Luke, Chapter 11 part 1

How is your prayer life today? I ask because that is the early focus of Luke chapter 11. Jesus teaches us to put our heart and soul into prayer. This fits in with the true definition of prayer. I believe that prayer is something special. It is our direct communication with God. Therefore, it is also an amazing gift. Though God already knows everything, we can tell Him exactly how we feel through prayer. Because of this, I believe prayer does not always have to be flowery language. We can fall into that trap where we feel that if we just ask the right way, it will be given to us as it says in this chapter.

I try to pray like I am talking to God merely as a best friend. If I am frustrated (as has been the main theme of many prayers lately), I tell him. If I have much to praise, I let out a spontaneous prayer of thanks. Prayer does not have to be this grand, elaborate production. To me, the best prayers are ones from deep inside. This is why I feel my prayer life has struggled. I have missed that connection with the Father. I feel I am saying the same things over and over again, but He is just not listening. I feel I am missing something.

18If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. 19Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. – Luke 11:18-20

I think the above verses help explain the disconnection that I have felt of late. I am divided between seeking God to get me out of this rut of life, yet I continue to seek my own way out contrary to what God has planned for me. My own plans conflict with God’s plans, so I continue to sit in this place of nothingness. This leads to frustration, depression, and eventually anger.

Luke, Chapter 10 part 2

The other night I was driving home from a basketball game I had covered. We happen to live in a nice building, but it is surrounded by a more run down part of town. This one street in particular is the image many would conjure up when you think “bad neighborhood”. Still, it is the best way to get to two major arteries in the city from our place. When stopped at a light on this street just before turning onto the street our building is on this woman was standing at a bus stop. It was about 9:30 at night, but she came up and started saying, “Sir! Sir!” toward my closed window.

This is where I failed in life’s test.

See, I had a chance here to do what Jesus calls us to do in the second half of Luke 10. Instead, I succumbed to my fear and doubt being in a bad neighborhood.

30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." – Luke 10:30-37

I do not know this woman’s issues. I don’t know if she was homeless, drunk, or high. I don’t know if she was needing legitimate help. I don’t know this because I didn’t bother to find out. I froze, starring straight out my windshield as if she didn’t exist. It’s not like I couldn’t do anything either. I normally carry zero to little cash in this age of debit cards, yet this was a rare time that I had actual cash in my pocket. If it was an emergency, similar to the one described above, I could have helped.

Sometimes I feel like a hypocrite. I do my part to donate food, clothing, money, etc. to various charities throughout the year. I do this without fanfare, not because I have to but because I am blessed and I need to share that blessing. Unfortunately, this leads to an attitude of, “hey, go to where I have donated if you want help.” It is a horrible attitude, and one that must stop in 2009. I am not one who is big on resolutions, but I do want this year to be one of changed attitudes and perceptions, beginning here.

Luke, Chapter 10 part 1

I cannot believe I nearly quit yesterday. Yesterday was an up and down day. I was encouraged by a great comment and a good entry. I had a good day writing. Then, I had a silly setback. Two basketball games I had been waiting for all day long, one I was covering and the other an important Purdue game, both ended in overtime losses for my teams. I am a person that something like this greatly affects. As much work as I put into my other blog about Purdue I felt like it was all wasted with last night’s loss.

But I find myself drawn back here on the last morning of 2008 in order to write about the word of God. This passage is all about perseverance. We Jesus name 72 additional disciples and he sends them out to preach the word. He is very up front about what they will face. They will not always be welcomed. They will indeed face struggles along the way. Some would eventually even be martyred for their faith like 11 of the original twelve.

1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. - -Luke 10”1-4

I would be shirking my responsibility if I backed away from this now. The workers are few, and if I gave up just because I saw little results they would be even fewer. This blog will continue into the New Year. It is not about me, but about the message. Tehse 72 men continued on through much harsher conditions and still brought in a great harvest as Jesus describes.

17The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."
18He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." – Luke 10:17-20

This is a powerful message. The 72 return successful in their mission, yet Jesus works hard to keep them grounded. The last part of this passage politely reminds them to remember not the power, but the result of that power. What I do means nothing. I receive nothing from the Word of God, for it is what does the work here. I rejoice only in the results of that work. The Word of God only lifts me up in the form of encouragement, not in some mystical power I should be amazed at. I pray that in the new year it’s power does the work it needs to in your life.

Luke, chapter 9 part 3

This may be the final entry for awhile. I am trying to do some mental soul-searching and find my place in this world. There are some lessons I need to learn, specifically what humility means as it is presented here in chapter 9, before I can find out what I am supposed to do next. Honestly, this has been a very difficult time, but the difficult times never seem to end anyway.
The final part of Luke, chapter 9 presents a funny picture, at least to me, with the following passage.

46An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest." – Luke 9:46-48

One of Jesus’ central arguments is that we must humble ourselves if we are to truly seek His kingdom. He even hits on this at the end of this chapter when he talks about what must be given up in order to follow Him. I have spent a lot of time this morning ruminating on this passage. Lately I feel as if I have been at odds with it. Despite my job struggles, I continue to be blessed with different short term opportunities. Unfortunately, they are opportunities I despise. I know that the core of this hatred is the feeling that I am above these jobs. I feel like I am meant for more with the abilities God has given me. I know He has a greater plan in mind. Unfortunately, not only has this attitude turned me off to these lesser position, it has let things like my writing passion slip. I have seen it in how my words feel disconnected even when I am writing here. In short, I feel like I should be greater, and that is not the attitude to take.

So what do I need to learn? I know things shouldn’t be beneath me, especially when there are people that would die to be in my position. I am blessed, but I feel like I have taken it for granted too often. It is my prayer this morning that I can step back in this week of freedom from work and examine what is on my heart. I need to get my goals in line with God’s goals for me. I certainly don’t know what I am doing anymore, and the world is presenting me with things I definitely don’t want to do.

Luke, Chapter 9 part 2

I hope that everyone out there had a good Christmas. It has been nearly a week since I have written here. In that time, I have felt very disconnected with God. It feels like I should be approaching Him more and more, especially this time of year, but things keep driving me further and further away. It is a frustrating time. I feel like I have all the time in the world, but I am still rushed by imaginary things that I have to accomplish each day. I want to change that by getting back to explicitly seeking God the first thing each morning. I want to give Him and this endeavor my first moments, undivided, each day. Let’s see how it goes.

When we last left Jesus in the book of Luke he was sending out the Twelve at the beginning of chapter 9. In the middle of this chapter we have two very important events. First, Jesus asks His disciples who they think He is. Remember, these guys were living the Bible. They didn’t have it written in advance. Naturally, they would be curious as to who this guy was with all these powers.

18Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"
19They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life."
20"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Peter answered, "The Christ of God." – Luke 9:18-20

This is an act of faith by Peter. There had been many prophets before Jesus that had similar powers. Therefore, there was plenty of reason for these men to think Jesus was another prophet of Israel. Instead, Peter believed that Jesus was the Christ. He looked past everything to the man and saw the truth. He hadn’t needed more proof at that point. His faith was strong enough (and remember, with Peter, the faith issue sometimes vacillated) to see Jesus for who he was.

29As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30Two men, Moses and Elijah, 31appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. – Luke 9:29-31

This was a special moment for Peter, James, and John. They were there to witness Jesus revealed in His full glory. They were given a special privilege that even the nine other disciples weren’t given. It is almost like a reward too. Jesus chose to reveal himself not because they needed a boost in their Faith, but because He wanted them to see Him in His full power and glory.

Luke, Chapter 9 part 1

This morning I am trying to refocus my efforts and my thoughts. I have felt very disconnected from God the past few days. I have struggled with branching away and trying to do things on my own. Naturally, this has led to poor results. I have become dissatisfied with many of my efforts as there is little movement career-wise. As usual, my best efforts yield nothing because I am not patient enough to wait on God. That is why I find the beginning of Luke 9 helpful this morning.

We live on faith. We are saved by grace thorough faith. We cannot accomplish anything without God’s blessing. When our reserves of faith are strong it feels like we can do anything. Conversely, when they are low even the most mundane tasks can seem overwhelming. We can quickly become mired in a morass of frustrating pursuits and seemingly fruitless efforts. When Jesus sends out the twelve, however, He instructs them to go with virtually nothing.

3He told them: "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. 4Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them." – Luke 9:3-5

He did not tell them to go to the ATM and take out a couple thousand dollars. He didn’t tellt hem to call ahead to friends for a place to stay. He sent them out to proclaim the greatest message ever passed along. It is a message that continues to echo through to today. Not only that, He provided for every need along the way. I am doing far less important work. I sit at home with a roof over my head, money in the bank, and a computer as my terminal to the world in which to do my small part, yet I despair that God will provide for my needs.

Jesus does the same in the next passage when he feeds the 5,000 from essentially nothing. I see from these passages encouragement that God can provide for every need. I struggle because it feels like I am going nowhere. In doing so I lose sight for the fact things could be worse. In that, I feel shame. I recently finished reading a book about a gentleman who survived ten years in a North Korean gulag where he had to scrounge for what little food needed to survive. He lives through that and I complain about getting offered a 2 week job that I feel is beneath me? This brings me great shame this morning, and I pray that God will look past my failings and still use me for His kingdom.

Luke, Chapter 8 part 2

When I think of misplaced priorities I think of the second part of chapter 8 of Luke. This is where we see one of Jesus’ miracles performed for a crowd that puts more emphasis on the earthly results than on what Jesus actually accomplished. I am referring to the story of the demon-possessed man and how Jesus cast out the demons into a herd of pigs. Jesus performs this great feat, something that no one else can do, yet they are more concerned about what happened to the pigs.

32A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. 33When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

34When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left. – Luke 8:32-37

Where these people happy that Jesus cured this man? Were they amazed that he could do what He did? No. They were more concerned that they had lost a herd of pigs. Fortunately, this story has a happy ending.

One of the things that frustrates me is how my efforts to reach someone with the Word of God can turn up void. I try to reach people, yet nothing happens. Later on, someone else may reach that person, however. That person may be reached years later because of a seed I planted, or it could be for a totally different reason. The most important part is that the person is finally reached. We kind of see that here as the people of Gerasenes turn Jesus away. Though He is asked to leave, Jesus asks the demon-possessed man to stay and proclaim the gospel. This is what the disciples did on a smaller scale. The important thing is that a seed was planted. If they wouldn’t listen to Jesus, maybe they would listen to someone else.

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