Category: Luke

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Yuma Sure Isn’t Heaven

My mother is 94 and when we talk she is spending more time talking about heaven. In fact a while back she came out in the living room and announced that she was really disappointed. Why, I asked. She said “I dreamed I was in heaven and when I woke up I was in Yuma”. That made both Dave and I laugh. Yes, I can imagine that would be disappointing.

Thinking about the things I have to be thankful for and things I’m looking forward too. Like Mom, I know heaven will be better than Yuma. Heaven is being in the presence of God; one scripture says that in His presence is fullness of joy! It is also the absence of sin, sickness, poverty, fear, hatred, stress, anxiety and heart ache. None of these will be in heaven and Jesus came to bring the power of heaven to earth.

Remember Jesus teaching His disciples to pray – “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. I pray that for you today – Lord, let Your kingdom come in the lives of my friends today. Let them realize they can live in your presence, your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven!

I know this is possible because when Jesus was in the synagogue and was given the Scriptures to read, He found the place from Isaiah that said

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
20 He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.” Luke 4:18-21 Holman

And then Jesus went out and did exactly what He had just read from the Scripture. His ministry was healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind and setting free those whose lives had been in bondage to sin. His message and His power are the same today – now that power flows through us as His ambassadors.

“What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. 21 Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.” II Corinthians 5:19-21 CEV

If you are doubting your ability to fulfill the task, just remember that God has promised to equip us for “every good work”.

“All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. 17 Using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17 ERV

Enjoy God’s presence today and then take a little bit of heaven to those around you. They could certainly use it too!

“You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever.” Psalm 16:11 ERV

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Overflowing with Thanks

Thanks Giving

This morning my heart is full and my memory bank is running over. So many times the Lord has provided in our lives and they are all flooding in this morning. Let me share just a few times that are fresh in my mind.

But wait, let me first tell you what sparked this avalanche of thankfulness. This morning I was reading about giving and the blessings that come from being someone who gives generously. There was a time that we put God to the test on the faithfulness of His word. We didn’t know we were doing that but we were.

We had one Scripture verse that we wanted, no, we needed to be true!

“I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus!” Philippians 4:19 CEV

We needed for the Lord to supply all our needs. We had been out of work and without a place to stay. We were parents with small children and we were doing everything we could to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table but we were lacking. And we had a heart to trust God and His word.

Those are the memories this morning. At the time Dave was working for a crop dusting company. One of their growers was a vegetable farmer who had a large vegetable market in town. When they would harvest the fields he would tell the guys to stop by the fields and get some broccoli or potatoes or carrots, whatever and take it home.

I recall the one time Dave came home for lunch and he had the pickup bed of his Datsun truck loaded with broccoli. We couldn’t eat that much in a month but we were grateful. In fact, I served Dave a large plate of steamed broccoli for lunch. Then we loaded up the kids little red wagon and sent them up and down the street, knocking on the neighbors doors, offering them all fresh broccoli.

Later that day a dairyman friend stopped by. He had been to the butcher’s and was headed for home with the beef he had picked up and decided to stop in for coffee. Before he left, he had given us about 50 pounds of meat and 10 pounds of cheese. Now when Dave came home that night I was able to serve him hamburger and broccoli with cheese sauce. Seriously, God had supplied!

Or I could tell you of the time that I got a call from the butcher’s and they asked me to come and pick up some meat that had been left for us. When I got there they asked what kind of vehicle I drove. Strange question – they wanted to make sure I had a big enough vehicle to haul all the meat home! Yep, they filled up my Jeep Wagoneer – I mean filled it! So much so that I had no room left in my empty upright freezer and the freezer of the refrigerator so I called around to find anyone that needed meat. I had more than enough.

We lived out the verses below! Give and it will be given back, running over! Yes, it ran over.

“I’m telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do this, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God. Yes, because God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful. 36 Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy.

37 “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. Don’t condemn others, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.” Luke 6:35-38 ERV

But this is the other thing that ran over…thankfulness! Thankfulness to the Lord and thankfulness to those who were used to provide our need and finally, thankfulness from those that we were able to share with.

See what I realized this morning is that when we give thanks, when we are truly thankful and express it, it comes back to us also – more than we can hold, spilling over into our laps. We are given more of what we need so that we can give more thanks! Give thanks and there will be more opportunities to be thankful.

Now lest you think I am a super saint, I will admit that there are times when I haven’t been as trusting. When I’ve been more inclined to complain. Times when failure and demise seemed eminent and I had lost almost all hope of survival. Times that I wasn’t looking to the Lord but in those times He still provided, using other people, He provided.

In my faithlessness God was still the faithful Father. How can I not give thanks to the One who gives me unconditional love and the Father who keeps His word to provide!

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Grateful for Grace

Heard an old Ray Stevens song on the radio, God’s Gonna Git Ya for That.

Lots of folks have the impression that God is waiting in heaven to throw down thunder bolts when we screw up – so glad that’s not true or we’d all be toast!

Jesus own words say it best “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” Luke 9:56

So much of religion has preached a message of judgment and condemnation. But true relationship with the Lord focused on His unconditional love and goodness. God sent us His most precious gift, His Son. The reason Jesus came was so to keep us from death and judgment, not give us over to condemnation.

“If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won’t be punished. 2 The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. 3 The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ’s body to condemn sin.” Romans 8:1-3 CEV

Justice requires that a price be paid for our sin but GRACE paid the price for us.

“I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV

Imagine for a moment that God’s love is a two-sided coin. On one side is mercy; mercy is not getting the punishment we deserve. Like a man who throws himself on the mercy of the court – begging the judge for a lighter sentence. Now on the other side of the coin is grace; grace is receiving something wonderful that we don’t deserve. Go back to our man begging for mercy, if he received a full pardon because someone else paid his penalty that would be grace.

That’s exactly what Jesus did for us. Yes, Grace – Amazing Grace!

So now it’s time to express our thankfulness for the grace that God has given us in Jesus.

These are Jesus words: “A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good.” John 10:10 ERV

Thank God for His grace and mercy. Take time to thank Him for the good in your life today and for His protection from the evil one!

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Always the Same

I took Glory out this morning and there it was, that big full moon. Yesterday morning I saw it from Rio Rico, this morning I see it in Yuma. Wherever you are I’m know you are seeing it too unless there are too many clouds or your view is obstructed for some reason.

That full moon will rotate in cycle and although it will be gone for a few days, there is no worry but that it will be back again. Same with the sunrise, very shortly the sun will start to crest the horizon and the process of daylight will start again.

Astronomers count on things being the same. We have a calendar built on the sameness of the stars, planets, sun and moon.

Shouldn’t we trust the sameness of our God?

Life brings us changes. It may be leaving an old job and taking a new one; children becoming more independent; neighbors and friends moving on or maybe you are moving; school changes; weddings; funerals. So much can change and our lives always seem to be in a state of flux. However…

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8

Amen!! Have you seen what Jesus did when he walked the earth – He is the same now and He will be the same in our future. Our responsibility is to put our faith in His faithfulness.

The Lord tells us we can put our trust in Him. He is the one who brings good to our lives.

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. 18 God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created.” James 1:17-18 ERV

Look at what Jesus said about His purpose on earth.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19

Let His faithfulness meet you where you are & make things right.

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Coming Home

Home! There’s something comforting in that word.

When I got up this morning there was a big prompting on my heart. We’ve been on vacation for the last week and had a wonderful time but today we’re heading home.

Today I want to write this for those who believe they have wandered too far from God. For whatever reason you have been living life your own way. You have completely forgotten about God and may have even wondered if God is truly there.

You want to go home but you’re scared!

Now in the midst of trouble and difficult times you want to pray, you want to reach out, you want to ask God if He is really there for you but you’re afraid.

Afraid that He won’t answer. Afraid that He will reject you. Afraid that He doesn’t really care!

God is there for you – be honest. He knows your heart before you call. He knows your doubts and your fears. He knows your weaknesses and your failings. He knows everything there is to know about you and He LOVES you!

“We are careful not to judge people by what they seem to be, though we once judged Christ in that way. 17 Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God.” II Corinthians 5:16-20 CEV

The reason God sent Christ to this earth was to make a way for us to have be reconciled to God. Reconciliation is to make right, to put in balance. In Christ we are put in balance with the Father.

God, the Father, is waiting for us to come to him and when we do He rewards us with His love and grace.

“Without faith no one can please God. Whoever comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him.” Hebrews 11:6

God isn’t mad at you. He’s not holding your past against you but instead He is waiting for you with open arms. He’s here to welcome you home!

“20 The younger son got up and started back to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him.

21 The son said, “Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. I am no longer good enough to be called your son.”

22 But his father said to the servants, “Hurry and bring the best clothes and put them on him. Give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 Get the best calf and prepare it, so we can eat and celebrate. 24 This son of mine was dead, but has now come back to life. He was lost and has now been found.” And they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:20-24 CEV

Come Home! The Father’s waiting…

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The Heart Connection

The heart and the mouth are connected – Jesus knew that and He gave some specific teaching in that regard.

“Every tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. You won’t find figs on thorny weeds. And you can’t pick grapes from thornbushes! 45 Good people have good things saved in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil. What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts.” Luke 6:44-45 ERV
Listen to your words today. What do they say about you, the real you, the heart of you?

You don’t change your heart but changing what you say. What you say will change when your heart is transformed.

Say with the Psalmist David, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord my strength and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:13-14

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Rattlesnakes & Storms

I forgot to tell you the other day when we started this study in Psalm 91, I like to read this Psalm in the first person. It makes it personal and I am also really enjoying reading it in the Complete Jewish Bible. It gives me additional insight on this Psalm.

“For you have made Adonai, the Most High, who is my refuge, your dwelling-place.
10 No disaster will happen to you, no calamity will come near your tent;
11 for he will order his angels to care for you and guard you wherever you go.
12 They will carry you in their hands, so that you won’t trip on a stone.
13 You will tread down lions and snakes, young lions and serpents you will trample underfoot.” Vs 9-13 CJV

For I have made the Most High my refuge and my dwelling place – no disaster will happen to me and no calamity will come near my tent.

When we would go back to work in Iowa I was introduced to tornado warnings. I had never experienced anything like this before. I would have to fight fear the first couple years and then the last few years, I could go through those experiences in peace because the Holy Spirit brought these verses to my heart – not just my mind – but really settled them in my heart. “No calamity will come near my tent or RV as the case may be”.

When I read these verses I am often reminded of Peter and the other disciples that were on the sea with the waves beating against the boat and the wind blowing a gale force. Jesus was sleeping while the disciples were bailing water. They woke him up and said “Master don’t you care – we’re about to sink”. But Jesus reaction was completely different.

“And a furious storm of wind [of hurricane proportions] arose, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that it was already becoming filled. 38 But He [Himself] was in the stern [of the boat], asleep on the [leather] cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, Master, do You not care that we are perishing? 39 And He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush now! Be still (muzzled)! And the wind ceased (sank to rest as if exhausted by its beating) and there was [immediately] a great calm (a perfect peacefulness). 40 He said to them, Why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith (no firmly relying trust)? 41 And they were filled with great awe and feared exceedingly and said one to another, Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?” Mark 4:37-41 AMP

No fear! Resting in the promises of God’s word.

If you remember satan used Psalm 91:11-12 as one of the temptations that he brought to Jesus. “for he will order his angels to care for you and guard you wherever you go. 12 They will carry you in their hands, so that you won’t trip on a stone.” But Jesus comment was that He would not tempt the Lord, His God.

We can confidently trust in God’s protection and power when circumstances come against us but we also have the admonition not to be foolish in our actions and then say we are using these verses as our protection.

Years back we lived verse 13 on a daily basis. “You will tread down lions and snakes, young lions and serpents you will trample underfoot.” Farming alfalfa in the Arizona desert we had daily encounters with rattlesnakes. We learned to live and walk cautiously. We taught our children how to play wisely and we prayed this verse and Luke 10:19

“Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.” AMP

We put God’s work to work! And we saw it come to pass on several different occasions. Working late at night, changing water, we had a couple of experiences of actually stepping on rattlesnakes and not having them coil, rattle or strike. We saw God’s word at work on our behalf.

This Psalm is your personal promise from the Father. It was confidence in God and His word that let Daniel sleep in a lion’s den and Jesus sleep on the stormy sea. God’s word is practical and He has given us His word to use in our lives.

Live it daily!

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Growing Like A Mustard Tree

Nearly every morning I am reminded of how much the Bible has to say about seeds, planting and growing. God intended for nature to be an example for us to learn from and live by. We see what good soil, the right amount of water and sunshine can do on a daily basis. The trees in our yards and parks flourish; the pastures grow and provide food for the cattle; the desert has its own beauty from the vegetation that grows there. Yes, it’s all around us!

Jesus taught parables about farmers growing seeds and protecting what they had planted. In one of my favorites He warns of birds coming to eat the seeds that are unprotected and of weeds that choke out the plants while they are young and finally He tells of the harvest that comes when the seeds are well cared for and allowed to grow. And then He makes this correlation:

“ This is what the story means: The seed is God’s message, 12 and the seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But the devil comes and snatches the message out of their hearts, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it. But they don’t have deep roots, and they believe only for a little while. As soon as life gets hard, they give up.

14 The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they are so eager for riches and pleasures that they never produce anything. 15 Those seeds that fell on good ground are the people who listen to the message and keep it in good and honest hearts. They last and produce a harvest.” Luke 9:11-15 CEV

The seed is good and will grow anywhere but it must be protected to bring a harvest. And as the seed grows it provides life, protection and safety. Just like a tree provides a place of nesting, shelter from storms and a perch for watching for food God’s word will do the same in our lives and the lives of those around us.

“ Then Jesus said, “What can I use to show you what God’s kingdom is like? What story can I use to explain it? 31 God’s kingdom is like a mustard seed, which is smaller than any other seed on earth that you can plant. 32 But when you plant it, it grows and becomes the largest of all the plants in your garden. It has branches that are very big. The wild birds can come and make nests there and be protected from the sun.” Mark 4:30-32 ERV

A mustard seed will germinate in about 5-10 days if the soil conditions are right. The black mustard tree, referred to in the verses above, will grow to an average of 3-5 feet tall and can continue to grow up to 10-15 feet tall and just as wide. (see the picture)

When we allow God’s word to grow in our lives we can be a blessing and a place of rest and safety to those around us. A mustard seed amount of faith can move mountains but the day to day cares of life can cancel the effects. Today live by the words of a man in the Bible, “Lord, I believe. Help thou, my unbelief”. Keep focused on God’s ability and not your inability. Be blessed and grow!

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How are you going to spend your day?

How are you going to spend your day? Do you have a list of projects that need to be completed? Are you travelling to far away places? Do you think your activities are mundane and uneventful? Or do you possibly have a “big” appointment that could be life changing?

As you hurry through your morning or stop to have a quiet cup of coffee and reflective moment, I want to encourage you to start your day praising God for the blessings in your life. You have breathe, you have a computer (if you’re reading this), you slept in a bed, you have some degree of health and wealth and you have God’s promises to never leave you or abandon you!

Yes, so much to be thankful for.

I was reading the last chapter of Luke this morning. Jesus disciples and apostles had followed him for 3 years. They thought he was going to set up an early kingdom, overthrow the Roman oppression and bring peace to their nation. Now He had died, they were dejected – He brought them hope after His resurrection and now he was leaving them again but this time they had new prospective.

What did they do?

“Jesus led his followers out of Jerusalem almost to Bethany. He raised his hands and blessed his followers. 51 While he was blessing them, he was separated from them and carried into heaven. 52 They worshiped him and went back to Jerusalem very happy. 53 They stayed at the Temple all the time, praising God.” Luke 24:50-53 ERV

They spent their time praising God! What a great way to pass the time while you’re waiting in traffic, while in the check out line that seems to be at a stand still, riding on a bus or commuter train or waiting to be served in a restaurant or on hold waiting for a live person to take your call.

Whereever you are waiting today, wait on the Lord – praise Him and He will fill your life with joy!

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Common Place to Resent Authority

Had the wonderful privledge of watching Sam yesterday while his mom, dad and new little sister were at the hospital. Today we will be his playmates for the day again. What a wonderful thing to be close and be able to come and be Besta and Pappy! Love it!!

So this morning, my devotional is recycled but just as pertinent to everyday life as it was a few years ago when I first wrote it. Enjoy your day…I will as I spend it with Dave and our 2 year old grandson.

We live in a society where it is common place to question and even resent authority. Students bully their teachers, children disrespect their parents and employees trash talk their employers – some places commands have been replaced with “suggestions” and nearly everything is viewed as politically incorrect or offensive. We live in a world of “situation ethics”.
But some things should never change – one being our faith and trust in the unfailing, inerrant Word of God. The Word of God should and will be the final authority by which all is judged. It is the word of God that spoke this world into existence and it is what is holding it together still.

Many of us struggle with issues in life – depression, recession, dis – ease, fear, hopelessness – anything but the abundant life that God has promised to us in His word and much of that comes back to our questioning authority. The authority of God’s word and His promises. If you live by the Bible you are considered old fashioned, uninformed, not academically in tuned or worse yet intolerant and politically incorrect.
But I know of no other Book that has stood the test of time and not had to be revised or rewritten – it is the living Word of God and it is sharper and more powerful than any 2-edged sword piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit. We either acknowledge it as absolute and live in victory or we disregard it as old fashioned and passe` and live defeated in those areas of our life.
“1-5 When Jesus had finished these talks to the people, he came to Capernaum, where it happened that there was a man very seriously ill and in fact at the point of death. He was the slave of a centurion who thought very highly of him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him with the request that he would come and save his servant’s life. When they came to Jesus, they urged him strongly to grant this request, saying that the centurion deserved to have this done for him. “He loves our nation and has built us a synagogue out of his own pocket,” they said.
6-8 So Jesus went with them, but as he approached the house, the centurion sent some of his personal friends with the message, “Don’t trouble yourself, sir! I’m not important enough for you to come into my house—I didn’t think I was fit to come to you in person. Just give the order, please, and my servant will recover. I am used to working under orders, and I have soldiers under me. I can say to one, ‘Go’, and he goes, or I can say to another, ‘Come here’, and he comes; or I can say to my slave, ‘Do this job’, and he does it.”
9 These words amazed Jesus and he turned to the crowd who were following behind him, and said, “I have never found faith like this anywhere, even in Israel!”
10 Then those who had been sent by the centurion returned to the house and found the slave perfectly well.” Luke 7:1-10
I choose to put my faith in the authority of God’s Word – ” Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. 8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.” Psalm 20:7-8

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