How To Be Great In God's Eyes (Lu. 1:15-17)

Read Luke 1:15-17.

1. Stay away from that which God forbids.  There are things He forbids for all His followers, and then there are specific things He might forbid for a particular follower.  The Christian life is about "separation from" in order to be "separated unto."  Beware, lest Christian "liberty" become misinterpreted as "anything goes."

2.  Be filled (and stay filled) with the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit works to suppress sin, stimulate righteousness, and empower your witness.

3.  Serve in the priorities of turning (evangelism) and preparing (discipleship).

Blameless Yet Barren (Lu. 1:5-7)

Read Luke 1:5-7.

1. Are you disappointed in God?  You have lived for Him and thus far He hasn't granted your heart's desire.
1. Call to repentance and submission
2. Call to surrender your dreams
• If God never answered how you wanted - for whatever reason - would you still serve Him wholeheartedly?
2. Define "blameless".
1. It doesn't mean "sinless."
• You can't earn God's blessing.
• You can disqualify yourself from a blessing or delay one, but you can never earn one.
• God doesn't owe you.
3. Barrenness isn't an excuse for a lack of faith, prayer or effort.
1. Did Zachariah and Elizabeth stop trying to have children?
• Did they stop seeking God about the matter?
4. Character is more important than circumstance.
1. "Blameless" is mentioned before barrenness.
2. Zachariah and Elizabeth didn't allow their circumstance to dictate their relationship with God.
• They stayed true to God in spite of the barrenness.
5. Sometimes, barrenness isn't about inability but timing.
1. Knowing the larger story, we understand God waited until the right time for Elizabeth to give birth.
• The prophecy about the "forerunner" had to be fulfilled.
• John couldn't have been born too early before Jesus and Jesus couldn't have been born before John.
2. God's delay doesn't necessarily mean His denial of your desire.
1. The desire has to be right.
2. The timing has to be right.

Praying And Not Losing Heart (Lu. 18:1)

Read Luke 18:1.

1.  There are those who pray yet have lost heart.  They easily slip into formality, knowing better than to not pray, but don't really believe there is any point to it.

2.  There are those who have not lost heart yet do not pray.  They say they believe, yet there is little or no evidence to suggest dependence upon God.  These are optimistic but they don't pray.  When you do not take time to pray -- seriously, reverently, consistently -- you are leaving God out of the situations.

3.  There are those who pray and do not lose heart. To emphasize this dynamic is why Jesus spoke the parable recorded in Luke 18:2-8.

The Call And Its Purpose (Lu. 14:26-27)

Read Luke 14:26-27.

The call is not to come to Jesus but to follow Him.  Follow for what purpose?  Obedience.  Most times, obedience is not convenient.  It is costly.  It is lonely.  It is to be  one's lifestyle.

Too many want proximity without responsibility: they are fascinated but not separated, "all in" not not sold out, committed but not crucified.

Flesh It Out (06/26/17)

Read Luke 14:34-35.

Are verses 34 & 35 its own paragraph, beginning a new unit of thought, or are these verses the conclusion of an "argument" that began in 14:25?  If it is the latter then loss of saltiness refers to avoiding the cross, a lack of sacrifice and surrender, a lack of separation from the world, and a lack of lifestyle obedience.  In other words, a blown and ineffective witness.  Does anything change if verses 34 & 35 form their own paragraph?

Thoughts on Luke 11:24-26

Read Luke 11:24-26.

There is no such thing as spiritually neutrality!  People act, though, as if there is such a thing.  They want to be rid of their demons, then keep an empty "house" (empty of Jesus, that is).  What people need, after the eviction of demons, is a move-in by a permanent tenant named Jesus.  To refuse Jesus means they want self-improvement instead of repentance.  In God's eyes there is no difference between a respectable sinner and a vile one.

There are three "houses" to consider:
1.  The occupied house.
2.  The unoccupied house.
3.  The re-occupied house.

The owner cleans and orders his house, thinking that an improved life (life without demons and torment) is the goal.  Nothing changed for this owner.  He still calls the shots. The demon is evicted now, but Jesus has not been welcomed inside.  The man is still driven by his fleshly nature, improved as he thinks it is.

Foundation (Lu. 6:46-49)

Read Luke 6:46-49.

1.  What is your foundation?  Everyone has one:  the words of Jesus, the philosophies of men, oneself, popular culture, etc.

2.  How deep is your foundation?  A shallow spiritual foundation isn't beneficial.  Routine, ritual and formality combine to present an impressive shell with no reliable substance.

3.  Can your foundation withstand life's adversity, questions and storms?  (No one debates that life has its challenging moments and crushing disappointments.)

The Fruit of Words: Good Fruit, Bad Fruit (Lu. 6:43-44a)

Read Luke 6:43-44a.

1.  Notice that there is no such thing mentioned as no fruit.  You will speak.

2.  Notice that the fruit is linked with the tree.  Kind (of heart) begets kind (of words).

3.  Notice that the tree is mentioned first in both examples.  How important is is to nurture the right environment for thought and words!

4.  Notice that the fruit is obvious to a casual observer.  You don't have to be a professional fruit inspector to know what's what (at least when it comes to words).

Flesh It Out (06/18/17)

Read Luke 1:5-32.

Both Zechariah and Mary receive a message from an angel.  Both encounter the same angel.  Both angelic pronouncements involve the birth of a child.  Both Zechariah and Mary ask a similar (not identical) question to the angel.  Zechariah is reprimanded, yet Mary is not. Why?

Burn Or No Burn? (Lu. 24:16)

Read Luke 24:16.

There could be times when Jesus is present and you don't know it.  The times when you know He is there and your heart "burns" and there is visual evidence He is present -- those are special times.  You can "see" Him.  Not feeling the "burning" doesn't mean Jesus is aloof or absent.  Whether you are overwhelmed by His presence in the church service tomorrow or not, don't question His interest, nearness or care.  Ask that Jesus will "open your eyes", so that you might recognize Him.

Luke 22:47a

Read Luke 22:47.

"While He was yet speaking, a crowd came . . ."

That's called an interruption.  Jesus was repeating (Lu. 22:46) what He said earlier (Lu. 22:40).  You don't always get a second time to implement what Jesus said the first time.  It is not enough to hear. Hearing should lead to doing.  To assume or hope for a second chance to obey isn't a wise course.

The Widow's Gift (Lu. 21:1-4)

Read Luke 21:1-4.

1. Jesus notices who gives.
2. Jesus notices what amount is given.
3. Jesus knows the amount of sacrifice behind each gift.
4. Jesus knows what to say about each giver.  Based upon your gift, what would Jesus say about you?
5. Jesus knows that even mentioning this subject causes many to be agitated.
6. Jesus knows that your giving should be to the treasury.  Your "treasury" is your local church. Giving starts at the local church level.

Luke 19:26

Read Luke 19:26.

Today, no comment from me.  Just a question.  I want you to "dig" a little.

The verse mentions " . . .everyone who has . . . ."  Has what?

Luke 13:1-5

Read Luke 13:1-5.

1.  Having something catastrophic happen to you doesn't mean you're worse than anyone else.

2.  Not having something catastrophic happen to you doesn't mean you're better than anyone else.

3.  The ultimate issue is not how you die physically but whether you die in your sins.

4.  The time to repent is now.

Behind The Struggle To Love Others (Lu. 7:47)

Read Luke 7:47.

Your struggle to love others is because you don't realize how much you have been forgiven by, and therefore loved by, Jesus.

The Catch In "The Deep" (Lu. 5:4-5)

Read Luke 5:4-5.

As I see it, and I could be way off (which wouldn't be the first time), I've labored long and hard.  I'm getting weary.  I desperately want a "catch", but it eludes me.  Much (too much, I think) time is taken mending the net.  The tears seem to get worse.  I feel as if I'm skilled in scattering, not gathering.

"At Your word" -- That's what keeps me going. Jesus wants me to catch something!  This catch of souls will come at His word, in His time, and in His place.

Notice that the catch comes in "the deep" (5:4).

• deep desire -- I must want souls more than anything else.
• deep delight -- I must love lost people and not view them as potential success statistics.
• deep determination -- The "deep" is not easily or automatically accessed.  I must persevere and never settle.  I must continue to work hard.
• deep devotion -- I must want to please and obey Jesus more than I want any ministry success (including that catch of souls).
• deep dialogue -- I must learn how to pray more effectively to God and talk more convincingly to the lost.  I must pray in the Spirit more intensely and consistently.
• deep discipline -- I can't effectively use a net that isn't ready for the load.  I must keep at the work of cleaning and mending the nets, starting with my own heart.

Two Observations:

1. You mend nets in the shallow but cast them in the deep.
2. Casting in the shallow is a wasteful maneuver.

"When the devil had ended all the temptations . . ." (Lu. 4:13)

Read Luke 4:13.

Jesus was tempted three times (that are recorded anyway).  Were there more? Forty days is a long time (Lu. 4:1-2).  Hebrews 4:15 says Jesus was tempted in every way that you and I are.  All at once during the forty days?  Probably not, but definitely during His lifetime.  We do know that Satan tempted Jesus again (" . . . until another time").

What goes on inside you when you read that Jesus was tempted?

My Prayer (05/10/17)

Read Luke 22:32.

Lord Jesus, High Priest and Intercessor, I'm asking You to pay for me today.  Remember my weakness.  Pray for me, that I would remain strong.  Would You guide me by Your Holy Spirit today and keep me as far away from temptation as possible?  Teach me how to turn past failures into something redemptive and useful.  Thank You for using me in Your service.  This kindness is so undeserved.  I'm grateful You're not a "one violation and done" Savior.

Verse Of The Week (05/05/17)

Forsake, Not Just Surrender (Lu. 14:33)

Read Luke 14:33.

Why did Jesus use the verb "forsake" (MEV) instead of the word "surrender"?  Perhaps it is because "surrender" can be a mental arrangement with the possibility of un-surrender later.  When one "surrenders", he merely does what is in his best interest at the time.  His heart might not be in it.  While it isn't easy to measure "surrender", it is easy to measure "forsaking." Either there has been a separation, a leaving, a distance or there has not.  You are over here now and what you left behind remains over there. The evidence (the gap) speaks for itself.

Have you merely "surrendered" to Jesus or have you actually forsaken things? Have your priorities been re-ordered?  What does it cost you to follow Jesus?