Category Archives: Luke

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Make Every Day Thanksgiving Day – You’ll Be Grateful You Did

Practice Gratitude - It Opens the Door To More of God's Goodness

Today is Thanksgiving Day, so offer thanks to God with your whole heart! It will not only make God smile, it will do you some good, too. Bruce Chapman said it well: “Gratitude has been called the gateway to the virtues. As Cicero put it, ‘Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues, but the parent of all others,’ opening the heart to deeper appreciation, compassion, repentance, forgiveness, generosity, and wisdom. Giving thanks should be cultivated as a habit. It is a kind of “therapy for the spirit.” Try some “thanks therapy” today – you’ll be grateful you did.

Thanksgiving Therapy //  Luke 17:15-17

One of the lepers, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?”

Every generation of parents ask a question of their children. It’s more of a prompting than a question. After receiving a gift or a favor, parents ask, “What do you say?” Of course, the expected response is, “thank you!”

That routine was repeated in my home when I was a child. My mother would ask me, “What do you say to Grammie for her brownies?” Now she didn’t really want my honest opinion—she would have gone postal if I had said, “Grammie, where in the name of heaven did you learn how to bake brownies? Every year they’re as hard as a rock! One of these times someone’s going to break a tooth.” My mom didn’t really care what I thought; she simply wanted a response of gratitude to show my acknowledgment for Grammie’s kindness and effort.

Parents still want their children to show gratitude even if their children don’t feel grateful. They want them to learn to offer thanks simply because it’s the right thing to do. Why? Simply because every human being lives with a debt of gratitude, owing thanks to someone for something. Of course, parents hope their kids won’t just parrot words of gratitude; they hope that the exercise of gratitude now will one day produce authentically grateful people.

And that is exactly what our Heavenly Father hopes for each of us! That is why you can’t go far into the Bible without a reference or an admonition to be thankful, as in this story of the ten lepers.

The ability to express gratitude is one of the fundamental signs of a redeemed life and a growing spirituality. To give thanks is one of the highest callings we have and one of the most self-benefiting things we can do. It keeps us from being self-absorbed. It produces an eternal perspective. It reminds us of how blessed we really are. It creates a perspective that sees that all of life is a gift.

At the end of each day G. K. Chesterton would say, “Here ends another day, during which I have had eyes, ears, hands [to experience this] great world around me. Tomorrow begins another day. Why am I allowed two?” That’s why Ambrose, Bishop of Milan said, “No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” It keeps you focused on God’s goodness and not on yourself. And best of all, gratitude opens the door for more:

To be thankful for what we have received…is the surest way to receive more. (Andrew Murray)

So why not practice a little gratitude today! You’ll be grateful you did!

Practice Gratitude: Write a list of 10 things from this past week for which you are thankful. Then give thanks for them.

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God Never Forgets

He May Be Slow, But He Is Never Late

SYNOPSIS: God keeps his promises—every one of them. He can’t help himself; it is just his nature. He had promised through the prophets a redeemer for Israel hundreds of years before, and 400 silent years had passed since the last prophet Malachi had uttered the oracles of God until the time the angel Gabriel revealed the Lord’s plan to Zechariah. Though God’s promise had been ever so slow in coming, it was nonetheless fulfilled. He hasn’t forgotten you either. While his promises to you may be slow in coming, they won’t be late!

God Never Forget... He may be slow, but He is never late. - Ray Noah

Moments With God // Luke 1:67-73

Then Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant.”

Over the years the church has given Zechariah’s song the title, “The Benedictus,” or “The Blessing.” The lyrics of this brief song, which we read in Luke 1:67-79, were sung by one of the proudest and oldest first-time fathers of all time. But more than being just a happy little ditty from a happy old daddy, Zechariah proclaims two timeless and timely truths about God’s character that you and I probably need to hear again today.

First, we are reminded that God never breaks a promise! John’s birth was living proof of God’s faithfulness. In His song, Zechariah belts out to all who will listen, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.” (Luke 1:68)

God keeps his promises—every one of them. He can’t help himself; it is just his nature. He had promised through the prophets a redeemer for Israel hundreds of years before, and 400 silent years had passed since the last prophet Malachi had uttered the oracles of God until the time the angel Gabriel revealed God’s plan to Zechariah. Though God’s promise had been ever so slow in coming, it was nonetheless fulfilled.

Zechariah’s song reminds us that even though God may be slow, he is never late!

Second, God never forgets. Zechariah’s name meant “God remembers.” And in his song, Zechariah exploded with the joyful realization that God does remember: “God has remembered his oath…” (Luke 1:72-73)

Zechariah must have been discouraged. He was a priest of a nation that had turned its back on God. He and Elizabeth, whose name meant “the promise of God,” had been faithful to God all their lives—they lived up to the meaning of their names. Yet God had not blessed them with a son, and wayward Israel continued to be oppressed by its pagan enemies.

But Zechariah clung to this truth: Our Creator remembers! God knows who we are, where we are, and what we need. He remembers us. He remembers his promises, and God graciously acts at the proper time.

Isaiah 49:15-16 offers this critical truth to which we must fiercely cling, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

Zechariah’s song reminds us that God can’t forget!

If you are reading these words today and feeling a little forgotten by God, thank God you’re wrong! Zechariah reminds you from first-hand experience through his song that God remembers you and will fulfill every single one of his promises to you at the proper time!

So be faithful!

Take A Moment: Take a moment to thank the Lord for his unfailing faithfulness. He remembers his promises to you and he will fulfill them all. Rejoice in him today, then offer your life faithfully back to him and his purposes.

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Replace Seasonal Worry With Sustained Worship

Merry Christmas - And Fear Not

SYNOPSIS: Repeatedly in the Christmas story when the angel announced Christ’s birth, he told those to whom he spoke, “fear not.” Could it be that what Gabriel said to them on that day was an invitation for us today into “no fear” living? If so, then how do we let go of our fears? It’s quite simple really; nothing complicated about it at all. The angel said what is repeated another 364 times throughout Scripture: “Don’t be afraid.” In other words, quit worrying! And to do that, we must do what the hosts of angels then went on to say to the shepherds: “Find the Christ-child and worship him.” I’m pretty sure what those heavenly heralds were, and are, calling for is for us to simply replace daily worry with sustained worship. And Christmas is a great day to start doing that. Merry Christmas!  ~Ray and Linda

Merry Christmas // Luke 2:9-12

An angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Repeatedly in the Christmas story when the angel announced Christ’s birth, he told those to whom he spoke, “fear not.” Could it be that what Gabriel said to them on that day was an invitation for us today into “no fear” living? If so, then how do we let go of our fears? It’s quite simple really; nothing complicated about it at all. The angel said what is repeated another 364 times throughout Scripture: “Don’t be afraid.” In other words, quit worrying! And to do that, we must do what the hosts of angels then went on to say to the shepherds: “Find the Christ-child and worship him.” I’m pretty sure what those heavenly heralds were, and are, calling for is for us to simply replace daily worry with sustained worship. And Christmas is a great day to start doing that!

“Fear not, this is the best news ever!” That’s what the angel of the Lord said to a few terrified shepherds outside Bethlehem almost 2,000 years ago when he suddenly appeared with the announcement of Christ’s birth. Listen again to the angel’s encouragement in Luke 2:10-12 from Today’s English Version:

The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Savior was born—Christ the Lord! And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

It is interesting that the very first words in the announcement of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2 were, “don’t be afraid!”

There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, but the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Savior was born—Christ the Lord!  And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great army of heaven’s angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them back into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us.”

With so much fear in our world right now, our worshipful celebration of the anniversary of Christ’s birth reminds us that Christmas really is the Good News. Not only did the arrival of Jesus mean we now have a Savior, it also meant that we no longer have to live in fear.

So how do we enter into that “no fear” living? It’s quite simple really; nothing complicated about it at all. The angels said what is repeated another 364 times throughout Scripture: Fear not. In other words, quit worrying. And to do that, we must do what the angels went on to instruct the shepherds to do: “Find the Christ-child and worship him.”

I’m pretty sure what those heavenly heralds were, and are, calling for is to simply replace season worry with sustained worship. That is the antidote to fear. That is what will defeat the fear and anxiety the evil in this world causes in our hearts. That is what reminds us that embracing the Christ-child as Savior and Lord truly is Good News.

With that in mind, replace your fear of the what if’s in life and place faith in the I am who was born as a babe on Christmas Day! And take courage, today is Christmas!

God is With Us: Today we celebrate the birth of a Savior who is the Lord nearly 2,000 years ago. What difference should that make in our lives today—and every other day going forward? Simply this: Live boldly, Immanuel, God with us, is still with us!

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Narrow And Intolerant

Make No Mistake: There Is Only One Way

SYNOPSIS: We could fill page after page with Jesus’ claims about himself and the exclusive authority he possessed to grant eternal life only to those who solely follow him. For anyone who takes the time to actually read Jesus’ own words, the truth is abundantly clear: He is unequivocally exclusive about the way to eternal life. Does that sound narrow? It most definitely is—but so is a runway and landing exclusively on that landing strip is the only way to get the airplane you are on safely to its destination. When it is the only way, thank God for narrowness and intolerance!

Narrow And Intolerant

Moments With God // Luke 13:24

Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.

Christianity is often accused these days of being a narrow and intolerant religion. Guilty as charged! You can come up with no other verdict. After all, just look at the overwhelming verbal evidence offered by its founder, Jesus Christ. Here are just a few of his outrageous claims from the Gospel of John:

For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day. (John 6:40, NLT)

Only insofar as you eat and drink flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, do you have life within you. The one who brings a hearty appetite to this eating and drinking has eternal life and will be fit and ready for the Final Day. (John 6:53-54, The Message)

I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. (John 10:7-9, NLT)

I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die. And everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die.” (John 11:25-26, CEV)

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14:16, NLT)

We could fill page after page with Jesus’ claims about himself and the exclusive authority he possessed to grant eternal life only to those who follow him solely. For anyone who takes the time to actually read Jesus’ own words, the truth is abundantly evident: Jesus is unequivocally exclusive, narrow, and intolerant about the way to eternal life. Of course, he loves and died for the whole world (John 3:16). And of course, he didn’t stand on a street corner condemning those who refused to believe in him. (John 3:17) Yet the unavoidable truth about Jesus is that he was very clear that there was one, and only one way, to forgiveness of sin and life forever with the Father.

Does that sound narrow? It most definitely is—but so is a runway, and landing exclusively on it is the only way to get the airplane you are on safely to its destination. When it is the only way, thank God for narrowness and intolerance!

Takes A Moment: Have you ever taken the time to pray the most important prayer—really, the one prayer that empowers all other prayers—to acknowledge that Jesus is both Lord and Savior, to confess your sins and ask him to forgive you, and invite him into your life as your one and only Master and Commander? If not, I hope you will do that right now!

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No Resurrection—No Christianity

A Warning To Those Who Believe In Jesus But Not His Resurrection

SYNOPSIS: It’s that simple: if you don’t believe in the resurrection, then you don’t believe the core tenet of Christianity. Let me say it another way: if you reject the resurrection then your belief system is not Christian. The resurrection of Jesus from the grave is so critical to Christianity, and by it, to finding the path to eternal life, that Jesus himself spent a good amount of time after his resurrection offering many proofs that he was indeed alive. He wants you to know that you know that he rose from the dead. So if you are still having doubts about that yet find yourself wanting to believe, then simply bring your doubts to Jesus and pray this simple prayer found in Mark 9:24, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” And he will!

No Resurrection, No Christianity

Moments With God // Luke 24:15

As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them.

A lot of people say, “I believe in Jesus. I think he was a great teacher…in fact, I’d say he was God’s Son. But I’m not too sure about this resurrection thing…I mean really, it’s kind of unbelievable. It’s probably just a myth, anyway.”

According to a recent poll, 85% of Americans claim Christianity as their personal faith, yet of those, an astonishing 35% believe that though crucified, Jesus never had a physical resurrection. No resurrection! The Risen Lord is the heart and soul of Christianity. The Apostle Paul said Jesus rising from the tomb on the third day isn’t just a creative little addendum to the Easter story, it is central and essential to authentic faith. He pointed out that if Christians are not going to stake their lives and their eternal future on the reality of the resurrection, then they are wasting their time being Christian.

Large numbers of people are fascinated with Jesus; they respect him; they even love him in a way. Yet they are uncomfortable with the resurrection and uncertain that it really happened. However, buried deep within their hearts is a longing for the resurrection to be true. They need Jesus’ resurrection to be real—even if human logic has buried the possibility of someone rising from death—because they, too, hope for resurrection when they reach the end of their lives.

They are no different than the people in first-century Palestine who had placed their hopes in Jesus. They, too, had bought into his proclamation of eternal life, only to have their hopes dashed when Jesus was crucified on the cross and buried forever in a cold, hopeless garden tomb.

Or so they thought! Stories began to immediately circulate that Jesus had risen from the dead. At first, his followers didn’t believe it—who in his right mind would?—until Jesus himself began to appear to them, offering not just hearsay evidence, but irrefutable evidence that he was alive—living proof. That’s right, Jesus himself showed up and blew the doors of disbelief right off their jailhouse of doubt, forever freeing them to the settled truth that he was alive and that resurrection was now the new end-of-life order for all who placed their faith in him.

Jesus himself showed up! (Luke 24:15, 36) In the accounts of five different New Testament writers, the Risen Christ made thirteen separate appearances to a total of 557 witnesses—people who saw Jesus alive with their own eyes. At the time Paul wrote his piece about the resurrection, some thirty or so years later, he pointed out that most of those 500-plus eyewitnesses were still alive, so all any skeptic had to do was just go ask one of them for their personal account. (1 Corinthians 15:6)

Acts 1:3 says, “During the forty days after his crucifixion, Jesus appeared to these people many times with convincing proofs that he was actually alive.” Jesus himself showed up. He wanted people to know that he was alive—that resurrection was the new order of the day.

When you consider the historical, physical, visual, and transformational proof of the resurrection—verifiable evidence—you are forced to decide about Jesus: He is either Lord of all or he is not Lord at all. He is either the risen Christ or he was an incredible liar. Either Christianity is based on truth that you should order your life by or it needs to be discarded as unreliable and swept forever into the dustbin of history.

The evidence says the resurrection is a reliable fact; we can be confident in that. Jesus especially wants you to be convinced!

Takes A Moment: Do you find yourself wanting to believe in the resurrection, but still having your doubts? Bring your doubts to Jesus and pray this simple prayer found in Mark 9:24, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

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That’s Quite A Prayer Team You’ve Got

When You Pray The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Get Involved

SYNOPSIS: There is a lot of prayer going up for you! I hope that comforts you, because whether you realize it or not, you’ve got quite a prayer team. Think about this: When you pray, it’s not just you praying. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit get engaged the moment a prayer leaves your lips—if not sooner.

Every time you pray...

Moments With God // Luke 22:31-32

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.

There is a lot of prayer going up for you! I hope that comforts you, because whether you realize it or not, you’ve got quite a prayer team. Think about this: When you pray, it’s not just you praying. Romans 8:26-27: 26 says,

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

That is tremendous news! Paul says the Holy Spirit is actively engaged, at this moment, interceding within you and through you, lifting your life, taking your case, speaking your name before the throne of the Heavenly Father and praying the Father’s perfect will for your life. As the great theologian C.H. Dodd so appropriately noted, “Prayer is the divine in us appealing to the Divine above us.”

Even when you don’t know what to pray for, or how to pray, or stumble through prayer, or even shortsightedly pray things that would be to your harm, the Holy Spirit comes alongside you to translate your prayer into the world’s greatest prayer, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Through the Spirit, “our prayers,” as C.S. Lewis said, “are really His prayers; He speaks to himself through us.”

As frustrated and inept as you might be, when you pray, you unleash a divine dialogue between Father and Spirit. When you pray, Father and Spirit are strategizing how to turn the circumstances of your life, both good and bad, into that which will produce the greatest good in you. That’s why there’s no such thing for a child of God as ineffective prayer.

Now as amazing as that is, there’s more. Not only are Father and Spirit in a constant conversation about you, the Son is in on the discussion as well. Romans 8:34 says, “Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Compare that to Hebrews 7:24-25, “Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”

Jesus’ job description as resurrected Lord is to be your personal intercessor. We saw that with Peter here in Luke 22, but it didn’t stop with Peter. Now Jesus stands night and day before Father representing your case, too. And he intends not just to help you get through whatever you’re going through, his mission is to save you completely!

What all of this means is that Father, Son, and Spirit are actively engaged on your behalf at this very moment, and they won’t stop until they see that the Father’s perfect plan is fully worked out in you both in time and for all eternity.

And when you join them, that’s quite a prayer team you’ve got, isn’t it?

Take A Moment: No matter how confident you are with your prayers, offer them up to God. After all, you’ve got quite a prayer team praying with you!

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Holy Heartburn, Batman!

When You Find Your Heart Burning Within You

SYNOPSIS: The two disciples who were walking the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus after the crucifixion were in a deep funk—their hopes crushed, their dreams dashed—until the resurrected Jesus showed up and gave them a case of holy heartburn: “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he spoke to us?” they said to one another in retrospect. Maybe you are in that kind of funk today. Perhaps your hopes have been dashed, your dreams have died, your circumstances are not what you had expected, and the life you imagined life has not turned out as you had hoped. Let Jesus give you a little heartburn today. Take heart my friend, when the Great Resurrector resurrects your hope, you will catch a case of holy heartburn and you will never be the same.

"Christ is risen!" isn't just for Easter Sunday!

Moments With God // Luke 24:31-32

By this time the two disciples were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared! They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

Heartburn isn’t usually a good thing, but when God shows up and gives you heartburn, it’s a good thing.

Two disciples, perhaps a man and his wife, were walking the seven-mile journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus, discussing the devastating news of the past few hours. It was the very first Easter Sunday, but they didn’t know yet that Jesus had risen from the tomb. As far as they were concerned, he was dead and gone—and so were their hopes.

Then Jesus showed up, although his identity was hidden from them, and gave them an incurable case of holy heartburn. It was the heartburn of hope, and it was just the cure their broken hearts needed in those post-crucifixion moments.

That’s the beauty of the resurrection. No matter what you are going through, the empty tomb stands as a constant and certain reminder that there is always reason for hopefulness. That’s why the psalmist, David, said, “Why are you hopeless? Why are you in turmoil? Put your hope in God!” (Psalm 42:5) Resurrection hope is not just wishful thinking or a pie-in-the-sky kind of attitude that says, “Oh well, things will turn out okay someday.” It’s not the breezy kind of optimism that Mary Martin sang about in South Pacific when she said “I’m stuck like a dope with a thing called hope.”

The kind of hope Jesus will burn into your heart is first of all, a reliable hope. Marx said that hope is the opiate of the people, but Christian hope is built on the foundation of the Bible and supported by the reality of the empty tomb. Verse 27 says, “Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Second, resurrection hope is a relational hope. The resurrection is not just a story from the pages of history. “Christ is risen” isn’t just a theological incantation that clerics pull out of their bag of tricks every Easter. It is hope that arises from an experience with Jesus himself, not just a dream or a fantasy or a phantom. Verse 29 says, “So he went home with them.” Jesus walked with these two disciples. He ate with them. He listened to them, inviting them to pour out their hearts. And he revealed himself to them. Resurrection hope is a real person—an intimate relationship with the living Lord.

And third, the kind of hope Jesus wants to give you is a radical hope. When you encounter the risen Lord and put your complete trust in him, it will be nothing short of life changing. Verse 31 says that after they had spent time with Jesus, “suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” These two disciples were headed back to Emmaus to pick up the pieces of their shattered dreams, if that were even possible. Instead, they encountered Jesus, and their plans were radically altered. Actually, it was their lives that were radically altered from that moment on.

Maybe you are in the kind of funk these two disciples were on that first Easter Sunday. Perhaps your dreams have been dashed, your circumstances are not what you had hoped for, and your life has not turned out as you expected. Get ready! If you start to get a little heartburn, it could be that the risen Lord is resurrecting your hopes.

By the way, when Jesus resurrects your hope, you will never be disappointed! (Romans 5:5, NLT)

Take A Moment: Surrendering to God’s total control means giving him your dashed hopes and broken dreams. Have you done that? If you have, perhaps you’ve taken them back out of his hands and are clinging in bitter disappointment to things that have not turned out as you had hoped. Surrender—or re-surrender—them to the One who specializes in resurrecting dead things!