Spiritual Warfare

In Luke chapter 22, we see that even those closest to Jesus dealt with temptation. Judas betrayed Jesus. Peter denied him 3 times. The warfare between good and evil is real. Certainly, we will also struggle and at times give in to temptation.

What can be done? First, remember that God is in the restoring business. 1 Peter 5:10 Next, we have to put up a fight against the enemy and let the world know whose side we are on. Eph. 6:10-18 We need to pray for God’s protection and strength and soak ourselves in his truth. And last, we have to realize that we are going to take some punches, we are going to fail and yes, it’s going to hurt us and others, that’s what sin does. But we must get back up and know that we will overcome! Hebrews 2:14-18 Just know that Jesus is more interested in our direction, not our perfection!

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Romans 8:37

Gifts From the Heart

It is Valentine’s week. Tons of flowers will be bought, candy, jewelry, all in the name of love!

Luke 21 starts off with a story about a poor woman who gave 2 copper coins to the temple treasury. Jesus calls attention to her, pointing out that others gave out of their wealth but she gave all she had to live on. She wasn’t doing this to be seen and the amount wasn’t important. It was her love, sacrifice and trust in God that stood out.

When you think about heartfelt words that have been spoken in your life or thoughtful gifts, you can see why love is central to the message of God! Romans 8:31-39

Thought Question: What is one small thing that you can do this week to show someone how special they are to you this week?

Managing Our Emotions

In Luke 19, we see go through a range of emotions, joy, sadness and even anger. Jesus was fully human and experienced the same emotions as we do and yet, we are told, “he did not sin.” Heb. 4:15

When we feel the weight of sadness or the heat of anger, it can be hard for us not to take it out on others. Hebrews 4:16 tells us, “Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” So let’s apply a little grace for the next time that we are in need!

G…..Our emotions are a Gauge and not our guide. They alert us to a problem. Perhaps we need to look deeper and identify what is truly botherting us before we lash out.

R….Emotions are Real and powerful to the one experiencing them. We were created as emotional beings. Remember that emotions are morally neutral.

A….When we are in the grip of high emotion, we need to Act and not react. Remember to slow down, take a deep breath, even walk away to give yourself a moment to calm down.

C….Cautiously Consider your options. Pray for God’s intervention and wisdom. Seek advice for the best way to respond.

E….Embrace who you are and respond accordingly. Who are you? You are a child of God! (1 John 3:1) We are dearly loved and we need to love others. Loving reactions may vary greatly according to the situation (look at Jesus response with the money changers in the temple!) but that is another lesson!

Thought Question:

What is one emotional situation that you have dealt with lately that these suggestions of grace may help you with?

Looking for Jesus

In Luke chapter 19, we meet a man named Zaccheus. He wanted to see Jesus. The Bible tells us that Zaccheus was wealthy but something was still missing in his life. It’s interesting that we are told that Zaccheus was short and so he had to climb a tree to be able to see Jesus. When Jesus got there, he looked up into the tree and told Zaccheus to come down because he was going to his house.

Zaccheus was looking for Jesus. Jesus was looking for Zaccheus.

Jesus is looking for us, also. “ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the Lord” Jer. 29:11-14 It sounds like a good thing to be found by him!

Thought Question:

What tree are you willing to climb to see Jesus? Getting up a little earlier, waiting 30 minutes to watch a show on Netflix or maybe going for a quiet walk instead of going shopping. Remember, he promises you will find him!

How Can I Approach God?

Can we really approach God? Eph. 3:12 tells us, “ In [Christ] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” So, the answer is “YES!”.

So, how can I do this? Let’s look at 4 examples in Luke 18 for the answer.

1. The parable of the persistent widow - we learn that God wants us to approach him consistently and often. Remember, our God is a loving God and he wants relationship with us!

2. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector - we should come to God in transparency and humility. Yes, we mess up and we fail but God still wants us to come to him.

3. The story of Jesus and the children - Jesus welcomed the children and wants us to become childlike to engage with him. How do I do that?!? Think about a small child. They aren’t held back in their feelings, they are curious, expectant, trusting and totally dependent. Jesus wants us to lay aside our pride and pretenses.

4. The story of the rich young ruler and the Kingdom of God - Jesus ask the young man to give away all that he had. Why did he do that? Because he knew that that was where the man’s heart was, that was what was most important to him. Jesus wants us to come with an open heart and to remove all that will hold us back from deeply connecting with him!

Thought Question:

Are you ready to approach God? What is standing in your way?

God's Kingdom

When you watch the news, there is so much bad news about other nations, nations at war, nations of starving people, nations dealing with injustice. The same is true even in this country! It can actually get frightening hearing of all the terrible things that are happening or might happen! The good news is that God’s kingdom is unshakable. Hebrews 12:28 tells us “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”

In Luke 17, Jesus talks about the kingdom. The people of this time had such great misconceptions of it. God’s kingdom is made up of imperfect humans (of all nationalities!) who are striving to follow Jesus! Yet, God can work powerfully through us.

Thought Question:

What is one way that I can shift my focus from all the bad news to the good news of “Christ living in me” this week?

The Importance of One

A new year, a time for celebration.

Luke chapter 15 tells 3 parables where people are celebrating. Why are they celebrating? Because one thing has been found, just one. Jesus tells us that even though the shepherd had 99 other sheep, he still went off to look for the one. A woman fervently searched her house till she found the one coin. And a father of 2 sons, kept a watch until his one son who was lost came home. The one matters.

Jesus is sharing that everyone is important, that everyone is valuable to God! Gal. 3:26-29 God wants us to understand how valuable we are to him. Ephesians 2:10 says, “ For we are God’s handiwork (masterpiece) created om Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God, in turn, wants us to love and value others, yes everyone! 1 John 4:7 says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”

Thought Question:

Who is the one that God wants you to give special affirmation/ special attention and care to, this year, to help them draw closer to God?

Start with Gratitude

In Luke 17, we read the story of the healing of 10 lepers and only one came back to thank Jesus for healing them from a horrible fate. We don’t know why the others didn’t return. Maybe they were so excited, maybe they were so anxious to get back to their loved ones or thrilled to return to their normal routines. It is so easy to take our blessings and even our answered prayers for granted.

So here are a few words to help us remember to be grateful in 2023…

1, Request - The lepers stood a distance away and humbly requested Jesus’ pity on them. We need to have a humble attitude in our requests. David said in Ps. 5:3, “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” God hears our requests, we need to wait on him.

2, Realization of what God is doing - So often, we are deeply focused on our problems. Modern psychology realizes that being grateful helps us to change our focus and look at the blessings we do have in our lives! James 1:17 tells us, “ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” Remember where they came from.

3, Return to Give Thanks - The leper could have gone on dwelling on the terrible things that he had been through but instead, he was rejoicing and giving thanks. Changing our focus to notice the blessings in our lives and the good in others, will help us to be more thankful. But it will also make us feel more hopeful and happy! More blessings!

4. Report the goodness of God - The leper that returned, came back loudly praising God. When we change our focus, may it lead us to spend more time in praising our amazing God!

Thought Question:

What is one way you can remind yourself to change your focus, this week and spend more time in gratitude?

Christmas Invitation

Lots of planning goes into Christmas gatherings, it can be a stressful time. So, how can we relax and enjoy Christmas and our loved ones?

1., Approach it with lots of mercy. Luke 14:1-6 tells us about Jesus healing a man on the Sabbath and how others criticized him. It’s so easy to into a critical mindset! Jesus is showing us here that mercy is more important than tradition or law.

2., Christmas teaches us the importance of humility. We get so worried about everything going according to our plan and things can inadvertently go wrong. What Jesus wanted was for us to put others first. Laugh at the mistakes and move on!

3., Accept the invitation of Jesus and his blessings. Luke 14:15-24 tells us the parable of a man inviting many to a dinner but everyone made excuses. Instead, he sends servants to invite those who are in the streets to come in and dine. Jesus invites every one of us to slow down and walk with him, to learn of him and commune with him. We need to set aside our agendas each day and spend time with Jesus. Accept his invitation and learn about true peace!

Thought Question:

What is one way that you can apply one of these ideas and make your holidays more enjoyable?

Loaded with Blessings

Last week, we looked at the story, “The Christmas Carol” and the changes that Ebenezer Scrooge went through. This week, we look at the blessings of that change. Scrooge, the changed man, became a blessing to so many people in his life and I’m sure was such a joy for the remainder of his life.

In Luke 13, we are reminded of the blessing that Jesus was in his community. Others wanted to find fault but verse 17b tells us “…the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.” We need to reflect on all the ways that Jesus is a continual blessing in our lives. He offers his gift of peace, the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives, and of course, he offers us a place in his kingdom, our salvation.

As we accept and remember all these gifts that we are given in this Christmas season, we need to pass it on, as they say and be a blessing to others. Jesus wants us to be a light in this world and give the gift of hope to others. Christmas is the gift that keeps on giving!

Thought question:

What is one thing that you can do this week to bring a little light into someone’s life?

God is in the Changing Business

Luke 13 talks a lot about repentance. Unfortunately, organized religion has often given repentance a negative connotation. The concept of repentance is change. Think about the changes that take place in a man named “Scrooge” in the popular story, “A Christmas Carol”. We know how 3 spirits come to visit him and show him the reality of his life and how it affects others. And Scrooge changes! He makes a complete transition of how he lives his life. And we love the fact that he changed.

The story of Christmas is all about change! 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 says, “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” God isn’t trying to enslave us with burdensome rules but he wants to change our lives for the better, he wants to free us! This change/repentance is so much more than trying to turn away from a certain sin…it is turning to Jesus and seeking to become more like him. Luke 12:31, 34

Change is possible. God doesn’t leave us to try to change on our own. He gives us the power of the Holy Spirit to help us as we turn away from that which pulls us down and we turn towards Jesus and place our trust there. Yes, God is in the changing business!

Thought Questions:

Think about some of the things that God has brought to your attention in the past and helped you to grow in.

Think of one thing that you would like to change in 2023 and bring it to God.

Rich Towards God

Our lesson today was from Luke 12. A family was squabbling about money and wanted Jesus to step in and settle the argument. Instead, Jesus talked about the dangers of greed.

In this season of gifts needed for everyone and constant reminders of ever greater sale prices on all the latest items, it’s easy to lose track of what’s really important. Real treasure is being rich towards God.

What does that look like? 1 Timothy 6:6-8 talks about being content, to be at peace with the blessings that we have. Verses 17-19 tell us to not put our hope in wealth. Do you ever notice how when you focus on what you are wanting, there is always more to want? God wants our focus to be on trusting him. It’s so interesting how he goes on in this passage to say that God gives us everything for our enjoyment. God doesn’t want us to be miserable, he wants us to enjoy what he’s given us! There is nothing wrong with enjoying things but he says to remember to be generous and to share with others. Now that’s what this holiday season should be about!

Thought Question:

Think of someone that has no expectations of you that you can be generous to this week.

A Little Peace

Jesus gave us the gift of peace. In John 14:27 he said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

So, why do I have trouble feeling at peace? It’s the holiday season and the to do list is long. There are often big expectations at this time. Turn on your computer and there is little in your news feed to feel peace about. War, threat of disasters, crime, things damaging your health, the list goes on and on.

I think we have to remember that peace, like salvation and grace, is a gift of God. We must choose to receive his gifts. For me, at this time in my life, that means having a peace practice. I try to start my day with prayer, going over the different things that I need God’s intervention in. Then, sometime in the afternoon, I try to stop whatever I am doing and sit down and breathe deeply. I try to mentally push away all that needs to be done and picture an open landscape. I spend a few minutes in quiet just feeling that open space, remembering that the Holy Spirit lives in me and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Cor. 3:17

This is what’s helping me right now. I hope you also find more of God’s peace!

Thought Question:

Brainstorm some ideas that will help you connect to God’s peace.

Seeking Some Good Advice

When we are dealing with a problem, some good advice can really help us navigate through it successfully. In Luke 11, Jesus has a lot of good advice for us in living a spiritual life. Let’s look at some of it.

It’s amazing how Jesus uses everyday things to make us think. For example, Luke 11:33 says, “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.” Think of a beautiful stained glass window, when it’s dark it doesn’t look like much but when light is coming through it, it is a work of art! Jesus is pointing out here that we are the light. God wants our lives to be the light, the hope, in the midst of the troubles of this world. When we look at our choices, even our everyday attitude in light of this, it changes our perspective. God wants to shine through us to display his glory!

Later in the chapter, Jesus gets very exasperated with the Pharisees. He tells them “…you ignore the most important duty of all: to walk in the love of God. Readjust your values and place first things first.” vs 42b TPT He mentions all the little things they are concentrating on and how they are ignoring the main point. Isn’t that true of us? We let traffic upset us so much, some little thing someone said without thinking, or our own agenda take our mind off of “walking in the love of God”. First things first. What good advice to start our day with!

Thought Question:

What are some ways that I can keep these ideas before me this week?