Many times Jesus would go to the synagogue to preach on the Sabbath where people surrounded him, begging for healing or for some prophetic word by which to define their lives.

Throughout his ministry Christ seemed to always have an “escape plan” to move on to another place, whether it was by boat or just ducking quickly out of an angry mob who was ready to throw him off of a cliff (Luke 4:28-29). He had a mission to complete and he wasn’t going to let too many people weigh him down. Jesus knew that his time on earth was limited and that he needed to reach as many people as possible so they in turn could spread the good news of God’s redeeming love for ALL people (Luke 4:43).

How mobile or flexible are we when a ministry opportunity presents itself? As I look back over the past six months of my life, I cannot recall sleeping in the same bed for more than a month. Part of that is due to being on summer camp staff, but other times it was the need to be flexible because of certain circumstances. Many times I was a reminded that this world is not my home. Moving around so much taught me not to get comfortable with where I am. When I get comfortable I slack in my relationship with God and other people. Even though I hope not to have to move for a while, I pray that I will not get so content that my service in ministry declines. What keeps you mobile for Christ?

~Shannon~

Luke 4.14-30 ~ Opposition

Classic Bait and Switch, Jesus goes home after starting his ministry with great teaching and healings, but instead of performing for the hometown crowd he says; “this is not for you.” Of course the crowds are angry, Jesus tells them that He is “the One,” and by the scripture he reads for them he was offering; freedom, sight to the blind, and release from oppression!

What Jew wouldn’t want that? They had been living under oppression for too long. It had been 400 years since they had heard from God and it was about time somebody came down here to whoop on the bad guys!

The bad news was that they were the bad guys! It wasn’t that Jesus was offering something different than advertised. Or that the Jews just weren’t buying what he was offering. In fact, He wasn’t selling it at all, He was giving it away. Even worse, he was giving it to the Gentiles. They were not part of the family, they were not part of “the circumcision,” and, they were sinners.

One of our 10 Principles here at the Ranch is; “Be open to new ideas, regardless of their origin.” As leaders in ministry we can get so closed minded that we refuse to listen to the ideas that others bring to us because they aren’t ours. We need to be careful to not kill the messenger without hearing the message first; the message just might be for us.

David Sellers

Luke 4:1-13 ~ Prepare for Battle

Satan has not given up on the technique that he used to tempt Adam and Eve. This technique could be sum up in a word or two: Half Truth, Half Lie.

First, the devil tempted Jesus with the need of food that would satisfy His hunger (Luke 4:2-4). Second, Satan approached Jesus with the desire of the eyes that is pleasing by offering the kingdom that could be His, if He would only worship Satan (Luke 4:5-8). Finally, Satan tempted Jesus with the longings of power (Luke 4:10-12).

In that same way, Satan tempted Eve with the lust of the eyes, the longing to be filled with knowledge and be like God through the fruit that looked good to eat. I believe that Satan’s goal in tempting the Lord Jesus Christ was so that the prophecy of Genesis 3:15 would not be fulfilled. We see Satan constantly twisting the Word of God, and it can be devastating and destructive to us if we do not know God's Word well and prepare ourselves with it to fight this daily battle.

Today, Satan’s technique is very much alive, and works well, if we do not follow the example of Jesus from our passage today. Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us to prepare ourselves with believers armor, and the one weapon listed for the battle is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

How ready are we?

Lydia Lun

Luke 3:21-38 ~ God in a List of Names?

When we read our Bibles we often tend to skip the genealogies. We usually think those sections of Bible as just a bunch of names of people that we don’t know, or need to know. And many times we miss the devotional benefit of them because of our attitude.

How should we look at them? Is there any spiritual benefit from them? 2 Timothy 3:16 tell us: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” So how does this passage apply to Luke 3:23-28?

I remember years ago my father was concerned about finding more information on our Jewish roots. This was a long and difficult process. Many of the people that had answers to missing links were dead, many of the documents were missing, many people did not want to discuss this matter as being Jewish was unpopular in Poland, and those that did have answers were scattered around the world.

But today, I have the answers! All thanks to the research done by my father.

Knowing that and looking at the genealogy of Luke helps me better appreciate the research done by this remarkable historian Luke. He took the time to present his readers with an accurate genealogy of Jesus. And we can benefit by careful study of Luke’s detailed work, for example, we learn: that Jesus is the promised king from the line of David (Luke 3:31); that he is a descendent of the royal line of the tribe of Judah (3:33); that he is the fulfillment of the promises given to Jacob, Isaac and Abraham (3:34, as well as being a descendent of Adam the son of God and the father of all people (3:38). Jesus is the Messiah, praise God for His faithfulness by sending his son to redeem all people that from sin.

Indeed, God is always faithful in His perfect time and way; and even the seemingly tedious details of a genealogy shout of His faithfulness, both to Israel 2000 years ago and to us today.
Timothy Rabinek

Luke 3:10-20 ~ The Golden Rule?

What if everyone lived to serve his neighbor?

It seems so simple and yet they continue to ask John one by one…”What about me? What should I be doing different? Can the golden rule be applied to everyone’s life? The simplistic idea of “love thy neighbor as thyself” appeared to be a new revelation.

John the Baptist was essentially explaining a rule which can be found in Mark 12:31, “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” It seemed easy enough, and yet if it were followed, these people would stand out as followers of the coming Messiah.

Let’s take a look and see how we compare to some of these simple practices:

• If you have extra clothes or food, give them to someone who needs it. How are we at giving our time, abilities, or even money or possessions to others?
• Don’t touch dishonest dollars. God will provide our needs and so we have no right to be selfish and take what shouldn’t be ours.
• “Be content with your wages” John was essentially saying, “don’t justify stealing.” How often do we justify our sins? I have a right to be upset with that person after the way they treated me. Do we really?
  

This is by no means an exhaustive list of how to treat others. One of the best ways to serve God is to serve others. Once we put aside selfishness and pride, we can pick up an attitude of humility and service in order to live our lives completely devoted to Christ.

John was baptizing the people to show their commitment to Christ in a onetime event. But our lives are a life-long event where people are watching how we live. Are you living it for self or for God and others?

><> Josh

Luke 3:1-9 ~ Preparing the Way

In ancient times people would run before the King to remove any obstacles in the King's path. They were to make straight any crooked roads and smooth out any uneven and rough patches. If it were now, it would be filling in pot holes, repairing fences, and pruning hedges for the presidential motorcade to pass by.

But, no King is going down my road and no President will be passing by my door. So just who am I preparing for?

“Prepare ye the way of the Lord.”

These words, taken from Isaiah 40:3-5, give us a mandatory call to prepare the way of the Lord. The call is not just today, but everyday. Are there obstacles in our lives that distract others from seeing the residence of the King of Kings?

To “prepare” means to sacrifice my right to personal gain and earthly pleasures. Repentance means to turn around, turn around and walk the other direction, against the flow of the world’s traffic. Salvation means sins are forgiven and we not to continue on wallowing in them. A tree of good fruit means no more of the moldy stuff.

Preparing the way is the examining of ourselves, communicating to our Father the King and confessing our faults and short-comings. It is serving Him and living out the gospel. It is getting to the matter and the business of preparing the way of the Lord. You could say this is our mission; otherwise anything else is just fodder for the fire.

Janis Steckiel

Election Day Prayer

Something extra today . . .

An Election Day Prayer; No matter whom you are for this day, a good thing for us to do!

Also, my plan is to add some other resources to this page, if any of you have blogs or websites, I would love add a link here. Just send me an e-mail with the link.

Blessings
Bill H

Luke 2:41-52 ~ Amazing!

Jesus “amazed” everyone who heard him in the temple that day.

His answers were thorough and his understanding was well beyond his years. At only age twelve it can be presumed that boy Jesus understanding and knowledge were vastly better than the teachers of his day. Luke 2:47, “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers,” reminds me of an admonition of the Apostle Paul in a letter to young Timothy.

In I Timothy 4: 12, Paul encourages Timothy; “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” Jesus, of course, was the perfect example of this, even in his youth. Timothy must have been struggling with his ministry and needed this spiritual boost from Paul. He (Paul) understood the impact youth can have on each other; Timothy was considered young, even being in his early 30s.

Think of the impact the youth of today would have if they lived by this example? What if the (Christian) youth of today tamed their tongue? Conducted themselves in a Christ-like manner? Loved by putting others first? Remained faithful to the cause of Christ? And stayed pure? How many people would be “AMAZED” at their lives?

Today’s youth have this same opportunity, think of the impact a Christian teen can have on a lost friend their own age by, “setting the example?” I came to know the Lord because of a friend did that for me.

Jesus wasn’t even a teen before he began setting the standard! Let’s use this text as a means of encouraging our youth that, with the right heart, God can use them to AMAZE others by showing them the power of Christ in their lives!

Michael Butash

Luke 2:21-40 ~ Simeon's Faith

Jesus was no ordinary baby!

Mary and Joseph knew that from the beginning, but God continues to make the point clear. John leapt in the womb of his mother and angels sang at the birth of Jesus, and now individuals at the temple are rejoicing when they Mary’s baby. It is the latter that I will focus on, because they, in particular a man name Simeon, are examples of faith and hope.

Simeon words hold such meaning and emotion, “Now Lord, You are releasing your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation” (vs. 29-30). I imagine Simeon had that feeling that a new mom has when she looks into the face of her tiny baby, or for a man when the woman you love says “yes” to your marriage proposal—an overwhelming sense of joy, love, and hope.

Simeon was looking into the face of the tiny baby Jesus and realizing that God had kept His promise. Simeon did not need to see the Messiah as a grown man because he knew God would continue to keep His promise, Jesus would be a “light of revelation to the Gentiles” and the glory of Israel.

Fast-forward to present day. God has fulfilled those long–ago made promises and they are written in the Bible. Many prophecies have come to pass and some are still to be fulfilled in the future. God has kept His promise and provided Hope in Jesus. I am challenged by Simeon faith and I hope you are too.

Samantha Page

Luke 2:1-20 ~ Who's In Charge?

Who will be in Charge on Jan. 1, 2009?

As Election Day approaches, political parties spew accusations and vie for control of the White House, while power hungry candidates are tempted to say and do almost anything to land on top. But on Nov. 4, only one will be elected president, and he will be in charge. Or will he?

In Luke 2:1 it seems that Caesar Augustus, adopted son of Julius Caesar, is in charge. Wright explains that he took control after eliminating all the opposition. Then he issued a world wide decree for registration, which meant Joseph and his pregnant fiancé, Mary, had to travel to Bethlehem during her last trimester. So instead of giving birth back in Nazareth, Caesar was responsible for stranding them in Bethlehem, where they had to lay Jesus in a feeding-trough. Or was he?

The story takes an interesting turn when angels begin proclaiming tidings of great joy to shepherds. “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Right in the middle of the angel’s pronouncement, we hear something shocking. Caesar was emperor but he was not in charge after all. The true LORD, ruler, sovereign had arrived in Bethlehem in a manger.

Then the pieces start to fit. The place, like the birth, was not accidental but planned. In fact looking back to Micah 5:2 and other OT prophecies, it is pretty clear that Caesar was a mere pawn in the hand of God. While thinking he was ruling the world, he was merely setting the stage for the real Ruler to appear.

So the age old fight for power on earth continues, but regardless of who is president, emperor, dictator or governor, only one is ‘in charge’ and that One will always be the Sovereign Lord. During election season, that is truly tidings of great joy.

Jeannie Vogel