In Luke 9:1-9, Jesus sends out the disciples to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Jesus prepares us to be a sent-out people by giving us a purpose; encouraging us to depend on God; and preparing us for rejection … that we may be “absurdly happy” as followers of Jesus.
In Luke 8:40-56, two people are seeking Jesus because of his reputation. Jesus healed a woman and raised a young girl to life. Just as the woman and Jairus did, we should expect Jesus to come into our situation.
In Luke 8:22-39, Jesus calms the storm and heals a demon-possessed man. If the disciples hadn’t faced their storm, the man would not have been freed from his storm. What is the ‘other side’ Jesus is calling you to?
Jesus uses the parable of the lamp in Luke 8 to teach us that God’s Word must be heard responsively and obeyed. Is Jesus shining through you?
In Luke 7:36-50, Jesus is at the home of Simon the Pharisee. A woman from the same town came to see Jesus, washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair, then she poured expensive perfume on them. This woman knew she was a sinner, and she knew that there is forgiveness…
The religious leaders of the day rejected both John the Baptist and Jesus because the two men didn’t play the game their way. We can sometimes be guilty of this too. We need to align ourselves with God’s House Rules: to repent of our sins and believe the Good News.
In Luke 7:18-23, John the Baptist is in prison, feeling isolated and lonely; he has lost his fire for God. Jesus sends John’s messengers to go and tell what they have seen and heard about Jesus’ miracles. Jesus also sends us to “Go and tell”.
In Luke 7:11-17, the woman touched the heart of Jesus. She was in pain and didn’t know what to do or where to turn. She admitted that she needed Jesus. This same Jesus still has the power to raise us above the circumstances of our lives.
God invites us to know who we are in Him. If we forgive and give, our life will be storm-ready. Is your life storm-ready?
Jesus came not to judge but to save the world. He said, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven”. Forgiving others sets us free.