Tag: Luke

They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” Luke 24:32 [AMP]

Today I was reading about the appearing of the Lord Jesus to the men on the road to Emmaus. How Jesus came along two of the ones that Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James had told of the empty tomb and the angels that spoke to them. These 2 men were talking to each other on their way and Jesus came up alongside them, but their eyes were not permitted to see that it was Him. Jesus “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” Luke 24:27. They invited this stranger to dinner and when He broke bread, blessed it, and handed it to them, all at once it was revealed who He was and immediately He vanished. The verse I started with above is what they said to each other when they realized it was Him.

It dawns on me that this is the first time the ‘Living Word’ was spoken to them and ‘their hearts burned within them’. This is what happens to me when I read God’s Word and He reveals a TRUTH and application to my life I had not seen before. This is a true gift to us as believers and not something that can be explained but must be experienced. When this happens to you, listen! God is speaking to you! Internalize it and apply it to your life. It is God’s provision and His gift to us on this earth to hear directly from Him through His Holy Spirit speaking into our lives.

I have such gratefulness in my heart for this gift and never let it go to waste. God’s direction in my life is a building of faith that no other religion on this planet can provide. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the gift of your ‘Helper’ while I wait for your return!

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?  He is not here but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”  And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Luke 24:5-9 [AMP]

This is what we live for as ‘born again’ Christians…a living God who has conquered death. Because of Jesus, we do not have to fear death; for what comes after eclipses, beyond imagination, anything we can achieve here on earth.

What our role is here in this world and lifetime, is to honor the Gift that has been given to us by living according to the teachings of our Savior. Living to a standard that glorifies only one person, the Person of Jesus Christ.

This Christmas season is an opportunity to show our families and kids what it means to be servant hearted and generous in our giving of time and gifts celebrating how Jesus entered the world to fulfil His redemption plan. I know I have quoted this verse a lot but in light of today’s reading, it once again presents itself as meaningful:

​Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2 [AMP]

It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.  The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.       On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. Luke 23:54-56 [AMP]

One thing that never dawned on me was that Jesus spent His time absent from the Father on the Sabbath. I am probably the last Christian on earth that been has been struck in this way and I feel somewhat embarrassed by it. This gives a whole new meaning to the Sabbath and spending time (not working) but dwelling on the price that was paid for my sins. Although the type death Jesus died was horrific, the real price was the separation from God the Father in death. I am sure that this is what He was dreading most when He prayed for the ‘cup to pass from Him’.

When we spend out 1 day of the week praying and communing with the risen Christ on our mind, it should always include the gratefulness in acknowledgement of what He did on that day for us. Because of this, we don’t have to have that separation, we are redeemed to live with God for eternity; never having to reap what deserve. What an amazing mindset to rest in each week -> our Lord and Savior enduring separation so that we never have to. So grateful for the perfect plan God has had in His redemption story.

Luke 22:66-69 [AMP]
As soon as it was day, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes; and they led Him into their council (the Sanhedrin), and they said,
If You are the Christ (the Messiah), tell us. But He said to them, If I tell you, you will not believe (trust in, cleave to, and rely on what I say),
And if I question you, you will not answer.
But hereafter (from this time on), the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.

This passage resonates with me regarding the naysayers of today. The culture and society we live in refuses to believe just as the Sanhedrin did. The Truth of Gods Word shouts Who God is yet people want to be their own god. The worth of a persons own view of themselves has eclipsed the reality of Gods design. The freedom the believer receives in their salvation and righteousness we acquire through faith and surrender to the One True God is a peace and rest in Who the person Jesus is and our inheritance with Him.

I can confidently walk forward in this life knowing my security is in the One I trust. I am so thankful for the Bible which provides everything I need to live the upright life I have been called to, yet have the ever coming grace God provides when I fall.

It’s been a crazy week and a half working 12–16 hour days. My family has been so supportive and I and so grateful to the Lord for them. Tonight my work team gave me the night off to attend Sophie’s Christmas Choir Concert and again, I am grateful. On Friday Prim fell at the roller skating rink and got a hairline fracture in her right elbow and her delayed Birthday Party was Sunday. Just a comedy of situations that all add up to “life”. Something again, I am eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven for.

Luke 22:61 [AMP]
And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter recalled the Lord’s words, how He had told him, Before the cock crows today, you will deny Me thrice.

This whole scene has always haunted me. After the third time Peter denied Jesus and the rooster crowed, being led to trial, Jesus turns to see Peter and Peter is reminded of what the Lord would tell him he would do…and he ran off bitterly weeping in his self loathing and grief.

I want to live in a way that when Jesus returns in the sky, that He catches my eye and mine is not one of self-loathing for the situation I am ( a corrupt state of heart) but one of absolute joy and gratefulness that even while I was in my sin, He died for me because the joy that He saw before Him (with me in Heaven), He bore the cross and separation from the Father so that I would never have to.

And He said to them, "When I sent you out with no purse or [provision] bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" They answered, "Nothing!" Then He said to them, "but now let him who has a purse take it, and also [his provision] bag; and let him who has no sword sell his mantle and buy a sword.
 For I tell you that this Scripture must yet be fulfilled in Me: And He was counted and classed among the wicked (the outlaws, the criminals); for what is written about Me has its fulfillment [has reached its end and is finally settled]."
 And they said, Look, Lord! Here are two swords. And He said to them, "It is enough." Luke 22:35-38 [AMP]

I have had a wonderful time in thanksgiving these last several days with family and friends. We had a full house and broke bread together as we pondered all the Lord has done for and given us. I have had some quiet moments where I have sat down and opened God’s word but not necessarily time to document in Blog form. With being home with visiting family and time off from work, almost all of my free time has gone to them. However, I am coming back to something I read in Luke 22 that I spent a little time researching -> the passage above.

I know that there are many who regard this passage as Jesus endorsing the taking up of arms…however, after more careful reading, it is more a call to be ready for hard-ship and sacrifice to come -> Jesus’ statement is not to discourage trust in God’s provision but to alert the Twelve to the fact that a period of intense tribulation, introduced by ‘but now’, is underway. Jesus’ advice to buy a sword is not meant as a literal instruction for the disciples but as a general pointer of the strife to come. In short, the call to purchase a sword ‘is a call to be ready for hardship and self-sacrifice’.

When the disciples say “look here Lord, we have two swords”…<Ben’s Opinion>I think that Jesus is just trying to close off the conversation because His disciples have failed to grasp what it means for their Master to model the Suffering Servant which is His passion to give Himself up to be the ultimate sacrifice for all.</Ben’s Opinion>

Finally, I don’t see any issue with us defending our families, homes, and selves – I just want to stop short of seeing this passage as some sort of endorsement of building up a cache.

Some trust in and boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God.

Psalms 20:7 [AMP]

..let him who is the greatest among you become like the youngest, and him who is the chief and leader like one who serves.  Luke 22:26 [AMP]

I have always considered myself a servant leader at work. This has become keenly apparent in the last 3 years where I have purposely over-indexed on this mentality. I ask a ton from my team, but I never ask them to do something I haven’t would not do myself.

In the context of my Christian walk I have more work to do here. The part of this verse that I am talking about is the first part – “let him who is the greatest among you become like the youngest”. Sometimes I find myself leaning too heavily on my age and experiences as vote of wisdom and care. However, wisdom on the act of service is powerful but I can find myself falling into a “I’ve paid my dues attitude” which gives a sense of entitlement. Jesus never operated this way. Today’s social norms of ‘seasoned wisdom’ is not always in alignment with obedience to Jesus. He calls us to be the least for the sake of the Kingdom; His Kingdom in which we are also heirs.

My countenance should always be to be humble and meek in spirit, serving ALL the people in my sphere of influence.

Luke 22:14-15 [AMP]
And when the hour came, [Jesus] reclined at table, and the apostles with Him.
And He said to them, I have earnestly and intensely desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

Luke’s capture of the last supper is so special. As I sit here and contemplate the coming time with family and friends to eat the meal of Thanksgiving, this passage takes on additional meeting. The amplified tells us that Jesus had been anticipating this time with His disciples for a long time. This time of eating and fellowship with these men He had selected and been with Him for His entire ministry, and this was an indicator of how close it was that He would be leaving them.

For us, Thanksgiving is all about focusing on what the Lord has done for us, through the giving of His Son for our sin; securing us a hope in eternity that we could never earn on our own. So, as I look forward to Thursday and sitting down with my family and friends over a dinner together, I will have new thoughts and gratitude based on this passage about how the Lord cared so much for his friends, and for the joy set before Him, He was willing to endure the cross, knowing that He would be reunited with them in heaven. In fact, He was thinking of all of us.

I pray that Thanksgiving for you will be a time spent in awe at the mercy and grace of our Savior, for what He was willing to do for each and every one of us.

“Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.”  They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?”  He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house, ​‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’  And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.”  And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. Luke 22:8-13 [ESV]

When I read passages like this and the one about Jesus telling the disciples in Matthew 21:2&3 to go get the donkey for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem on, we see the omniscience that Jesus had to see into all ‘states’ of life and ability to project outcomes and influence people. The person with the jar of water and anyone asking about taking the donkey; were going to go along with the foretelling of what Jesus said was going to happen. With all of this control, Jesus never swayed from His mission to carry out the will of the Father.

Not that it matters, but it is interesting to discuss -> was it Jesus saying what would happen because he already knew, or was it because the Father/Holy Spirit would make it so when the circumstances dictated it? Whatever the answer, it shows the divine nature of our Savior. When I think about Jesus as my intercessor in the throne room of Heaven, I have nothing to fear when I am following Him and my heart and motives are centered on the will of the Father. When I am following Jesus in obedience and leaning on Him for how I can be best used by Him, I can walk forward confidently understanding that my role in the building of His Kingdom will fall into place just in the way it should.

When I am not following Jesus in full heart, mind, soul, and strength, then I risk falling outside of the will of the Father and stand to lose out on being a vessel and instrument of His work. My mind and my heart must be aligned with His, in worship and obedience. When the Holy Spirit is active in my life, I rest assured that what God intends, will fall into place…what a freeing and amazingly safe place to be!