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Luke 12

12/22/2009

Luke 12:15 “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

I love this verse by Jesus because I think we forget that too many times. We should be concerned with what we do for others and how we are growing to be like Christ. When we truly are devoted to follow Christ we will have no excuses for what we do. God will be first and our desire will be to learn and live what we are taught in God’s word. I like this quote from the book “When God Writes Your Life Story” by Eric and Leslie Ludy. Leslie says, “God didn’t send His only Son to conquer sin and death on our behalf just so we could wallow in defeat and compromise while singing songs about His unconditional love. Jesus Christ died to give us true life- a life marked by a radiance and righteousness that transforms our entire existence.” We are to be so much more than just what we have.

In Luke 12:21 Jesus says, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Notice it doesn’t say don’t have anything, it says you need to have a rich relationship with God. When you are sold out to love God and learn, greed will not drive you and you can truly be transformed to be like Christ. Don’t just talk about being a Christian because that means nothing to God, work and grow to actually live being a Christian.

Jesus says in Luke 12:35-36 “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let Him in the moment He arrives and knocks.”

Are your lamps burning? If not ask God to light the flame and start the transformation. Amen

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Luke 11

12/19/2009

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Luke 11:13 “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”

Think about this, God does no wrong, so when we ask we get a true loving answer. It might not be what we want to hear but it is the best for us. This is why it is so important to read God’s word and get our wisdom from Him. There are so many things that go on in our lives; such as temptations, challenges, struggles and more. If we are not learning from God everyday to remind us these struggles can become a burden for us. But when we are full of what we need to know, we are able to work through the crud because the Holy Spirit is strong in us. People always say they don’t need to read or study God’s word but I disagree. I think it is so helpful to see and hear everyday what God wants.

In Luke chapter 11 verse 28 it Jesus says, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”

How can we put something into practice if we are not willing to study? We do it with the things we love and that give us pleasure. We work hard to be our best and to do our best in the worldly things.

Why if we are told in Luke chapter 10 verse 27 “you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. ‘And, ‘Love you neighbor as yourself” do we not always work at learning and putting into practice what we learn?

If we truly say we are followers of Jesus we should work our hardest to learn all we can. And if we give up something in our day because we are too busy it should be the things of the world.

I want to end with Luke chapter 11 verse 36 “If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”

Fill yourself always, Amen.

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Luke 8

12/15/2009

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Luke 8:18 “So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teachings more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.”

The part that really stuck out to me was; “So pay attention to how you hear.” Are we truly hearing what God is saying or is it clouded with our busy day or lives? Our listening time should be a time to fill ourselves and practice everything we learn.

This brings me back to Luke 8:15 which says, “And the seeds that fell on the good soil represented honest, good – hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.”

It says “…good – hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it…” Are we clinging to God’s to it, or are we just reading it? It needs to be personal and relational so we can put in to practice and feel God’s promise in our lives.

In 2 Samuel 22:31 it says, “God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.”

Really think about how you are hearing and open God’s word with the passion and desire to live what you are reading. If God’s word is living and active we need to be living it and actively changing our lives to resemble Christ. Don’t ever be satisfied with what you know, be willing to grow and learn everyday. Amen

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Luke 6

12/11/2009

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Luke 6:41-42 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrites! First get rid of the log in your own eye, then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friends eye.”

We need to notice that it is not saying don’t help your friends, it is saying make sure you are working and growing in your walk first. As we surrender to God and open His word with an open heart we should be changing our behavior. When we are changing our behavior we are getting rid of our log and we can be truly helpful to our friends. And we need true friends that will be growing close to God and challenging us to do the same. In the book “11” by Leonard Sweet he talks about everyone having a Jonathan, a true friend. Jonathan was there for David no matter what; even to help him when Saul (his father) was after David. Sweet says, “A Jonathan stanches the internal bleeding from your bleeding body when depression (which shows up frequently in David Psalms) drains the life from your soul. If “melancholy prepares the devil’s bath,” as Martin Luther liked to put it from personal experience, a Jonathan fight’s to turn off the faucets.” Do you have friends that will help you with your speck? If not I say get some. I believe they help us stay focused in our own walk with the Lord. We need to remember that we can never stop learning and growing to keep the log out of our eye, and we should be working on being a Jonathan for people in our lives. Amen

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Luke 5

12/7/2009

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Luke 5:8 “When Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, ‘Oh, Lord, please leave me – I’m too much of a sinner to be around you!”

This was right after they caught all the fish and right before Peter leaves everything to follow Christ. This stood out to me today because it made me think, do I think I’m too much of a sinner to be used by God? I love the fact that Jesus brings him along right where Peter was at and his heart is changed as they grow together. Jesus didn’t wait until Peter was an expert of religious law or had more training. Jesus says to him and the others fishermen in verse 10, “…Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”

Are we afraid to follow Jesus because we will have to stop thinking of ourselves? I love the fact that Jesus said “don’t be afraid, “because He will always be there for us. When we truly do as Peter did and become fully devoted followers of Jesus we will feel the Holy Spirit in our hearts guiding us and we can continue to grow and learn what is right by opening God’s word and applying it to our lives. The 12 weren’t perfect they were in training and Jesus told them that as He trained them. The thing is they were willing to listen and grow. Are we willing to listen and grow and change what we do to live out what Jesus wants? That is to be fishers of people and continue to love God and people so much that our selfish ways take a back seat and following Christ in all areas is our first priority. Don’t sit back, be excited and thankful that Jesus came for us to live and open your hearts to truly knowing Him. Amen

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Luke 3

12/4/2009

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Luke 3:7-9 “When crowds came to John for baptism, he said, ‘You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, we’re safe, for we are descendents of Abraham. That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised; ready to severe the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

This really made me think about how there is much more than our selfish walk with the Lord. We need to live it and be active in a life that is like Christ’s. This can only be done by totally surrendering and having a relationship with Him. Then learning all we can from God’s word so we can live Christ like behavior in all we do. Saying a prayer and then not making any changes in our lives is selfish. In the book “The Beautiful Fight” by Gary Thomas he makes a statement that really made me think about what was said by John the Baptist. Gary said, “God’s grace empowers and motivates us to live holy and transformed lives for His glory. To complacently continue in sin is not to rest in grace but to deny His continuing power. To a lesser but still important degree, sinful living also represents hard-hearted ungratefulness. God has forgiven, redeemed, and empowered us, but we’re often too lazy and self- absorbed to receive His transforming work in a way that brings glory to His name. We willingly accept the benefits of kingdom living but shirk the responsibilities.”

John says “prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sin and turned to God.” Don’t sit back and take it easy, fight the good fight and as Paul says “race to win.” Amen

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2 Samuel 14

12/1/2009

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2 Samuel 14:14 “All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, He devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from Him?”

How amazing is that? It just reminds us that we always do the separating and when we do separate from Him He will always work to get us back. When we continually open His word and learn from Him it helps in keeping our focus on Him. Reading is not a job it is a way of life. We can constantly learn to be like Christ and live a way that is pleasing to God. When we do it alone satan will use our own selfishness to separate us from God and it doesn’t take much for that to happen. Fill your heart with wisdom from God everyday and never feel satisfied with what you know, that is when you tend to live for self before God. God loves us and gave His Son for us; we need to show the same kind of love by working hard to live like Christ who said in Matthew 26:39 “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

We need to have the same focus and devotion and it happens when we open God’s word everyday and thank Him for everything. Amen

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Luke 12

Luke 11

Luke 8

Luke 6

Luke 5

Luke 3

2 Samuel 14

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