Loving Jesus Style

Scripture: Luke 11:27-28 (ESV) 27  As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28  But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Devotion: What does it mean to be blessed? Often, we associate blessing with material prosperity, health, happiness, or success. We may think God blesses us when He gives us what we want or need. But Jesus teaches us a different perspective on blessing in this passage. He was teaching the crowds about the kingdom of God, and a woman in the crowd praised His mother, Mary, for giving birth to Him. She must have thought that God highly blessed Mary for being chosen to bear the Messiah. And indeed, Mary was blessed in that sense (Luke 1:42-45). But Jesus did not affirm her remark. Instead, He pointed to a higher blessing available to anyone following Him. He said, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the ...

  Scripture: Luke 20:21-26 (ESV) Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. 22  Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” 23  But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 24  “Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25  He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26  And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer, they became silent. Devotion: The Pharisees and the Herodians tried to trap Jesus with a tricky question. They asked him whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, the Roman emperor who ruled over Israel. If Jesus said yes, he would anger the Jews who hated the Roman occupation. He would be accused of rebellion against the government if he said no. Either way, they hoped to disc...

  Scripture: Luke 24:44-49 (ESV) 44  Then [Jesus] said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45  Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46  and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47  and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48  You are witnesses of these things. 49  And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Devotion:             Jesus calms the fears and removes the misunderstandings about Himself and His mission that the first disciples and we have in this passage. It was commonly thought that t...

  Scripture: Luke 24:36-40 (ESV) 36  As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37  But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38  And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39  See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40  And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. Devotion:             Jesus does all he can to calm and reassure His disciples after His resurrection. His disciples were slow to believe, just as we sometimes are. In their minds, they thought, dead people stay dead. We hold this same belief. Therefore, Jesus had to prove that He was alive and ready for eternity with the Father in heaven. Indeed, this resurrection appearance raises as many...

  Scripture: Luke 24:1-7 (ESV) But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, [the women} went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2  And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3  but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4  While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5  And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6  He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” Devotion:             It was a miracle! Everybody knows that dead people stay dead. Despite all the miracles and signs Jesus did while he was alive, he still looked like a mere man and nothing more—no won...

  Scripture: Luke 23:44-46 (ESV) 44  It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45  while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46  Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.             Today, let us meditate and pray over the things that happened to Jesus on that Friday so long ago. Let us try to imagine the great sorrow those first disciples must have felt watching their teacher die upon that cross. Prayer:             Heavenly Father, today we try to enter into your great sorrow as you watched with the waiting world for your Son to die on the cross. We read about the great sorrow of Jesus’ first followers, and we ask you if there was not some other way Jesus could h...

  Scripture: Luke 22:19-20 (ESV) 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20  And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. Devotion:             Tonight, the church celebrates the institution of the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist. Jesus deviated from the traditional Passover meal script to commemorate what was to come in the next few days: His death, burial, and resurrection. That this holy meal is still celebrated by the church some 2,000 years later is a testament to the power and meaning these events still have for the church today.             Jesus already knew that His time on this earth was drawing to a close. Therefore, He sets in motion this meal as a Holy ...

  Scripture: Luke 21:34-36 (ESV) 34  “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35  For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36  But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.” Devotion:             In this brief scripture passage, Jesus warns all His followers for all time. Jesus knows how easily humans can get off track and engage in sinful behaviors. Jesus warns us here and elsewhere in the gospels that His return will come without warning or any advance notice. (A word here for all who try to set dates for His return: You are wrong!) The date and time are unknown to any human, which calls for special vigilance and urgent repentance.   ...

  Scripture: Luke 21:29-33 (ESV) 29  And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30  As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31  So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32  Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Devotion:             This parable about the fig tree occurs in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Pages of ink have been spilled on the meaning of this little story, and we are no closer to fully understanding it than Jesus’ disciples were. So, my comments here are not dogmatic but are meant to show my understanding of these verses; you may decipher and apply them as the Lord leads you.           ...

  Scripture: Luke 21:1-4 (ESV) 21  Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2  and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3  And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4  For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Devotion:             We begin this Holy Week with a scripture passage that teaches us about gifts and giving to the Lord. We know from scripture that Jesus says that the greatest gift is to lay down your life for someone else. So, how does the widow’s gift of two small copper coins measure up to that gift? As Jesus says, it is very significant indeed. She gave all she had to live on to God. It was, in a certain sense, like giving her very life. Life was tough for widows in Jesus' day, as it remains today in some places.    ...

  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapt...

Scripture: Luke 10:17-20 (ESV) 17  The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18  And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19  Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20  Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Devotion:             The words we read above are the conclusion to the story that began in verse 1 of this chapter in Luke. Jesus chose and sent seventy-two of his followers out two by two into the land to proclaim the gospel, heal the sick, and free those oppressed by the devil and his demons. The followers come back with a glowing report. Their mission was a success. The sources of oppression that plagued the people had been defeated. ...

  Scripture: Luke 1:26-38 (ESV) In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28  And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29  But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30  And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34  And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35  And the angel answered her, ...

  Scripture: Luke 2:25-32 (ESV) 25  Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27  And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28  he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29      “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30      for my eyes have seen your salvation 31          that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32      a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”   Devotion:    ...