Category: Luke

Luke 17:7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’?

Lord, Thank You for the many blessings You have lavished upon me. I don’t deserve them. I can never earn them. Yet I am eternally grateful for You and for Your blessings.

Luke 17:8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’?

Lord, There is always so much to do. I struggle with wanting this world to see and acknowledge my efforts. I struggle with weariness as I work. Forgive me. Help me.

Luke 17:9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?

Lord, You alone are worthy, and I am so thankful for the Kingdom work You have assigned me. Give me strength. Renew my spirit. Help me to not seek or need any validation from this world. Keep me focused on You alone. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Luke 17:10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ ”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 16:10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

Our words and actions flow out of our hearts. What we say, what we do, reflect what we love and value. So I can talk all day long about my love for my Savior, but if my actions don’t line up with my talk, my heart isn’t in the right place.

Luke 16:11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

I’ve done a lot of good in my life. If I focus only on that, I can feel pretty smug about the state of my heart (which is a problem in and of itself), but I’ve been incredibly honest about my shortcomings—my fear and worry, my bitterness and anger. Clearly, I still have work to do.

Luke 16:12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

Lord, Thank You for whispering to my heart daily. Thank You for the good I am able to put out into this world. Thank You also for the knowledge that I still have work to do, that there are strongholds in my heart that still need to be surrendered to You. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Luke 16:13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Luke 15:28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.

I have always sympathized with the older brother in this story, the non-prodigal, the one who stayed. Even now, I understand how he feels. He wants that validation, that recognition. He feels he *deserves* it, which is where the problem comes in. Bitterness has taken hold in his heart so that he can’t see the blessings readily available to him—the father and all his resources. He only sees what he feels is missing.

Luke 15:29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.

I am reminded of Luke 6:45 “…For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” The older son’s heart is full of bitterness. It is dripping from his words. And it causes him to miss the blessings that are and have been lavished on him daily. It causes his work for the father to be a burden, a chore.

Luke 15:30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

Precious Savior, Thank You for the words that You whisper to my heart. I am just as guilty as the older son of allowing bitterness to rob me of my servant’s heart. Forgive me. Take this bitterness from me. Help me to ground myself solely in You and not in this world. Amen.

Luke 15:31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.’”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 14:7-8 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.

I have learned over my years in the classroom that we all want to feel seen, recognized. There is power in the validation of acknowledgment. Sometimes a large part of my job is just giving students space and permission to breathe and be as they figure out the way forward.

Luke 14:9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.

I’ve found that as human beings, adults want that, too. They want people to see, to recognize, to acknowledge their efforts. Just a simple: “You are doing great. Keep it up.” can go a long way toward renewal and restoration.

Luke 14:10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.

Lord, You want me to root my identity solely in You. Help me know how to handle the part of myself that seeks earthly recognition and acknowledgement. My identity, my sense of self cannot be tied to this world. At the same time, help me to encourage and hold space for Your beloved children who cross my path. Help me encourage them in You, for You, through You. Amen.

Luke 14:11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 13:6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.

This parable seems the epitome of grace. For three years this fig tree has failed to produce fruit. The owner was ready to cut it down. What’s the use of a fig tree if it doesn’t produce figs? The manager of the vineyard encouraged one more year of patience with the tree. He even proposed giving it extra care and fertilizer to help it produce.

Luke 13:7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

So what can I learn from this parable? Patience and grace. The owner gave it three years before discussing tearing it out. Care and grace. The manager wanted to give it extra time and care in this last attempt. Fruit and grace. A fig tree that does not produce figs is not very useful. The fruit is the entire point of the tree. As a Christian, my point, my fruit, is giving glory and honor to God for His grace to me.

Luke 13:8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.

Lord, Thank You for the parable of the fig tree this morning. Thank You for the reminders—for myself and others—of patience, care, grace, and fruit. Help me to bring You praise and glory always. Amen.

Luke 13:9 ‘If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 12:1 …Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

God is still working on my heart in the areas of pride and humility. He is daily reminding me that He is in control and that He understands my heart, my deep-seated fears and doubts.

Luke 12:2 “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.

And I am learning that these early verses in Luke 12 are inextricably tied to Luke 12:22 for me: Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life….” God knows what I’m fretting about in the quiet of my heart. He knows my insecurities. He wants me to lay it all at His feet so that instead of being ripped apart by doubts, I can be bathed in the peace that can only come from Him.

Luke 12:3a “What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight….

Precious Savior, Thank You for the words You whisper to my heart, for the reminder that You understand every doubt and fear and that You are the Lord of my life and because of that, I do not need to be afraid of missing out or being passed over or anything else because You see me, You know me, You understand my heart, and I am Your deeply, fiercely loved child. Help me to lay my pride, my fears, and my bitterness at Your feet. Blanket me in Your peace. Amen.

Luke 12:3b “…and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 11:8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

I was raised to not ask questions about faith, church, and God. But as I’ve grown into my faith, I have come to believe that God is big enough, gracious enough, loving enough to handle my questions. I think He appreciates my seeking, asking, knocking in order to understand, to draw closer, to be ok even when I don’t understand.

Luke 11:9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

The idea of audacious faith, of audacious prayer, is intriguing to me. Luke 11:8 brings this idea to mind. So what might it look like to be audacious with God, for God? From the text, it seems to indicate boldness no matter the hour or request, tenacity in my seeking and asking, focus on the recipient instead of myself. This idea definitely merits further thought.

Luke 11:10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Precious Savior, Thank You for this idea of audacious faith. Help me to approach You boldly as I seek to know You more. Help me to approach others in Your name, sharing Your goodness boldly as well. Draw me closer. Amen.

Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Luke 10:38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.

Today I am reading the story of Mary and Martha in light of Luke 10:16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.” Martha opened her home to Jesus. She was quite busy trying to make sure everything was just so for her honored guest. Yet Mary was the one actually sitting with and listening to Jesus. Martha was flitting around and grouching about her sister.

Luke 10:39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.

But do Martha’s actions constitute rejection? Martha would say no. But Jesus says, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” The one thing that is needed, the one thing Martha is not doing, is sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to Him.

Luke 10:40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

Lord, I am guilty of rejecting You in order to do things that I consider important. Just like Martha, I rationalize my actions, but just like Martha, I am missing out on the one thing that is needed: time with You. Forgive me. Thank You for opening the eyes of my heart. Draw me closer. Amen.

Luke 10:41-42 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 9:1-2 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

My precious Savior is calling my attention yet again to an area where I need to give myself fully over to Him in faith and trust. I’m a planner. I want to be the one who unexpectedly provides what someone else needs, not the one in need.

Luke 9:3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.

Jesus says clearly here to take nothing for the journey. Nothing. And trust Him to provide. Commentary says, “It is easier to have faith when we think we know how God might provide, but God often provides in unexpected and undiscoverable ways.”

Luke 9:4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.

Lord, I didn’t realize how much I still rely on myself. The thought of holding nothing in reserve and trusting You for all is terrifying, and it saddens me to admit that. Forgive me. I also struggle with the desire to trust You but also put in the work and with the desire to be a blessing to others and not a burden. Help me to trust You—first, foremost, always. Help me to pack, not out of a fear that You won’t provide but so that You can bless others through my provisions. Help me learn how to walk this line of faith well. Amen.

Luke 9:5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 8:22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out.

The story of Jesus calming the storm is one of my favorites. I understand it on a gut level, probably because I am so like the disciples at times, fearful to the point of panic, while Jesus is placidly napping in the boat because all is well despite appearances.

Luke 8:23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

In verse 50, Jesus tells Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe….” There is much wisdom there. Faith and fear cannot coexist. I’ve been working on overcoming this tendency for a long time. At this point, I can at least acknowledge, “I do believe. Help my unbelief.”

Luke 8:24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.

Precious Savior, I do believe. Yet I still struggle with fear and doubt, anxiety and anger. Help me to lay these emotions at your feet so that I can partner with You in faith. Thank You that Your strength is perfected in my weakness. Amen.

Luke 8:25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

Have a blessed day.