Tag: christianity

Morning Reading: Luke 4.16-21 NLT – Spirit of the Lord

“Jesus Reading from the Prophet Isaiah
in his home town of Nazareth,”
by Greg Olson

Reading: Luke 4.16-21 NLT

When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them.

“The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

Prayer: Lord Jesus – Help me to see the world as You see it… the poor, the captives, the blind, the oppressed. And help me to be a bearer of Your Good News. Amen.

Spiritual Song: “Lord You Have My Heart” – Delirious? (YouTube)

Morning Readings: Luke 2,3,4 – the making of a Man

"Jesus Teaching in the Synagogue"Illustration for the Life of Christ', C.1886-94By James Jacques Joseph Tissot|
“Jesus Teaching in the Synagogue”
Illustration for the Life of Christ’, C.1886-94
By James Jacques Joseph Tissot

Reading: Luke 2.39-40 NLT

When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.

Reading: Luke 2.41-47 NLT

Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.

When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

Reading: Luke 2.51-52 NLT

Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.

Reading: Luke 3.21-23 NLT

One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.

Reading: Luke 4.1-2 NLT

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days.

Reading: Luke 4.14-15 NLT

Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

RE-Blog: “5 Moral Boundaries You Do Not Want To Cross” by John Hawkins

Peanut Gallery: Today’s reading from Luke 3 on the “Temptation of Jesus,” reminded me of this post by John Hawkins. The temptation to cross moral boundaries lies at the heart of our very human struggle with sin. Hawkins’ article gives us some stop signs to watch out for.
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5 Moral Boundaries You Do Not Want To Cross by John Hawkins (December 9, 2012)  (click here for original article posted in pjmedia.com)

“Man is the cruelest animal.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

“To understand evil, we must set aside the comfortable belief that we would never do anything wrong. Instead, we must begin to ask ourselves, what would it take for me to do such things? Assume that it would be possible.” — Roy Baumeister

Many people consider monsters like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin somehow uniquely evil. They imagine them as malevolent, abominable, nearly inhuman entities who spent their days scheming to inflict misery on other humans for the sheer sadistic pleasure of it.

Mosaic on the vault (Detail of the Hell Scene), Baptistery, Florence.
Mosaic on the vault (Detail of the Hell Scene), Baptistery, Florence.

The truth is much more terrifying: human beings as evil and ruthless as Hitler, Stalin, and Mao are so common that we pass them on the street daily, see them on TV, and may even have the misfortune of knowing them personally. The real difference between these notorious butchers and the guy in a federal prison is not so much the degree of depravity, but the unchecked power needed to make his darkest desires reality.

Once you set aside Hollywood’s caricatured portrait of evil and accept the normalcy of villainy, you see how a “normal person” just like you or me could embrace evil. Moreover, sometimes the shift from human to fiend can have murky beginnings. Some people step over a line and come back. Others follow that tragic path described by C.S. Lewis,

The safest road to Hell is the gradual one — the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

Here, at least, are a few signposts that will alert you to stop, pause, and take stock to make sure you’re not on that gentle slope. Continue reading “RE-Blog: “5 Moral Boundaries You Do Not Want To Cross” by John Hawkins” →

“I’m proud of you!”

Luke 3:22b NLT – And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

Peanut Gallery: Jesus was a “blessed child.” At both His Baptism and Transfiguration, the Father made a special point of expressing His approval… the Father blessed His Son.

father blesses son israeliThis blessing – “you’re my child and I’m proud of you” – is something we all yearn for. We want it at the end of life from our heavenly Father. And we want it during our lifetime from our earthly fathers.

It’s that earthly blessing that I’m thinking about here… and many of us never receive it.

One of the saddest recent Christmas stories came out of England:

When it comes to Christmas, it might be safe to assume children will ask Santa for an extensive list of toys, games and treats.

But a survey of their typical lists for Father Christmas has shown many have more serious concerns, requesting “a dad” instead…..

Despite their material requests, the tenth most popular Christmas wish on the list was a “Dad”.

For those of us who have/had loving, encouraging, supportive dads, the gain is immeasurable. For those of us who haven’t, the loss is enormous… it’s a hole in us that we long to fill.

If this unfilled longing resonates with you – or if you wonder how you can bless your children and grandchildren – I commend the book, The Blessing, by Trent and Smalley to you. It provides guidance for families seeking to bless their children following a Biblical model. And it provides healing and help for those of us who have been “looking for love in all the wrong places. “

At a family gathering a few years ago – our 2 kids, their spouses, and 8 grandchildren – we made a special effort to bless our family.

While they all watched, we singled out each of our kids and their spouses, laid hands on them and told them what we saw in them that made them special to us… and how proud we were of them. Then we asked them to do the same for each one of their children. We all prayed together and then had a fun and games evening.

Our kids are spread around the world now, but we continue the practice with them – and now our grandkids – whenever we can.

“A family blessing begins with meaningful touching. It continues with a spoken message of high value, a message that pictures a special future for the individual being blessed, and one that is based on an active commitment to see the blessing come to pass.”

Dr. Gary Smalley;Dr. John Trent. The Blessing (p. 30). Kindle Edition.

Check out Trent and Smalley’s book – The Blessing – there’s even a workbook available for anyone who wants to go deeper. You and your family will all be the better for it.

Morning Reading: Luke 3.21-22 NLT – “great joy”

Joy at Baptism
Joy at Baptism
Reading: Luke 3:21-22 NLT

One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

Reading: Psalm 40.3 NLT

He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, fill me with your Spirit so that I might bring You joy. And place a new song of praise in my heart … in the new year. I ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Spiritual Song: “Let the wold see joy” (Resurrection Church)
Please click on audio player –