Steps of Jesus

13:12-13 “When Jesus SAW her, he CALLED her over and said, ‘Dear woman, you are HEALED of your sickness!’ Then he TOUCHED her, and INSTANTLY she could stand straight. How she PRAISED God!” Notice the words: saw, called, healed, touched, instantly, and praised. Jesus is always looking, calling, and healing. Was the touch necessary? If you mean to heal, then no. If you mean to show who God really is, then yes. He is a God who touches our lives daily. Our response should be a response of praise.

How about you? Where are you today? Still needing Jesus to ‘find’ you? Do you need to answer his ‘calling’ today? Do you need his healing or touch? Have you just experienced an amazing outpouring of his power? Does this need to be a day of praise? Experience an amazing day with Jesus TODAY!

Me, Me, Me

12:17-19 There are 16 stated or implied “I’s”, “my”, or similar in just three verses. Do you think he is self centered? Are you? The answer is yes. It is hard not to be. We think about our problems, our pleasures, our situations, and our world. Is your world consuming you? Is all you think about is your crops, your barns, and your pleasure? I will try today (again) to focus on the Lord and the people that the Lord wants me to help/encourage/serve/share.

How about you? Will you join me? Just take a step. Set aside SOME time for God and others.

Teacher, Tell My Brother

I’m back :) Had a great week visiting my grandson and new little granddaughter. God is good.

This week: Luke 12.
12:13 “Teacher, please tell my brother to…” How interesting. Telling God how to take care of things. Almost demanding that God fix my problems. Here is what is going on in my life. God, here is what you need to do about it.

How about you? Have you ever found yourself playing God and telling God how it should be? Do you think today could be a day that we trust God and allow him to take control?

Friday – Good Sam
10:25-37 contains one of the greatest stories of Jesus: the story of the good Samaritan. Can I share with you some details often overlooked in the story?
• Vs27 was the answer usually given by the Jews.
• Jewish teachers usually applied ‘neighbor’ to mean “fellow Israelite”
• Many people did not have extra clothes, thus a valuable item to steal.
• The priest would become unclean if he touched a corpse.
• Pharisees’ believed in your shadow touching a corpse made you unclean.
• Jesus’ illustration would offend Jewish listeners, striking at the heart of their patriotism, which they thought was religiously justified.
• Oil was used to heal and wine was used to disinfect.
• The question was, “Who is my neighbor?”
The answer was, “Who was a neighbor?”

How about you? Look around right now and see who needs help. Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”

Harvest and Workers

10:2 “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Do you still believe this is true? Are many people around us searching? I believe this is true just as much today as it was when Jesus said this. Would you join me today thinking about those who are around us who don’t know Jesus? Would you join me in praying for workers?

How about you? Are you one of the workers that we are asking God to bring?

One Thing

10:42 “There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it.” Isn’t it nice when things become less complicated? Isn’t it nice when things are reduced to a short list? Isn’t it nice when your short list becomes ‘just one thing’ that you need to be concerned about? Mary discovered it. Have you? What did Mary discover? Vs. 39 she was “listening to what Jesus taught.” I think it was the fact that she was listening and not the exact words of Jesus.

How about you? Are you listening to what Jesus is saying to you today? Don’t know what that is? Trying being like Mary. Sit down as Jesus’ feet and start listening.

Blessed Are Your Eyes

10:23 “Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen.” Jesus said this to his disciples who were able to see God in the flesh. The disciples witnessed his miracles, power, teaching, compassion, and love first hand. Vs. 24 many kings and prophets (and can I add ‘me’) would love to see what they saw. Yet, I feel special seeing what God has blessed me to see in my lifetime. I especially feel blessed to ”hear” (know) the ‘whole story’ of Jesus because people like Abraham, Moses, and David did not have the understanding of the cross and resurrection as I can. These events took the love of God, how much he was willing to sacrifice, and how reachable he is to a new level. I feel blessed.

How about you? Will you take time today to thank God for the blessing of what you see and know?

Filled With the Joy of the Holy Spirit

This week: Luke 10
10:21 “Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” What does that mean? I often read about the power of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but the joy? Have I been missing something? When Paul lists the fruit (results, outcome, product, end result) of the Spirit, joy is listed second only behind love (the greatest command). I don’t think Christians were meant to wear a frown on their faces.

How about you? Have you found the joy of the Holy Spirit today? Any reason to rejoice and praise God? Then let’s show the world how awesome our walk with Jesus is.

Who Is This Man?

9:9 “So who is this man?” was the question Herod asked concerning Jesus. What is the answer? Jesus later asked, “Who do people say I am?” (9:18) and “But who do you say I am?”(9:20). Have you answered that question lately? I think it helps to periodically answer that question. Make it clear who he is in your life.

How about you? Who do you say this man is?

Satan Robbed Him

9:39 “An evil spirit keeps seizing him…it hardly ever leaves him alone.” The father looks at his boy while he sleeps. A tear runs down his face as he thinks about how Satan has robbed his son. “A tear for the trade the boy will never learn, for the wife he will never love, for the children he will never look at as they lie sleeping in their beds. The neighborhood kids are warned to stay away from him. Stolen are his playmates along with his childhood. What will happen when his mother and I die? Who will take him then? Who will feed him and look after him? The spirit is like a bully waiting to pounce on a kid coming home from school.

Lord, help me to understand. And where I can’t understand, help me to trust. And where I can’t trust, help me to overcome my unbelief.” (Ken Gire)

How about you? Will you join me today in praying for those who have been robbed by Satan? How about giving thanks for those who have been delivered? 9:42 “Jesus…healed the boy. THEN HE GAVE HIM BACK TO HIS FATHER.”

The Little People

9:48 “Anyone who welcomes a little child…welcomes me.” Today, I want to see Jesus in children. We often look at adults as the ‘important’ ones. Jesus always took time for the children. So, I pronounce today as the "Day of the Little People" :)

How about you? Have you welcomed Jesus today by blessing the life of a child?

You Feed Them

9:13 “You feed them.” The disciples faced an impossible task. How do you feed 5,000 men plus women and children with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish? The practical (only workable) solution was to send them away to find their own food and lodging (vs. 12). After all, there are no restaurants in this place (“there is nothing to eat here in this remote place”). But notice that Jesus took what he had (the 5 loaves and 2 fish) and LOOKED UP TOWARDS HEAVEN (vs. 15). Everybody was then fed and full.

How about you? Need to do more looking up to heaven today? Remember, you need to feed them today.

I Have The Power

THIS WEEK - LUKE 9
9:1 “Jesus …gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases.” Wow! Wouldn’t it be cool to have that kind of power? I’d be greater than the super heroes that I dreamed of being when I was a kid. We usually want power to direct attention towards ourselves and/or to provide something for ourselves. But when I think about it, what kind of power has Jesus already given me? How about resurrection power? How about the power to help others? How about the power to change my life?
How about you? Are you willing to consider the power that you already have in Jesus? Are you willing to use that power today for the glory of His name?