Category:

Devotions

Keep at It! (Luke 11)

by TerryLema

One day the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. He gave them what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.” He also gave them a teaching on persistent prayer.  Part of that is a verse most of us have memorized. I like the way the Holman Christian Standard translates it.

“So I say to you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” [Luke 11:9-10 HCSB]

Whenever I read that exhortation to be persistent in our prayers, it takes me back to Moses in Exodus 33. The previous chapter in Exodus relates how the people had engaged in idolatry using a golden calf. That angered God who then invited Moses to intercede for them. Which, he did, of course. However, God told Moses to take the people to the Promised Land, and while He would provide an angel to lead them, He would not go with them.

Chapter 33 is Moses’ persistent prayer. He asks, he seeks, and he knocks. And each time Moses does, God responds.

Moses Asks: “Now if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, please teach me Your ways, and I will know You and find favor in Your sight. Now consider that this nation is Your people.” God Responds: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

 Moses Seeks: “If Your presence does not go don’t make us go up from here. How will it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your sight unless You go with us?” God Responds: “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.”

Moses Knocks: “Please, let me see Your glory.” God Responds: “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

Persistent Prayer. Amen

0 comment
FacebookEmail

The Good Samaritan (Luke 10)

by TerryLema

A few chapters before this one, Jesus told us to “Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” [6:27]

Now as Jesus is approached by a Pharisee with a question, Jesus provides an example of what He meant by loving our enemies.

The Pharisee wanted to know what he must do to inherit eternal life.  That is the same question the Rich Young Ruler asked Jesus. Both men thought they had it all together, they were doing what the rabbis always taught as the way to eternal life “Obey the statutes of God and avoid all sin.”

While both asked the same question, Jesus’ response was tailored to each man’s situation. The Rich Young Ruler was told to give away all his wealth. Jesus first responds to this Pharisee’s question with a question. “What is written in the law?” [vs 26]

The man answers that the law commands to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” [10:27 HCSB]

Jesus agrees and tells the man “Do this and you will live.”  [vs 28]

But … and here is the thing that we often do likewise … the Pharisee wanted the details. “Who is my neighbor?” [vs 29]

Jesus tells him, through the parable of The Good Samaritan, that his enemy is his neighbor. A Samaritan was hated by the Jews. He was considered a member of a mongrel race. There is no way a Pharisee would have stopped to help a Samaritan, but in Jesus’ parable, it is the Samaritan who stops to show mercy. The Samaritan loved his enemy.

The Pharisee has to admit that is what happened, and Jesus tells him to “Go and do the same.” [vs 37]

Wrapped up in the great command to love God with everything we have, and to love our neighbors as ourselves, is the deep truth that our enemies are included.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Messiah and a Cross (Luke 9)

by TerryLema

Suddenly, in Luke 9, the specter of the cross looms. Jesus asks His disciples who the crowds say he is. They have various responses. Then Jesus makes it personal by asking them a question, the same question He asks each one of us: “But you, who do you say that I am?” [v20]

Peter’s response is that He is the long-awaited King, the Messiah, the Anointed One to come.  Immediately, Jesus turns their thinking in a totally new direction. “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.” [vs 22]

No one ever associated the long-awaited Messiah with suffering, rejection, and death.  It stunned the disciples. It was incomprehensible. Before they can even catch their breath, however, He stuns them again.

“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.’” [vs 23 HCSB]

To follow this King did not mean a cushy castle or a slew of servants. To follow this King of kings meant embracing a cross daily and going where He leads. It meant losing life in order to save it for all eternity.

The disciples must have wondered what they had gotten themselves into by following Jesus. When it became real at the betrayal, during the trials and at the cross, all but one abandoned Him, and one went so far as to deny Him three times.

They were lost, grieving, and confused as Jesus was in the tomb those three days, but then, Resurrection changed everything. I think it was at that point that they truly understood what Jesus said to them that day about picking up their cross daily and following Him. Because each one did, and because they did, the world was changed.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Sources of Support (Luke 8)

by TerryLema

In another 23 days I will be spending my final day serving as the pastor of The Way Middleton. It seems my life is turning a corner and I am not sure what is around that corner. (Except to know that my LORD is there so it will be all right.)

Being a woman in ministry since 1985 has had its delights and its challenges. There are many in Christianity that do not think a woman should pastor a church, and they often raise their concerns to me through emails and on social media. Those concerns are frequently voiced in language that can be hurtful. I learned a long time ago to not argue but to remain silent and pray instead.

Luke 8 opens with the news that Jesus was traveling from one town to another with the twelve disciples. He was preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God. As Jesus traveled with the twelve, there were others with Him.

“The Twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary, called Magdalene (seven demons had come out of her); Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others who were supporting them from their possessions.” [8:1-3 HCSB]

We seldom think of those women who were touched by Jesus and subsequently supported Him in His ministry. They supported His ministry in the only way they could in that culture … with their possessions. They provided the means behind the ministry.

All four Gospel writers record that except for the Apostle John, it was women who stood around the cross as Jesus was crucified. It was women who gathered the supplies to anoint His body after the Passover ended, and it was women to whom the glorious message of Resurrection was first announced.

Jesus set women free to be all they could be in Him. He alone, through the power of the Holy Spirit, anoints people, both men and women, to serve Him as He directs. I am so humbled that He would choose to use me, but how can we refuse to serve Him with all our might after having been set free by Him.

Thank you, LORD, for the many years of ministry. I will never be able to repay You for the freedom You have given me.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

People! (Luke 7)

by TerryLema

I love Luke Chapter 7! It is a chapter filled with people and Jesus’ interaction with them. I could spend weeks in Luke Chapter 7. There is the Roman Centurion, the widow of Nain, John the Baptist, and finally the Pharisee and the sinful woman with the alabaster jar who anoints the feet of Jesus.

Each interaction holds deep meaning for us. Each one reveals something beautiful in the heart of Jesus. Which one to choose this morning?

While I am always touched by the bravery of the sinful woman in the Pharisee’s house, I must say I am partial to the Roman Centurion. He was more than a sinner; he was a Gentile … Gentiles were often called dogs by the Jewish leaders, and “dog” in this society was a derogatory term. Even more, he was part of the hated Roman occupation.

There was something about this Gentile Roman Centurion, however, that endeared him to the Jewish elders who came to Jesus.  They informed Jesus that this man was worthy of His attention “because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.” [7:5 HCSB]

Jesus does go with the elders but before the entourage reaches the Centurion’s residence, another group of people, friends of the Centurion, stop Him with the news that this Roman Centurion does not feel worthy to have Jesus come to Him. Then they relate a statement of faith that is familiar to all of us.

“Lord, don’t trouble Yourself, since I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be cured. For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” [7:6-8 HCSB]

Jesus’ response is to note this Centurion’s faith is greater than any He has even seen in Israel. For me, there are a few words in the Centurion’s statement that we often ignore or fail to appreciate their importance. “For I too am a man placed under authority ….”

 You do not become a person of authority until you learn how to be a person under authority.

Mark 10:45: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many. [HCSB]

0 comment
FacebookEmail

The Sabbath, the Disciples, the Beatitudes (Luke 6)

by TerryLema

Wow, what a chapter! It begins with Jesus proclaiming that He is Lord of the Sabbath. (The Sabbath means far more than just taking one day off from work to rest. It means a deep rest, a profound peace. When Jesus says He is LORD of the Sabbath, He means He is our deep rest and our eternal peace.)

Then Jesus calls His disciples together and chooses 12 to be His closest. He calls them apostles. For the remainder of the chapter, Luke recounts an abbreviated version of the Sermon on the Mount.  A large portion of that is dedicated to loving our enemies.

“But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you…. For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”  [Luke 6:27, 35b-36 HCSB]

Sometimes Christians can be cavalier about “loving our enemies.” We all know what Jesus said. We even think we are doing it. But are we really? Or are we choosing which of “our enemies” to love?

It is easy to love your enemies if you get to choose which ones – because we will usually choose as enemies those who are just a little irritating or annoying. We seldom choose to love those who can do immeasurable harm to us, or those with whom we have major disagreements. (Think political figures we disagree with, or those on the other side of the virus and vaccine debates, or those who hate Christianity and seek to stamp it out.)

But Jesus was specific. We are to do good to those who hate us. We are to bless those who curse us (and those who curse our God). We are to pray for those who abuse us.

We are to be merciful simply because our Father is merciful (and has extended that mercy to His greatest enemies – us!)

0 comment
FacebookEmail

The Sick Need a Doctor (Luke 5)

by TerryLema

Luke 5 is the chapter when Jesus begins to call disciples to Himself. First were Peter and his brother Andrew and the brothers James and John. Midway through the chapter He calls the tax collector, Levi, also called Matthew.

In between the calling of the two sets of fisherman brothers and the outcast tax collector, Jesus heals a leper and a paralytic.

The part of Chapter 5 I like best is when Matthew throws a party at his house for Jesus, the new disciples, Matthew’s tax collector friends and “others who were guests.” [5:29 HCSB]

I do not know if the “others who were guests” included religious leaders but Luke does say that the party irritated the Pharisees and scribes who complained to the disciples about the quality of the company Jesus was keeping.

“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” [5:30 HCSB]

Jesus was the one who replied to the complaints of the Pharisees and Scribes. “The healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” [5:31-32 HCSB]

Only sick people need a doctor. Only sinners need a Savior.

If we are too arrogant to acknowledge our need for a doctor, we may die.

If we are too arrogant to acknowledge our need for a Savior, we will die eternally.

Only those who know their need will be saved.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Temptation and Rejection (Luke 4)

by TerryLema

After Jesus’ baptism (recorded in Luke 3), Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness “for 40 days to be tempted by the Devil.” [Luke 4:2 HCSB]

We know Jesus answered every temptation the Devil aimed against Him with the Word of God. When the Devil realized he was not going to win, he left, but as Luke reminds his readers, “he departed from Him [only] for a time.” [4:13 HCSB]

After Jesus victory over the Devil’s temptation, he returned to the region of Galilee and taught in the synagogues, eventually arriving at his hometown Nazareth. His hometown first spoke well of Him but also noted that He was not much more than Joseph the carpenter’s son. [vs 22]

It does not take very long, however, before his hometown is offended by His comments and turns on Him.  “They got up, drove Him out of town, and brought Him to the edge of the hill that their town was built on, intending to hurl Him over the cliff. But He passed right through the crowd and went on His way.” [4:29-30 HCSB]

Later in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus will inform His disciples that He has come for a specific purpose, and that purpose includes, suffering and rejection.  (“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.” [9:22 HCSB])

Sadly, Jesus’ first rejection comes at the hands of the people in His hometown, people who knew His family, people who knew Him – perhaps even watched Him grow up among them. They are so enraged at His words that they would have killed Him, but it was not yet His time to die and neither was being hurled over a cliff the way He was to die.

There is a cross waiting for Him ahead and an even greater rejection when God will turn His back on His One and Only Son as He becomes the Sacrificial Lamb slain for the sins of the world.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

The “Here After” (Luke 3)

by TerryLema

Someone once said: “The preacher came to call the other day. He said at my age I should be thinking about the hereafter. I told him, ‘Oh, I do all the time. No matter where I am – in the parlor, upstairs, in the kitchen, or down in the basement – I ask myself “What am I here after?”’”

It had been 400 years since the prophet Malachi spoke of a prophet coming in the spirit of Elijah.  “Look, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome Day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.” [4:5-6 HCSB]

In those 400 years God had been silent. It had been a long time since the people of Israel had been prompted to think about the “hereafter.” Then as Luke tells us “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” (and a bunch of other rulers), “God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the vicinity of the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” [Luke 3:2-3 HCSB]

God was no longer silent. His word was coming through a fiery prophet, John, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. John was reminding people of the “hereafter” and their need of repentance for sins. He was, as Isaiah prophesied, a voice crying out in the wilderness, preparing the way for the LORD so that everyone would see the salvation of God. [Isaiah 40]

We know John’s message was incomplete. He acknowledged that he was not the Messiah to come. He conceded that he baptized using water and that the One to come would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. He also probably had no idea that Jesus, the Messiah, would have to die on a cross and be rejected by the religious leaders in order to secure the forgiveness for the repentance he proclaimed.

One thing I always note though, no matter how incomplete John’s understanding of repentance was, as he spoke of repentance he also tied repentance to a change of behavior. The people who flocked to him in the wilderness asked him what they had to do, he told them that a change of behavior was associated with their repentance.

Repentance is so much more than “feeling remorse” for something we have done or failed to do. True repentance that seeks the forgiveness God offers through Christ must always be accompanied by a change of heart and a change of behavior.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Destined (Luke 2)

by TerryLema

The first 20 verses of Luke 2 are probably so familiar to us. We read them in church at Christmas time, as well as to our families on Christmas Eve or Day.  Usually, we don’t go beyond the 20th verse.  After all those first 20 verses are full of mangers and angels and shepherds and songs of glory to God.  They are so glorious Mary “[treasured] up all these things in her heart and [meditated] on them.” [2:19 HCSB]

In the middle of the chapter Jesus’ parents present Him at the temple and Simeon and Anna sing about Him. The end of the chapter tells us about a trip Jesus took with His parents to Jerusalem when He was 12 years old. They head home thinking He’s with them, but instead Jesus remained with the elders in Jerusalem.

I always laugh when I remember Mark Lowry’s comment about that event. He said, “God entrusted them with His Son and they lost Him!”

There is, however, in this chapter of Luke a passage that is bittersweet. It is a prophecy spoken by Simeon at Jesus’ presentation.  “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed and a sword will pierce your own soul—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” [Luke 2:34-35]

As a mother, I can only imagine how those words cut Mary’s soul. This glorious Babe, announced by angels, worshipped by shepherds, regaled as the Messiah by Simeon and Anna, would face opposition and rejection. Mary probably did not understand the scope of that prophecy until she stood at the cross and saw her first child hanging naked, bloody, beaten, and cursed by the mob.

I imagine that in that moment as she watched the soldier pierce His side with a spear that Mary was carried back to that day of presentation in the temple and the words of Simeon became horribly real.

I love reading Luke 2, it is so familiar and comforting, but as we read it this Christmas season, it must always be with an awareness of the cost to God’s Precious Son.

0 comment
FacebookEmail