Tag: Luke 8

Where is Your Faith?

Old Testament: 2 Kings 5 & 6

Poetry: Proverbs 25

New Testament: Luke 8

Reading today’s passage in Luke 8, I was surprised at how many incredible stories of Jesus are packed into just one chapter. It really shows the power that Jesus holds. He preaches messages to large crowds, he calms the storm, and heals a sick woman just from being touched. There are even multiple accounts of people being cured of evil spirits. Additionally, we even get to hear the miraculous resurrection of Jairus’ daughter. Jesus’ power is stronger than the ties of death. A common theme among these stories is the presence of faith or the lack thereof. Jesus asks his disciples, “Where is your faith” when they were scared and stuck in a storm. Some would point to Jesus’ ability to give commands to the winds and the waves and his power over death as evidence that Jesus is greater than who he says he is. But when we look at other accounts in the Bible of God using men to do his work and will, we can easily see that God is powerful enough to work through humans. Our reading today in 2 Kings 5 tells the story of Elisha performing a miracle through the power of God and healing a man of leprosy. There are many other examples of great miracles that could only be through the hand of God, such as in 1 Kings 17 when Elijah raised the widow’s son.

God is omnipotent and His power is not diminished when He works through humans. This same idea also extends to the fact that Jesus’ death on the cross covers the atonement for the sins of the entire world. How can this be since Jesus is a man? Through the power of God. This was part of God’s plan of salvation. Since sin and death came through a man (Adam), life and righteousness also come from a man (Jesus). Jesus could not have done it on his own accord- but through the power of God his sacrifice was sufficient. Therefore, it has nothing to do with Jesus’ qualifications and everything to do with the qualifications of God. This is great news for us because it means that God can use us in unimaginable ways because our God is greater and more powerful than we would be able to accomplish on our own and is waiting to use us when we offer ourselves to him.

Throughout the Gospels we can see the faithfulness Jesus shows to God. This is an important step to being used by God. Luke chapter 8 shows the importance of having faith. Jairus’ daughter was raised WHEN Jairus had the faith that Jesus could do it, the woman who was sick was healed WHEN she had the faith that touching Jesus would be enough. We can even see that the demons had faith in Jesus that he could command them to leave the man. The demons even acknowledge who Jesus is and recognizes that Jesus gets his power from the Most High.

Not only do we need to have our faith in God but we also need to be close to him and have a relationship with God. The parable of the sower likewise teaches us how a firm foundation in God keeps us rooted in God and His ways. We can believe in God for a time but if we are not continually seeking Him then we will not be listening for God when He tries to use us to accomplish His work.

-Makayla Railton

Questions:

Have you been building your firm foundation on God so that you can withstand life’s temptations and troubles and still be rooted in God?

Do you feel like you are waiting for God to qualify you before He can use you? Whose power are you relying on?

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Good News Today

Old Testament: Judges 3 & 4

Poetry: Psalm 108

New Testament: Luke 8

I was having a phone conversation with someone who had been serving in their local church. The topic of the Kingdom of God came up and she asked me what is the Kingdom of God?  She said she really didn’t know about that.

I was thrilled to answer her question with scriptures about the Kingdom and I sent her lessons and lists of verses. Of course, I had to be selective because there is so much about the Kingdom in the scriptures.

In Luke 8, we discover that Jesus is traveling from “one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God”. It was good news in the time of Jesus and it is good news today. The Kingdom message offers hope and eternal perspective.  Jesus and his followers lived in the real world, too. They faced difficulties as we can see from this brief description of the women who followed him and also financially supported Jesus’ ministry. The women “had been cured of evil spirits and diseases”. They had experienced first-hand the blessings of being spiritually and physically healed by Jesus. Now they could also support the Lord Jesus as he shared the good news of the Kingdom of God with others.

Jesus used multiple parables or short stories to illustrate the importance and astounding value of the Kingdom (see Matthew 13 for more).  The parable of the Sower is presented to show that a person should receive the word of God and produce good fruit. We are so blessed that Jesus also shares the explanation of the parable in the following verses. As Jesus told his disciples the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God have been given to you.  We see that the word of God is offered freely, but some allow it to be snatched away and others fall away when the going gets tough. Some let life’s worries, riches and pleasures take over and there is simply no room for it in their lives. Now of course our hope is to be those with noble and good hearts, that hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. From season to season, I have been amazed by some plants that produce like crazy. When you have a harvest of “get me another basket”, the garden work is worth it.  So keep planting and watering and sowing those good news seeds so God can produce His kingdom fruit through you.

-Rebecca Dauksas

Reflection Questions

  1. What do you know about the Kingdom of God? What does Jesus want people (then and now) to know about God’s Kingdom? Why do you think it was what he spoke about? Is it what your church talks about?
  2. Look again at Luke 8 at the types of soil the seed – word of God – landed on. Can you think of an example of each – what causes the seed/plant to NOT grow healthily? What is needed for it to be healthy and growing/producing? How healthy is the word of God in your life? What is interfering with its health?
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Family

Luke 8

Thursday, December 15, 2022

The words we see Jesus speaking in the Bible aren’t simply a set of rules for a better life on this earth. They are an invitation to accept adoption into the family of God. We see him referring to this family and clearly opening its doors to us in Luke 8:21.


“Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. And it was told Him by some, who said, ‘Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.’ But He answered and said to them, ‘My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” ’ – Luke 8:19-21


Under the New Covenant, Christ opened up who a relationship with the God of Abraham is available to. To be part of the Family of God is no longer simply to be a Jew; it is free to be accepted by both Jew and Gentile. In this text Jesus is not dissing his earthly mother in any way, in contrast, his words flow from a place that embraces all and desires every person to take part in the family of God. At the time, the disciples assumed that Jesus would put his own family in a higher position than all the other people to whom he had no obligation. But in the following verse, he reveals that every human being can become a member of his family. Closeness to Jesus depends only upon “hearing the word and doing it.”


Those who hear the word of God and do it are disciples; disciples are followers of Christ; followers of Christ are Christians. Christianity is not something you must be – or even can be – born into. Even if one is born into a Christian family, to become a part of the family of God is something different. It’s a choice to be part of something bigger than yourself and this life. To become a true Christian is to embrace your identity as a child of God and follower of Christ. It does not require a specific gene or to be part of a familial bloodline. It does not require
anything, in fact, other than total commitment to the Gospel and a relationship with God.

-Isabella Osborn

Reflection Questions

  1. Do you think that a relationship with our heavenly Father requires effort and nurturing, in the same way that your relationship with your mother, brother, or sister requires nurturing to grow and thrive?
  2. What must you do to accept a place in the family of God? Once accepted, what steps can be taken in order to keep your faith and relationship with God growing stronger and stronger? What about to strengthen your relationship with your brothers and sisters in Christ?
  3. What might “hearing the word and doing it” entail? How will you make the conscious, deliberate decision to “hear the word and do it” as we approach a new year?
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Farming for God

Luke Chapter 8

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Several topics in this chapter tie back in to the devotion I wrote for the previous chapter in Luke.

Jesus is acknowledged to have healed several people in the beginning of the chapter.  Then later, Jesus again heals someone, but involuntarily it seems. This is a very cool moment in my opinion.  

 

45“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

 

Without even directing it, power left him and healed a woman.  That is amazingly cool. Then he raises someone else from the dead, this time a 12 year old girl.  Oh, and he also calmed a storm on the sea on his way over to this area. I want to follow that guy!  

 

I also said last time that if you know anyone who doesn’t know the Gospel message, then bring it!  In this chapter it is recorded that Jesus traveled about from town to town proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.  

 

This is what we should be doing as well, not necessarily traveling from town to town (though some are called to do that), but spreading the word nevertheless.  Verse 16 says, “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.”  Why would anyone keep this good news to themselves?? Actually there are quite a few good reasons we come up with, aren’t there? Too intimidating. Not knowledgeable enough.  Don’t want to offend. Don’t want to risk losing a friendship. Just don’t know how or what to say. Those all seem like good reasons. They’re not.

 

No reason is good enough to not share the wonderful hope that we have in the future kingdom, in everlasting life, and in being in the presence of our amazing King, Jesus Christ.  Please don’t withhold this life-changing news when you have an opportunity to share it. I firmly believe that if you open yourself up to sharing it, God will provide the words for you.  Don’t believe me? Try it!  

 

And don’t be too discouraged if the news you shared doesn’t take root.  Jesus warns us in the Parable of the Sower that there are many obstacles in this world that may prevent the word from taking root and fully changing someone.  But don’t let that stop you. You never know when it WILL take root. How wonderful and marvelous to think that something that you shared with someone could make THE difference in that person taking a path that leads to everlasting life.  Sometimes you may never even know that you made that difference until you are in the Kingdom.

 

Happy farming!

Greg Landry