QT 26 Feb 2020, Luke 8:19-21, The most important family is the Heavenly one

Luke 8:19–21 (ESV) — 19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. 20 And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” 21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

NOTE: At some point and maybe always, Jesus' true family became the family of God. I'm sure he loved and cared for his family, but they were his earthly family, temporal, and seen. His true family, those who have faith in God is eternal and not all seen (since some have passed on). The family of God must ultimately take precedence even over our earthly family. That is very hard to think or even contemplate. At least we feel loved in our earthly family, but certainly not always loved by the family of God. And yet, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit love us in a manner that even our earthly family could never love us. It is absolute for a believer, and unchanging. It knows no boundaries and the size cannot be measured.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for the sacrifice of your son, and the love that has been bestowed on one as unworthy as I.

QT 25 Feb 2020, Luke 8:15, The importance of application

Luke 8:15 (ESV) — As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

NOTE: Here Jesus describes the good soil as holding fast the word in an honest and good heart. I think that an honest heart is one that admits its failures and repents of its sin. A good heart wants to do the right thing -- it wants to apply the word of God to its life. Too many Christians, hear the word and store it up in their intellect without changing their behavior. They become proud and "mean." They are mean because they use the word to hammer others without realizing that their life does not show the love of Christ to others. We need to create SMART "applications" of the word--specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound responses to God's teaching, otherwise, we are just fooling ourselves.

PRAYER: Father, I live in a Christian world that truly does not understand the importance of applying truth. I think the business community does a better job of taking specific measurable actions than Christians. Believers just think about. Oh, what a waste. Lord, open our eyes to the need for real change in our lives.

QT 20 Feb 2020, Luke 7:31-32, We don't disbelieve because we can't; we disbelieve because we choose

Luke 7:31–32 (ESV) —

31 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

“ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’

NOTE: I think Jesus' point is that man always has an excuse to why he will not consider obedience to God as a rightful action for his life. There is always a reason. The reason does not have to make sense. Logic can be discarded when it comes to the claims of Christ. Unbelief has nothing to do with science or intellect but only rebellion. We do not believe because we choose not to believe.

PRAYER: Father, help my friends, acquaintances, and co-workers see the real issue of life. It is not the facts, but it is their black heart. Open their eyes to their sin, your standard of righteousness, and the coming judgment.

QT 19 Feb 2020, Luke 7:22-23, We need to believe even when it doesn't always make sense

Luke 7:22–23 (ESV) — 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

NOTE: So what was John's problem? Jesus was fulfilling many of the Messianic prophecies. It could be that the prophecies did not mention healing of lepers. Elijah healed lepers and raised the dead. Maybe Jesus was Elijah to come. And from John's perspective, there was one unfulfilled prophecy -- releasing prisoners. John was a prisoner and in danger of dying before being released.  Even John did not truly understand Jesus' ministry. The prophesized release of prisoners was not physical, but spiritual, and would require Jesus' death on the cross. Yes, John called him the lamb of God, but did he really understand what that meant? Certainly, none of his disciples or the religious leaders of the day understood it.

PRAYER: Father, even when we are privy to the inside information of your work, we still don't understand it all. We need to trust you and acknowledge you in all things. Faith is believing you know exactly what you are doing -- and it is a good thing.

QT 18 Feb 2020, Luke 7:12-14, Open up your emotions to God

Luke 7:12–14 (ESV) — 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

NOTE: This is a very human reaction. It is not as if God did not know of the death of the son or that there was some argument as to why he should live. But Jesus responds to the emotion of the mother -- Luke writes, "he had compassion on her." This becomes a very key moment in Jesus' ministry as he raises the dead to life, although technically, this is not considered a resurrection (only a resuscitation) since the body has not been dead 3 days. Lazarus will meet the demands of a resurrection in fulfillment of one of the three Messianic miracles. Still, emotion is not ignored by God but often mentioned in scripture. Hannah wept for a child. David was known for his heart (emotions) for the Lord. Emotions are a good thing and a part and parcel of relationships which God desires to have with us.

PRAYER: Father, I pray that our relationship with you would not be cold. I pray that we would express our heart, our desires, our fears, our pains to you. I pray we would not hold back. It is not as if we can hide anything from you anyway.

QT 17 Feb 2020, Luke 7:8-9, Faith that marvels and faith that pleases

Luke 7:8–9 (ESV) — 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

NOTE: There is faith that marvels and there is faith that pleases. Jesus was amazed at the man's faith in the power of Jesus' word or  command. In Hebrews, it says that faith that pleases God acknowledges his existence and believes he is a rewarder of those who love him. Pleasing faith goes one step further, believing whatever the result, God cares and has my best interest at heart. Pleasing faith includes  the belief that God exists, like the Centurion. But pleasing faith also believes God cares. Both aspects of faith are difficult. But maybe the most difficult is believing in God's care when God does not answer your prayers as you wish.

PRAYER: Father, forgive me for my unbelief. My flesh yearns for comfort. It does not know how to not worry. I know that I am to cast my cares upon you. I know that prayer provides the peace of God. I know. And yet I still struggle with the fears of my flesh. Comfort me. Give me hope. Provide your peace.

QT 13 Feb 2020, Luke 6:43, We need transformed hearts

Luke 6:45 (ESV) — 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

NOTE: A person can hide or mask his heart for a time, but in the end and over time it will always reveal itself. The key is not to try changing the heart, but transforming the heart. Transformation is a work of the Holy Spirit that occurs through the renewing of the mind. As we are filled with the Spirit and as we allow the word of Christ to dwell in us richly, we change. As we apply the word of God to our life, we change. As we listen AND obey God, we change. And slowly the heart changes, and slowly the fruit changes, so that the abundance of our transformed hearts produces good.

PRAYER: Father, reveal to me my darkened heart. Holy Spirit, transform my heart into something that will glorify the God-head and produce good.

QT 12 Feb 2020, Luke 6:42, Recognizing our failures first

Luke 6:42 (ESV) — 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

NOTE: What is the log in my eye? Do we ask that question enough, or ever? We always assume there is not a log in our eyes. How can we believe we are so perfect? Maybe the better discussion with ourselves is to start by recognizing our own weaknesses and failures, and then asking ourselves if they have any bearing on our interaction with another concerning their "speck?" I think it would be a much healthier person who admits his own failures before he complains of another.

PRAYER: Father, it is easy to mentally attack others for injustice, but I am not perfect either. Forgive me for my failures and my sins. Help me to give grace to others as you give to me.

QT 11 Feb 2020, Luke 6:35-36, Love your enemies

Luke 6:35–36 (ESV) — 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

NOTE: It is easy to love those who love you. It is easy to reciprocate to those who reciprocate to you. It is very hard to love those who don't love you or who take advantage of you or who have no intention of repaying or even saying thank you. It is hard. But, this is what God calls us to do -- not to worry about how we will be repaid or whether we are being taken advantage of or being abused -- we are to love people independent of the results.

PRAYER: Father, this is hard to do and I don't do a very good job. I'd rather pray for vengeance than blessing. But, I do lift up those who have acted as my enemies. Work in their heart. I pray that they may receive the greatest blessing of all, the knowledge of Jesus as their savior.

QT 10 Feb 2020, Luke 6:26, Speak truth in love

Luke 6:26 (ESV) — “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

NOTE: In context, I don't believe that Jesus is saying that our witness needs to be so "in your face" as to drive people away from you. If so, then Paul's teaching would be in conflict with Jesus. I think the point here is that if our teaching is so vanilla, as to please everyone, then we are not preaching the truth. People liked the false prophets because they told them what they wanted to hear. If we are a teacher, we need to express truth clearly, although as Peter says, "gently and respectfully." We mustn't shy away from the hard teachings of scripture on sexual mores, immorality, and sexual identity in light of creation. This is especially true in regards to believers. In regard to the world, we must share the gospel, but we cannot force our opinion or bible truth upon the unbeliever. If they ask, we should not shrink back, but the non-Christian is not required to obey the God's word. He or she can choose what to believe. It does not make it true or not true, but God gives them that choice, to accept or reject, with the consequences of unbelief.

PRAYER: Father, it is hard to live in this world. Satan has a strangle-hold on culture, and Christians are losing the battle. We must pray, but we cannot change men's hearts with laws, only the Holy Spirit can do that. Give me wisdom in my response to the world and its culture, especially in the workplace.

QT 7 Feb 2020, Luke 6:12, Rely on God, not people

Luke 6:12 (ESV) — In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.

NOTE: Jesus was a perfect man, without sin, and fully God. And yet, decisions required careful thought and prayer with the Father. God, existing without the constraints of time, knows exactly the decision to make, yet Jesus wrestles all night in prayer. In this case, the constraint of being a man and making hard choices was upon Jesus. It is not easy being a leader. The decisions of the leader are questioned even when the rationale is explained. The one person any child of God can go to is the Father. He will listen and comfort and strengthen. I wonder if Jesus upset others for not choosing them. I wonder if they went from being a friend to a scoffer. I wonder if roots of bitterness sprung up. All we can do is pray.

PRAYER: Father, as a leader, my decisions are not accepted by all. I'm no longer one of the "guys." I'm a boss and my actions and choices are evaluated, discussed, and sometimes dismissed. I don't know the secret to not letting that bother me, except I do know I can always go to you.

QT 6 Feb 2020, Luke 6:9-11, Rage does no good

Luke 6:9–11 (ESV) — 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

NOTE: The story reminds me of a certain political party that is so filled with rage, it can't think straight. But church Christians do the same thing when they project their convictions onto other brothers and sisters. They become filled with rage that the other person is not obeying what to them seems so obvious. Rage, the common response to not getting our own way. James talks about those believers in James 4. Later in the chapter, he says that God opposes the proud, the person who thinks he is always right in spiritual matters.

PRAYER: Father, forgive me for the same trap. Help me to recognize my pride. Protect me from emotional responses, especially rage. Jesus seldom exploded in anger (the money-changers and the pharisees -- people who were supposedly helping others spiritually being an exception). No, Jesus was gentle. I want to be gentle with people.

QT 5 Feb 2020, Luke 5:33, Fasting and prayer are different now

Luke 5:33 (ESV) — And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.”

NOTE: I think the gist of Jesus' response to the Pharisees is, things are different. A new thing is happening and the old ways don't apply. And I don't think the issue was fasting or prayer but rather a different way of fasting and prayer. The Pharisees' fasting and prayer was public and intentionally noticeable. Apparently, John's disciples may have followed the same example. Jesus would later teach how to fast and pray. Essentially, don't let anyone know you are fasting. Don't pray out loud to be seen by others. Fast and pray in secret. Make it a matter of the heart and not a matter to be seen.

PRAYER: Father, the new covenant is a covenant of the heart. And I am so glad. I would not want to live in an age of show. I have enough problems with pride. Father, help those who live in the shadow of religion find real hope and peace in a relationship with you through Jesus' sacrifice for their sin.

QT 4 Feb 2020, Luke 5:32, We are sinners in need of a savior

Luke 5:32 (ESV) — I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

NOTE: Jesus came to call all people to repentance, but those who think they are righteous cannot repent due to their blindness. I think that was the real purpose of the sermon on the mount. It is not the letter of the law but the spirit of the law which reveal our inner heart. Maybe, the Pharisees were righteous in the area of adultery, but I doubt they or any man had never lusted. Paul says to the Romans that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23), and that there is no one righteous, not even one. But we have to recognize we have a sin problem to see our need for a savior. There can be no salvation without repentance.

PRAYER: Father, open our eyes to our sin. Help us to see that we are not righteous. Help us to see that we are sinners in need of a savior.

QT 3 Feb 20, Luke 5:26, Unbelief despite seeing the truth

Luke 5:26 (ESV) — 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

NOTE: Amazement and extraordinary things -- we did not get a chance to see it. We have the written record and the testimony of eyewitnesses, but it is hard to believe something you do not see yourself. But even then, people chose not to believe. I think that is why God was so harsh to "this generation" as it is later called, because they had truth in front of them and still did not believe.

The requirement of faith is still the same today. The record is there, but also the change that God brings about in the heart of a person who is born again. There is no denying the work of the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER: Father, forgive us for our unbelief. Open our eyes. We head down a road deeper and deeper into sin. Where do you want me to serve?