Scripture:
Luke 13:11-13 “Jesus saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are healed of your sickness!’ Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight.”
Observation:
Something strikes me about Jesus calling this woman to him. She’s spent eighteen years of her life hobbling around – likely in pain – because of this spirit. Rather than going to her though, he calls her to him. I guess at this point Jesus’ reputation preceded him – there was probably no thought about whether it would be worth the walk. Even so, I wonder if she thought “Hello – have you seen me?! I can barely move!” However, she went – the best steps she ever took.
Application:
If this woman can take these steps – I should be able to. Whether it’s easy to respond to Christ when he calls us, you can guarantee it’s going to be worth the walk.
Prayer:
Lord – thank you for making it worth it – help me also remember that my main duty is to serve your purposes and keep in mind that whether I see the “worth,” you will fulfill its value.
Scripture:
Luke 12:31 “He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.”
Observation:
I have such a hard time reading these promises. Same feeling I had yesterday when Christ tells us to just ask boldly and it will be given. I know my understanding and perspective are small, but I can’t see Jesus saying something like this with cryptic intent – ie “all you need” isn’t really food and water, but salvation. He was talking about food. I can’t see Jesus chuckling to himself afterward while he thought “no one can ever truly make the Kingdom of God their primary concern.” This isn’t love. Yet true worshipers of God, with basically nothing to be concerned about except the Kingdom of God, die every day from lack of food.
I can accept that such is the state of a broken world. I can accept that this is not the intent of God. I can accept that it is my very selfishness that contributes to others going hungry. That this occurs – I understand. It is the unfulfilled promises scripture makes, that Christ makes, that make me question. And that frustrate me. In many ways, Solomon’s teaching in Ecclesiastes lines up more consistently with my life experience – There are no guarantees for anything in this life – the good and the bad, righteous and evil, are all subject to the same circumstances on earth with no rhyme or reason to wealth, health, or happiness. Regardless of this, his final conclusion is to “Fear God and obey His commands.” This I can grasp.
Application:
Whether or not I sense these promises of Christ fulfilled in my life, or in the lives of people across the globe, the Kingdom of God will be my primary concern – if nothing else because I know that at that time, in that place, there will be no want for food, no need for healing, no cause for sorrow. Until then, I will fear God and obey His commands.
Prayer:
Lord thank you for promise of heaven that is fulfilled through Christ. Thank you for every measure of faith you give me – help me when I struggle. When you call me to be part of your plan of salvation, let me be attentive and obedient. Amen.
Scripture:
Luke 11:39-41 “Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.”
Observation:
I think today this would look like sitting down and immediately eating without washing your hands and praying before the meal. Jesus was looking for this conversation. What throws me off is that the thing he identifies as unclean about them is that they “neglect justice and the love of God.” It’s as if he’s telling them “you talk too much.” In order to be clean, they need to give to the poor. Not a particularly complex command.
Application:
Embarrassingly there is no meaningful area of my life which intersects with the poor or oppressed. That ought to change.
Prayer:
Lord – help me figure out what that looks like for our family.
Scripture:
Luke 8:5-8 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
Observation:
I’m struck for the first time that %75 of the seed actually took root. The %50 that didn’t make it – they might have if someone were caring for them. I think if I were to identify what “rocky soil” looks like in someone’s life, I would look to community. The seed among thorns doesn’t take any more pondering for me – In fact, it’s stuff that I think American Christians are consistently faced with: “the cares and riches and pleasures of this life.”
Application:
As a church staff member, I think I am part of the “gardening team” for the seed Dad has cast. So, in light of this verse and my observation, my two application steps would be to A) help people find deep, rich community at Life Center and B) help people clear their thorns. The addition of Cobblestone to our website offers substantial resources for building community – I need to invest time in this. Clearing their thorns though … I’m not exactly sure how to do this. Perhaps this is a focus issue. How can I help people focus on God instead of their thorns. I think consistent online resources could really help with this. With all the social media and SMS technology, we’ve got better and better access to lives. I wonder if an active Life Center twitter account could help?
Prayer:
Lord – you are the master gardener. You know the needs for each of us. Please help me see the needs you would have me address, and then give me the inspiration and wisdom to do so.
Scripture:
Luke 7:36-39 “One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”
Observation:
Another display of the difference Christ makes. Sin separates people from God. It’s a wholesale deal-breaker for any hopes of communing with our creator. That was true before Christ, and it’s still true today. God will not tolerate sin. Christ, however, bridges the gap. God wouldn’t be in the presence of this woman – Christ lets himself be washed, kissed, and anointed by her. It’s interesting – those very things are what we need Christ to do for us. Wash us of our sin, welcome us to His Kingdom, and given a new path. In any case – Christ can tolerate the sin in us, not to remain in us, but our sin doesn’t keep us from him. God recognized the chasm that would always exist and that he would not move. He also recognized that despite our best, we could never bridge that chasm. So he sends Christ – holy and pure – able to be both in the presence of God, and in the presence of sin to bridge that gap. Astonishing.
Prayer:
Lord – Creator, thank you for Christ – for a deep love and desire to be in our presence and for sending Christ to make that possible.
