Luke 11:1-13

 Praying through the Lord's prayer. It is wonderful to think that the Lord gave us a model of how to pray and that we can use this as a way to guide our own thoughts and prayers. Sinclair Ferguson points on this reading for today that Martin Luther wrote a booklet for his barber when he inquired about how to pray. Luther told him he could turn each prayer into a praise and a petition. 

May we today take time to pause and pray and perhaps journal this out, that we could come before the Lord both in praise and petition! We read in Philippians 4:6-8 this exact truth. " DO not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Amen!

Luke 10:38-42

Today's study is incredibly powerful and convicting. Especially as women, many of us can not just relate but find ourselves in similar circumstances wearing the same shoes and attitude as Martha.

Sinclair Ferguson writes, " Martha has been 'Anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing was necessary,' (v41-42). Jesus wanted to deal with the way Martha had been distracted by the many things. The result was that she had lost her focus on Jesus himself. These things were vehicles for serving him. But in the process of Martha's serving, Jesus himself had been obscured. She had lost sight of the Savior in the service. Doing things for him had taken the place of being with him. That is after all the 'good portion' (v42)."

Truly remarkable. Even yet today, especially today it is easy to let service be what fills our cup rather than Christ himself. Our to-do list can become so big, we set aside reading the Word for a quick devotional because...we don't have time for that! We have things to get too! Or we wish the sermon on Sunday would hurry along because we have a roast in the oven and want to get home,or people are coming over and we aren't quite ready. The world tells us Jesus is not enough. It is a Jesus plus mentality. BUT God's word assures us that He is the perfect portion. He is our daily bread and water. He is our perfect peace. Jesus is not just more than enough; he is the reason we live and breathe! 

It can become almost habitual to not be satisfied with Christ. We look to the Word as dull and look to things and circumstances for our satisfaction and contentment. May we choose today to repent of these things! May we pray, that Jesus is our good portion all of the days of our lives, and that His Word is the daily bread our hearts desire and consume. 

The Road Less Traveled. (Luke 9:57-62)

 Luke 9:57-62

     In a very short passage we come across some very profound conversations. Ones that truly have eternal ramifications and ones that surely are worth us, 'pondering in our heart.' There are 3 conversations with Jesus as he is making his way to Jerusalem. Sinclair Ferguson does a remarkable job of laying out the 3 conversations. 1) Volunteers to come 2) One is called to come and  3) Volunteers. Each man is met with startling responses from the Lord. Ones that would not match what we make of Jesus today, this in itself is a huge reason to pause and think of these...do you make much of Christ, and do you know Him through His written word and not simply manifest emotionalism about how you feel about Jesus? I would like to focus on the first and third responses.

The first man rapidly says he will join, without thought to the consequences and hardship. Without weighing, considering or even knowing the cost he tries to jump in. Jesus tells him it will be hard. There will be no where to lay your head. As we consider the Lord's death and resurrection, we must honestly ask ourselves, "Am I in this for me or for Him?" Did I volunteer so I could add Jesus to my resume of good things I have done, do I serve a self made moralistic, therapeutic, deity, or do I serve the one true Almighty King?

The third man volunteers again. He would like to come but first say his goodbyes at home. Jesus responded quickly telling him that no one who puts their hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom. I love Sinclair Ferguson's explanation here. He immediately references when Elisha's response when Elijah called him to come work. (1 Kings 19:19-21) Elisha immediately sacrifices his bulls who he was plowing the field with and burns them as a sacrifice from the wood of the yokes they were attached too. His life changes immediately. He leaves everything for the sake of the Lord. 

Sinclair ends the reading with this wonderful question: What reservations do you have about Christ's Lordship in your own life? What gives you confidence that he is worth following?

Lentish

 Good morning! Welcome to our journey towards Goof Friday and Resurrection Sunday. 

I always hesitate to call this study a "lent" study, as I do not follow the practice in the way the word suggests. However, the thought and hope to set aside this time of 40 days to focus on the Lord is what we are defining it as. Lent...ish. 

During this time period, I pray that the scripture comes alive in our hearts, convicts us of sin, and draws us nearer to the Savior.

Sinclair Ferguson in the 1st two days of his book walks through Luke 9:51-56. He talks of Jesus setting his eyes on Jerusalem. May we observe Christ's journey closely as we read these verses. Write out 3 observations from the passage and examine closely your study notes in your Bible for context and clarification. 

Final Study

Read: Luke 2:33-40

Sing: Your favorite Christmas hymn! One of mine is Prepare Him Room.

How do we wrap up this study? So much has been gained through the Word, so many truths about God and His faithfulness and Sovereignty. I have trouble knowing where and when to really digest it all. Christmas as the holiday we celebrate may have passed but the birth of Christ and what that meant for mankind obviously continues. It can be so easy to allow the Lord to be present for only this time and focus for but a moment as our thoughts already run rampant to New Year's festivities and activities. May I encourage you friend, rather thent he trend that has taken ladies by storm where you chose a "word," that you chose the Word this year. Be an avid student of the only Word that is spoken by God, that does not return void, that has the power to turn hearts of stone to hearts of flesh; and reveals to us the attributes of our Great God. Let us set the table for an unquenchable hunger and thirst than can not be satisfied with anything less than saturation of the Living Word, becoming not merely a partaker but a student and scribe this year.

We end this portion of Luke with a prophetess Anna. A woman 84 years old, worshiping with fasting and prayer day and night in the temple. She was able to witness the birth of the one she worshiped and longed for. What a marvelous and beautiful picture. We must not forget that she was faithful in this season of silence, decade after decade. Worshiping, waiting, longing for He who would dwell among them. 

So, as we wrap up, may we find ourselves with hearts like Anna, as we await the second Advent... Christ's return.

#23 A Weary World Rejoices

Read: Luke 2:21-35

Sing: See, Amid the Winter's Snow

The next two, really the last portion that we will be studying looks at two individuals who are faithful to the Lord. Today, as we read the encounter with Simeon, take time to think through his faithfulness. A man aged in years, whom the Lord did not forget His promise. Simeon would live to see the Lord's Christ. And he did. 

There is much to say on this, but the most value came through reading through the scriptures time and time again!

Blessings on your reading of the Lord's faithfulness.

A Weary World Rejoices #22

Read: Luke 2:8-20    

Sing: What Child is This?

This feels like such a climatic point of our journey. They babe has been born, and now an army of heavenly hosts break through the darkness of night glorifying God in the highest! Truth us, although we can feel the darkness break it is just the beginning. This journey will continue to the foot of a cross and to the empty grave. How marvelous in deed.

My mind goes directly to John 1 "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." In the night, a light burst forth. It was not just night as the time but had been a night over man kind as they awaited the Messiah.

J.C. Ryle writes this, " The spiritual darkness which had covered the earth for four thousand years, was about to be rolled away. the way to pardon and peace with God was about to be thrown open to all mankind. The head of Satan was about to be bruised. Liberty was about to be proclaimed to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind. The mighty truth was about to be proclaimed that God could be just, and yet, for Christ's sake, justify the ungodly. Salvation was no longer to be seen through types and figures, but openly face to face. The knowledge of God was no longer to be confined to the Jews, but to be offered to the whole Gentile world. The days of heathenism were numbered. The first stone of God's kingdom was about to be set up (pg. 44)." 

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. John 1:14." Absolutely remarkable. As we sing this morning, what child is this?  May we proclaim with the hymn and with the angels yet again, this is Christ the Lord.

Noteworthy to that point, is the proclamation of the angels to the title of the Son. These titles reveal the nature of the work. Reformation Study Bible notes, "Jesus is only called Savior twice in the gospels. Christ means, Messiah, and Lord is used commonly in the Septuagint as God's covenant name. 

"Glory to God in the Highest! the song begins. Now is come the highest degree of glory to God, by the appearing of His Son Jesus Christ in the world. He by His life and death on the cross will glorify God's attributes,-justice, holiness, mercy and wisdom,-as they were never glorified before. Creation glorified God, but not so much as redemption (Ryle, pg45)." 

May we too, today, and as this Advent season draws close, make haste like our shepherd friends of long ago, to share the good news of glad tidings and to worship Christ the Lord.