Month: August 2024

Luke 6:39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 

Heavenly Father, I have a lot on my mind, a lot on my heart, and I feel the deep truth of verses 41 and 42. Thank You for the pain and the eye watering that the speck of sawdust causes in my own eye. That helps me to know it is there and needs to be rooted out. Help me concentrate on the things You are calling me to attend to within myself.

Luke 6:40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

Adoring Lord, Help me to pay attention as You direct me to these pieces of myself–pieces that I have neglected to turn over to You, pieces that I have resisted turning over to You, pieces that I’ve been too oblivious to even realize needed my attention. Help me to focus on these areas and turn them over to You.

Luke 6:41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 

Precious Savior, I don’t want to live a small, mean, petty life. I want to live generously. I want to give freely. I want to shine Your light with all that I have, all that I am, all that I say, all that I do. Help me to lay all the petty parts of myself at Your feet so that You can wash me clean. Renew Your steadfast spirit within me. Help me to be more like You. Amen.

Luke 6:42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 

The past few weeks, God has truly been working on me, exposing all the small, mean, petty parts of my heart, shining light on these dark recesses, and saying, “Here it is, my child. This is something you need to relinquish to me. Let me wash this corner of your heart clean. Let me claim this piece of you as my own.”

Luke 6:38a Give, and it will be given to you. 

It feels pretty grueling. It’s embarrassing to me that I have so many small, mean, petty pieces left that I have not given over to Him. It feels like I’m exposing my soft underbelly, hoping I’ll be scratched, afraid I’ll be kicked. And it is so very frustrating that I still see the issues, the things I need to lay at His feet, yet I’m *still* dealing with them. I haven’t given them over yet. Jesus, Help me.

Luke 6:38b A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. 

Precious Savior, I want to live a generous, merciful life. I want to live life with my arms extended and hands outstretched. Yet I feel like I am living with fists tightly clenched, with jaws tightly clenched. I do not want to live like that. It does not bring You glory. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Luke 6:38c For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 6:34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.

Today I want to focus on verse 36: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Some days I feel like I need to write this verse in marker all over my house, my car, my classroom, so that I will be more mindful of it.

Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 

I want my Savior to be merciful to me. I want others to be merciful to me. Anger, bitterness, judgment are often abundant, but sometimes, mercy is in short supply on my end. Jesus, help me!

Luke 6:36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Precious Savior, I want to be merciful, just as You are merciful. I don’t want to be angry, bitter, or judgmental, but sometimes, those emotions feel like my default. Jesus, Help me. Amen.

Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Luke 6:30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 

Luke 6:31 is also known as the Golden Rule. It’s a pretty good life philosophy, but as with many things in my life, I make it far more complicated than it needs to be.

Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

All the complicated thought processes make me feel like I’m “closed-fisted” living. Instead of open palms for giving and receiving blessings, I’m closed-fisted, afraid. My heart feels closed, too. I don’t want to live that way.

Luke 6:32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 

Precious Savior, I know that You don’t call me to closed-fisted living. You don’t want that for me because it not only keeps me from blessing others, it keeps me from Your blessings as well. I don’t want that. Teach me how to let go so I can live fully in you. Amen.

Luke 6:33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Luke 6:26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Today’s verses are difficult—to read, to live, to parse out the meaning. At first glance, it almost feels like Jesus is saying to be a doormat, to let folks walk all over you. However, we all know that is not what He is saying.

Luke 6:27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 

Jesus prayed for the Roman soldiers who persecuted Him *while* He was dying. That is what He wants us to emulate—His love, His compassion, His mercy. He doesn’t want  us to get sucked into bitterness and anger.

Luke 6:28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your deep love for us. Thank You that You do not want our hearts to be consumed by hatred and bitterness. Help us to love like You love, especially when anger feels like a more natural option. Amen.

Luke 6:29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Luke 6:23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

I am a big fan of the Ram Dass quote, “We are all just walking each other home,” and the Bible reminds us many times that this world is not our home, but I think that many of us, myself included, often suffer from a lack of imagination because this world is all we know. It’s easy to forget that even though this is all we know, this isn’t all that there is.

Luke 6:24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

For me, for many, it’s not even a conscious mindset, it is just that the ways of the world are so pervasive that I….forget? lose sight of the fact?….that this world is not my home, that the ways of this world are not the ways of my loving Savior. Help me, Jesus.

Luke 6:25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Precious Savior, Thank You that this world is not my home, that the ways of this world, the hate and division and struggle of this world, are not the ways of Your eternal glory. Thank You that You have overcome this world, that I am more than a conqueror because of You. When the noise of this world gets overwhelming, help me to root myself in Your peace. Amen.

Luke 6:26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 6:12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.   

I truly believe that nothing surprises God. Today’s verses begin with Jesus and time spent praying to God and end with “Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” This was not a surprise to God. This was not an accident, not an “Oops! How did that happen?!?”

Luke 6:13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:

God knew what was coming (I don’t think He caused it, but that’s a devo for another day), Jesus knew He needed to stay rooted in God in order to stay in His will, stay intimately connected to Him, Judas probably had no idea what was coming, but he eventually he gave up fighting the good fight against his negative impulses, and here we are.

Luke 6:14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,

Precious Savior, I can learn a lot from today’s verses: First, You are sovereign and loving. You can be trusted. No matter the chaos in my life, these things are true. Second, I must stay rooted in You by establishing time daily to read and study Your word, sitting with You, communicating in a way that allows me to feel connected to You, staying connected to Your people. Third, I can never give up fighting the good fight to conquer those traits within me that do not bring You glory. Help me, Jesus. Always. Amen.

Luke 6:15-16 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Have a blessed day.