Focal Passage: Luke 3:1-6; 4:14-21 

Luke was not born a Jew. In fact, he was born a Greek. Some have suggested he may have been a Hellenized Jew, but nonetheless still very much a Gentile before becoming a Christian in 51 A.D. He was born in the city of Antioch in Syria. 

Luke was deeply influenced by Greek culture and the search for knowledge and understanding. Thus, he was a very educated man particularly in the area of the human anatomy and became a physician by trade. Because of his education and culture, he realized the need to look closely at the details if you are to fully understand the circumstances, significance, and meaning of what was, is, and going to happen. To Luke, things had to be looked at in context if you are going to see truth.

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Focal Passage: Luke 17:1-10 

Evidence of a mature faith: I have often had people tell me that they do not understand a large portion of Scriptures that they have read. My response is always the same. Pray and ask God to illuminate your mind and look to wise and trusted teachers to help you in your understanding of a given passage. 

When you consider Luke 17:1-4, Jesus’ instructions are pretty simple and yet profound. It is important to recognize that He is speaking to His followers in this passage. He makes it clear that struggles and failures will come for every believer. Jesus says that there will be severe consequences for those that cause others to stumble or to sin. In verse 3 the Lord says, “Be on your guard. Rebuke a sinner and forgive sinners.” These words are not difficult to understand, but difficult to live out in our daily lives. Jesus added to that by saying that we are to forgive them without limitations. 

When we act out of faith and forgiveness our understanding of God’s forgiveness toward us is put on display. That creates a heart of mature and obedient faith before the Lord. [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Luke 12:22-34 

Where is your anxiety: In my 40-plus years of ministry I have found myself asking people, “What is your greatest fear?” 

The answers have varied from person to person, but typically it is a general anxiety of not knowing their future. In these verses Jesus has gathered with His disciples and tells them in Luke 12:23, “Don’t worry about your life.” 

He is not telling them to be irresponsible or apathetic, but to live a life that is dependent on God. He is telling them that God feeds the very birds of the air every day, and that people are much more important than any other part of His creation. We should be reminded that this is a message for followers of Christ.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Luke 11:1-13 

Praying to a Holy God. I am always amazed when I hear how people approach God. We find the proper approach to God in Luke 11:2. Jesus instructs His disciples, “Whenever you pray, say, Father, your name be honored as holy.” I believe that we are absolutely God’s precious children, but I think we have often forgotten that He is our Lord. 

This scripture takes me to the prophet Isaiah experiencing the presence of God and the response of even the angels in Isaiah 6:3, “And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth.”  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Luke 8:41-42,49-56 

When nothing else matters: In Luke 8:41-42 we find a narrative that most all of us can relate to in some respect. Jesus has just come from Gadara where he has restored a man possessed by a demon and returned to Capernaum. 

There is a crowd gathered around Jesus and suddenly a man named Jairus fell at Jesus’s feet. He was a leader in the synagogue. His only daughter was dying. This story resonates with me on two very personal levels. First, I had the privilege to walk among the ruins of Capernaum with two of my granddaughters when they lived in Israel. 

We arrived there early one morning and had the place to ourselves before the tour buses arrived fifteen minutes later. It was surreal to get a glimpse of Peter’s homeplace and to think of all the things that Jesus did there. I remember sitting with my two granddaughters among the synagogue ruins and talking about what it must have been like to actually sit and listen to Jesus as He taught the people.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Luke 7:1-10 

A humble faith: In my observation, one of the greatest life struggles is often faith. I think that the reasons for that reality are many, but often stem from human disappointment. 

In my forty plus years of ministry I have seen people with incredible faith, but I have seen more people that struggled everyday with their faith journey. 

We live in a very self-sufficient, science-based world that doesn’t require people to live by faith on a day-to-day basis. Too often we find ourselves only trusting God in a crisis and not in the little things.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Psalm 10:1-4,12-18 

Where are you Lord? The psalmist begins this passage with the question of God’s distance from him. I have heard so many people, even Christians for that matter, often speak of God seeming distant from them. They often say, “I don’t see God in my circumstance.” This is not an emotion that was unfamiliar even for the biblical writer. 

In Psalm 22:11 the psalmist pleads, “Do not be far from me, because distress is near and there is no one to help.” Psalm 44:24 asks, “Why do You hide Yourself and forget our affliction and oppression?” 

You hear the desperation in Psalm 71:10-12 as the Psalmist cries out, “For my enemies talk about me, and those who spy on me plot together, saying, “God has abandoned him; chase him and catch him, for there is no one to rescue him.”   [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Luke 5:1-11 

Hearing God’s Word. In Luke 5:1-3 we find Jesus on the shore of Lake Gennesaret or the Sea of Galilee. I live on Fort Loudon Lake, but it is often called the Tennessee River, Ish Creek, or just Loudon. Sometimes theologians and historians get caught up with details, but the simple truth is that different bodies of water were given different names depending on what person or people group was giving the name. 

Luke tells us the people were crowding Jesus and he asked Simon Peter to pull him back so everyone could hear his teaching. This speaks to the inclusivity of the gospel. 

How important is the Word of God? Well, Jesus Christ was the Word made flesh, yet He came to preach the Good News. (Luke 4:43) Jesus Himself knew that the proclaimed Word was powerful to change lives.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Psalm 91:1-6, 9-16 

My God in whom I trust: For a person to really trust someone they must understand who that person is. That is why the psalmist (most likely Moses) states that our protection is provided by the Most High. 

The word “Most High” denotes the One that is the very highest. He is above all other gods and is the One they must all go up to. God’s people are in the shadow of the Almighty. He is always “overshadowing” us with His presence. 

When I visited the Holy Land on different occasions, I quickly began to understand that shade was a place of comfort and rest from the treacherous elements. That is why the Psalmist spoke of dwelling in the shadow of the Most High.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Jeremiah 23:5-6, Romans 3:10-13, 21-26 

The Righteous Branch of David: The prophet Jeremiah begins this passage with, “Look, the days are coming.”  Jeremiah opened with this same statement on 15 other occasions.

Even though Jeremiah was known as the “weeping prophet,” he was given the task of bringing hope to God’s people. It is important to note that it is God who initiated the hope and also God who raised up the person of hope. 

In Zechariah 3:8 God promises, “”Listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your colleagues sitting before you; indeed, these men are a sign that I am about to bring My servant, the Branch.” [Read more…]