Luke 19:1-10

This past week, I was having a very rough and self-centered day.  I was miserable and it was my own doing.  I knew better than to make a phone call and whine about my day, but I needed something to distract my thoughts.  I listened to a sermon by Dr. Paul Tripp.  My expectations were not that high... and then I got nailed in the heart.  It was very good and very convicting.  I walked away from that sermon reminded that God did not come to the world to bring me comfort, but to save and redeem me.  It is my choice whether I will join Him on his mission or if I will fight for my own comfort.  Amazingly, God does provide comfort to us in the craziest ways and moments, but that CANNOT be the thing I seek on a daily basis.

I read and reread the passage in Luke this morning and got nothing out of it.  Then it occurred to me that Zacchaeus chose the path of redemption rather than comfort.  He had comfort and actually cashed it  in to follow Jesus.

I am thankful and amazed by God's multifaceted approach to redemption.  He uses many different sources and examples to teach me the same lesson over and over in a period of time.  He definitely gets my attention.  Hopefully, I will learn.

*A side note regarding sermons:  I have found that when I am too weak to do my own Bible study, a sermon is a great way for me to learn and be challenged.  It is not a substitute for my own Bible study, but there have been times when I needed the extra help digging into God's word.  Sometimes,  it is just a day here and there, other times in my life, it has been the only time in God's word I could manage for months on end.  I am so thankful to live with the resources that we have available.

Luke 18:35-43

I struggle with passages that tend to lead us into thinking "Ask and you shall receive".  While that is true, there is more to it than that.  I struggle because I don't know what to do with the passage or how to apply it to my own life.  My observation today was that the healing led directly to the glorification of God. 

God can and will do amazing things for His people and for His glory.  Our faith as well as our hearts motivations (see yesterday) are key components in our relationship with God and what He will do in our lives.

Lord, May my heart be tuned to Yours as I live my life.  May the things I desire be the things You desire for me and may I use Your gifts to bring glory back to You.

(I am not sure any of this made sense today, but it did in my head and that is worth something :)  )

Luke 18:18-30

When I read about the rich young ruler, I feel convicted because I know there are things that I hold onto in my own life.  I know there are things I struggle to trust God with.  On a day like today, when I feel tired and discouraged already, it is hard to read.  However, the passage did not end there.  The disciples responded with fear and their insistence that they had given up a lot to follow Jesus.  Jesus reassures them.  While it is impossible for people, to do what it takes to be saved, God's grace is rich and covers a multitude (1 Peter 4:8).  God knows the hearts of those who love Him and is gracious towards them.  That is comforting on a day when I don't feel like I have a whole lot more to give.

Luke 18:15-17

The lesson here, is similar to yesterday... humility.  Rather than looking down on those who are not as mature, we should humble ourselves.  The reality of this lesson, though, is a little intense.  Jesus tells his disciples to humble themselves and then leads them right to a practice session.  They fail the test and He reminds them to be humble.  That was a lesson that would probably stick with them.

Luke 18:9-14

GUILTY!   I feel so very guilty.  My pride gets the best of me.  I try to do things in my own strength.  I look down on others.  I do my best to earn affection and attention.  I do it all, time and time again.

On the flip side, I recently took a trip to Michigan with the kids.  I felt very brave and confident driving 1200 miles with the kids, by myself, twice.  Before I even got to Lake City, I started realizing how foolish I was.  I had no control over the mood of the kids, potential accidents, flat tires, car problems and so many other things.  I started to fear.  Fortunately, I had packed some sermons on CD to listen to while we drove.  I listened to Mike Tiffany teach on grace.  I realized that my day may go horribly wrong, but God was big enough to walk me through whatever might happen.  I rested in God's grace for the entire trip and it was amazing.  There were only a few crazy moments with the kids.  I was spared from any crazy issues with the car.  Best of all, my faith grew as I realized I did nothing to make the trip happen smoothly--it was God.

Luke 18:1-8

I don't feel like my thoughts are very well organized this morning (no SOAP today!), but I have a lot of them.  When I started reading, the end of verse 1 stood out to me.  ...they ought to pray and not to lose heart.  As I finished my reading and reviewed that phrase, the words of Psalm 43:5 jumped to the front of my mind (Yay for memorized verses that stick!).  Put your hope in God for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.  The main thought for me: We are to bring our concerns to God.  That is the best way to actively put our faith in Him for that situation.  The bonus to that is that it is a form of worship and brings honor to God as well.

I have listened to many sermons and opinions on prayer in the past year.  There are many good thoughts shared, but some are misleading.  One of those thoughts was that we pray to align our hearts with God's.  While I think that this is true, I think it denies the reality that God wants to hear our thoughts and concerns and that our words do change His actions, as this passage describes.  God wants to be honored with our trust, and He responds with the love of a Father.

One last somewhat random thought:  I believe we need to be careful how and what we pray.  We need to seek God's heart in each situation and not fight for our own will and plan through prayer.  I suspect that God sometimes allows us to have our own way, even when it is not best, so that we will learn... just like a father.

Luke 9:37-48

We have family in town and I am VERY DISTRACTED... but in a wonderful way. :)

My readings have been a little shorter, but I will take what I can get.

The thing that struck me today was that the disciples were focused on themselves.  Jesus just told them to listen carefully as he told them that he was going to be betrayed by men.  The next thing we know is that they were arguing about who was the greatest.  As a mom I am familiar with this type of listening.  It drives me nuts!  I know I do the same thing though and I owe God an apology far too often for this very thing.