Thoughts While Reading Luke, Part Three

Chapter 10—note: from here out I plan to state notes/thoughts as prayers and talking to God, it helps me connect with Him vs. read about Him.

--God, your kingdom is a blessing to those who choose to submit to you, and a judgment on those who reject You. You are so merciful to withhold and allow those who reject you to change their mind and turn to you. You are merciful to me.
--21-24—For centuries many of those who remained faithful to you longed for the day that you would come to earth. And finally you came, and all those people had in their mind who they thought you were, so when you came, only the weak, the poor, the oppressed, the children, could accept who you were. They didn’t try to explain it away, they didn’t sit evaluating you according to their theology. They just accepted you as the Messiah. No wonder you called those people blessed. And now, since you have come, I have the blessing of seeing you, knowing you, experiencing you. Thank you Father, for having the good pleasure of revealing Your Son to me. I owe my life to You.
--I love the parable of the Good Samaritan! I love how you handled this “expert in the law” with this. It challenges me as to whether I’m like the priest/Levite—do I think too highly of myself to reach out and help others—ANY others? Not just help them, but show genuine love and mercy as much as is within my power?

Chapter 11
--I want to develop a prayer life that looks like this. I often approach you afraid to ask for things, but I think you’re saying that if my desire is first and foremost for You, then I’ll have not only you through the Holy Spirit, but also other things I might need. Help me Jesus to want your Holy Spirit active and vibrant in me more than anything.
--Verse 28—Keepin’ it real. Duh! Yet how often do I stop to hear your word? How easily I don’t obey it…
--Jesus, teach me more about spiritual blindness.
--Woes—God, I pray your Holy Spirit would help me to be humble, to love mercy and not just the letter of the law.

Chapter 12
--Am I bold for you Jesus? I confess that at times in my life and have failed to stand for You, I’ve been called a hypocrite, and I knew it. Forgive me, Lord. I pray that you would find me willing to speak about you even when it’s awkward and costly, and that when I speak, your Spirit would give me the words to speak. I feel like that happened a bit this Sunday, and I want more of it, more of you speaking through me.
--Verse 15—how subtle and yet how prevalent greed has become in our day and in my life, Lord. Help me to remember this verse and this parable!
--This passage reminds me of the Generous Life/How to Be Rich series. Thank you GOD for that teaching, I think it was a turning point for me. God, help me more and more to live in this truth. Help me to be rich toward You.
--22-34 is almost a direct copy of Matthew 6. Lots of stuff in here for me. Help me not to be so attached to things, to clothes, to restaurants, etc. I want to desire you more than these things.
--Will you find me, will you find us, ready for you Jesus?
--Verse 48—scary. God, I think I’m someone who has been entrusted with much. I don’t mean to sound prideful in that, but with all my life experience, all my schooling, etc., I think you’ve taught me a lot and according to this, you plan to hold me to it. I want to be faithful to you.

Chapter 13
--My Bible has a heading for the first few verses: “repent or perish.” Wow. Do we hear this message in our day often? It’s certainly not the only message of the Bible, but it’s an important one.
--I want to know more about the mustard seed parable. What’s the message here?
--Who is the subject of the teaching on the narrow door? Those who call themselves Christians but aren’t, or those who reject God altogether?