Live the Word Bible Studies

Study 24 - Luke 16:13-17:19

Dear Student of the Word,

It's time for another dose of God's word in the form of my Bible studies, this one in our latest study of Luke. I call these studies devotional studies because my goal is to help you apply the Word, not just read and study it. In this week's installment, we take a look at Jesus' public teaching ministry with stories that are not found in the other gospels. This is seven-part study that you can download below, but here is a sample from part one:

Study Twenty-Four, Part One

13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."  14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.

16:13 – Jesus made a simple but profound statement: No man can serve God and something or someone else. God must have first place in your life or He has no place, and it seems money has a special pull that causes it to command attention and even worship. Why is that? Probably because we use money, in most cases, to obtain the necessities of life, so it is easy to think that money is what we need to survive. God is the source of money and our Provider, however, and we must not let what He uses to bless us to become the object of our affection, attention, or even worship.

When I say “worship” money, you may picture someone bowing down before a dollar bill. That’s not how the worship will be expressed. Instead, it will be a life that is given to obtain the dollar, investing time, energy, and creativity to get and protect money. Are you giving to your career what you should be giving to God? If so, then there is the danger that you are serving money.

What does the Bible say about money?  Here are a few highlights:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:10). 

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:4-5)

“’The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the Lord Almighty” (Haggai 2:8-9). 

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:11-13). 

Where do you stand where money is concerned? Are you serving it, or does it serve you? Are you uptight about money? Too tired to be involved in your church because of what you give to make a living?

16:14 – The Pharisees sneered at Jesus. Can you imagine? They did so because they were in love with money and not with God. I know of leaders today who are in love with money, and that is easy to do in our modern culture. The word of the Lord is clear:  You cannot love God and money at the same time.

16:15 – This is quite a statement! What is valued with men is despised in God’s sight, and that includes money. What do men value? Men value money, power, prestige, and outward appearances. What does God value? God values generosity, humility, service and a clean heart. It is easy to justify yourself or make yourself look good before men, but it impossible to fool God, because He knows the heart. The choice is yours. Do you want to look good before men or before God? Your choice will determine what you pursue and who or what you worship. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled The Leadership Walk. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

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Study 23 - Luke 14:28-16:12

Dear Student of the Word,

It's been more than a month since my last update to Luke, and that is because I have been busy publishing some of my previous studies, specifically Acts and Matthew. Acts is now available to purchase and Matthew will be ready soon. Here is the link where you can view and buy Acts. Now, let's return to Luke's other work, which was his gospel. In this study 23, we focus on some of the parables that Jesus' taught the crowds, which I did not break down into a verse-by-verse study, preferring to comment on them in their entirety. In this seven-part study, this is what I wrote in part seven (the entire study 23 is available for download below):

Study Twenty-Three, Part Seven

10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?

16:10 – I know of no more important verses for leaders and disciples than these three verses. These three statements are simple and straightforward, but profound. The first statement is the key to how you will handle much is how you are now handling a little.  Are you punctual? Do you pay your bills on time? Do you keep your word? Do you do your job thoroughly? If you think that what you are doing is insignificant and “beneath” you, or that you will do better when you have something more important to do, then you are mistaken.

The issue here isn’t your quality of work, but your trustworthiness. Can people and God trust you to do everything to the best of your ability with excellence? If so, then God will promote you. If not, then you have a roadblock to success that you must remove.

16:11 – How you handle money is the second key to promotion and success in God’s kingdom. Are you honest in your business and personal monetary affairs? Do you pay your debts? Your bills? Do you give to the work of the Lord?  Money, according to Jesus, is an indication of how you will handle “true riches.” What are true riches?  They are spiritual opportunities and open doors for ministry. How you handle your money will determine how God uses you to advance His kingdom on earth.

16:12 – The final key to promotion and success is how you handle someone else’s property and that includes someone else’s money. One time I had used paper clips, tablets and other office supplies where I worked. One day I sensed the Lord prompt me to write a check and send it to our financial office to pay for what I had used (well, let’s be honest:  what I had stolen!). I did so and learned a valuable lesson. I had to treat others’ stuff with more integrity if I wanted to stay out of trouble with God. 

How about you?  Do you have any books or tools long overdue to their owner?  Do you treat your employer’s property like it is your own? There is a verse in Corinthians that speaks to these three keys: “The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual” (1 Corinthians 15:46-47). 

God uses natural things to train and test us before He gives us spiritual assignments. He did this with Moses, Joseph, David, Daniel, Jesus, and Peter.  If those men were trained for spiritual things through natural situations, then you and I will be as well.

Don’t overlook these three principles and expect God to use you. Rather renew your commitment to be faithful in these areas and in time you will see God promote you. Ignore them and risk being left on God’s bench as He puts more faithful players in the game of life and ministry.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled The Leadership Walk. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 23

Study 22 - Luke 13:22 to 14:27

Dear Student of the Word,

It's time again for a dose of Luke's gospel from a devotional point of view. In this latest installment, we look at Jesus' teaching ministry, which brought Him into conflict with the Pharisees on several occasions. In part three of this seven-part study, Jesus healed on the Sabbath, which caused no small upset among His detractors (you can download the full study below):

Study Twenty-Two, Part Three

14:1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?"  4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away. 5 Then he asked them, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?"  6 And they had nothing to say.

14:1 – Jesus was under constant scrutiny, but as far as we know, He never altered His behavior to accommodate what those watching expected Him to do. Jesus did not come to please men but to please God. If that meant displeasing men, He would do so without regret or hesitation. I have not been that free from what people thought of me, so often I have been people-conscious and not God-conscious. This Pharisee invited Jesus on the Sabbath deliberately so that they could catch Jesus doing something wrong on the “holy day.” 

14:2 – I wonder if they put this sick man in front of Jesus on purpose, knowing that the Lord would have compassion on him. Dropsy is a condition where a body retains and collects water in bodily tissue. The man was probably swollen and his complexion red. In chapter 13, we saw how Jesus healed the woman bent over for 18 years on the Sabbath, and the synagogue ruler was indignant. After that controversy, was Jesus going to back off Sabbath healing, heal in secret or after the dinner, or proceed in the presence of all? 

14:3 – First, Jesus tried to use the situation as a teachable moment, as was His custom. He asked the “experts in the Law” whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. I doubt if the experts had ever been confronted with that question, because they had no power to heal anyone, only to bind them up in legalism. 

14:4 – They remained silent, probably because they had no answer, or not an answer that would have refuted what Jesus was about to do. Since they said nothing so that Jesus could not instruct them, He took the man, healed him, and sent him away so that the man would not have to hear what was to follow.

14:5 – Jesus used a similar example to prove the validity of what He had just done as when He healed the woman who was bent over. This time He not only referred to the condition of an ox, but also of a son fallen into a hole. It would be lawful to pull that son out of a hole, so it followed that it was lawful to “pull” this infirm man out of his condition on the Sabbath by healing him.

14:6 – The Pharisees had nothing to say, but the situation did not change their attitude toward Jesus, as evidenced by their subsequent antagonistic behavior. 

Lord, deliver me from any religious attitudes that would cause me to look past the needs of people as I serve you. Help me to change any thinking I have that would prevent me from serving the needs of people. God, I don’t want to oppose you; I want to flow with You. I want to be like Jesus, not affected by what people may think; I only want to be motivated by what You think. Amen.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled The Leadership Walk. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

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Study 21 - Luke 12:51-13:21

Dear Student of the Word,

Welcome back to my study of Luke's gospel, in a format that I refer to as a devotional commentary. My goal is to help you not only understand the Word but to apply it to your everyday life as well. I have just completed my commentary on Acts and will send it off to the publisher this week. In the meantime, let's look at this edited version of Luke's commentary that included a prolonged teaching that Jesus gave. I wrote in Part seven of this seven-part study (included in its entirety below):

Study Twenty-One, Part Seven

18 Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."  20 Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." 

13:18 – Jesus then returned to His primary ministry theme—the kingdom of God. Jesus did not come to build the synagogue or Judaism. He came to preach the Kingdom. Recently, I have been speaking about the Kingdom. I have said if you preach the Kingdom, the result is the Church, for the King directs people to be part of His church. But when you preach the Church without the Kingdom, you receive religion. That is just what happened when Jesus healed the woman bent over—the religious synagogue ruler, zealous for Judaism but not the Kingdom was offended. The ruler was more interested in building and protecting the synagogue than he was in advancing God’s kingdom. 

Jesus then directed the conversation to matters of the Kingdom. As usual, Jesus used analogies from everyday life to help His listeners understand His lesson.

13:19 – We know from other parables that a mustard seed is among the smallest of seeds, yet when mature, it becomes a large bush or tree. This is how the Kingdom of God is; it starts out small but ends up “owning” all the space around it. What does this tell us about the Kingdom?

Our ability and need to respond to God’s rule grows over time. 

God’s Kingdom is subtle, not overbearing or harsh.

God is interested in steady growth, not quick fixes or fads.

If it doesn’t grow or last, then it isn’t the kingdom of God.

The Kingdom is powerful and can take care of itself if given proper attention.

13:20&21 – First Jesus used an analogy from nature; then He used one from the kitchen.  The Kingdom is like yeast. It only takes a little but the power of yeast then permeates and affects the whole lump of dough. Once yeast is introduced, it will create a chemical reaction that cannot be stopped. Our job is to preach and “introduce” the Kingdom; God can do the rest. If I “leaven” people with church yeast—“join my church, it’s the best, our doctrine is the purest, our outreach the most aggressive”—then that leaven will also spread, just like Judaism did. That particular leaven, however, is harsh and works against the Kingdom.

Ultimately, I must work to put people in right relationship with God and His kingdom.  From that, they will become part of a church. If I do it the other way around, I will reap trouble. Does this make sense? What are you more committed to? God’s kingdom or God’s church?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled The Leadership Walk. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 21

Study 20 - Luke 12:16-50

Dear Student of the Word,

It's time once again for us to look into Luke's gospel, with the intent not just to know the Word but to apply what we are reading in the Word. This week, we focus on Jesus' discourse in Luke 12, where He urged us to lay up treasures in heaven and not to be so earthly-minded. I wrote in part five of this seven part study (you can download Study 20 in its entirety below):

Study Twenty, Part Five

35 "Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." 

12:35&36 – In Part Four above, we saw Jesus exhort His disciples to store up treasures in heaven through generosity. Earlier, we read Jesus story of the man who built bigger barns to hold his “stuff,” only to die and be required to give an account. Jesus urged His followers to be in a state of readiness where heaven and death were concerned. It is a dangerous attitude that “I have time yet to do what God wants me to do. I can get serious about God later.” Your “later” may be tomorrow. Nobody knows how much time we really have. 

Jesus uses the analogy of household servants who aren’t sure when their master will return from a wedding feat, but they know it could be at any time. Therefore, they are ready and waiting, even though they aren’t sure of the exact hour when he will arrive. That is what our attitude should be in regards to the Lord’s return or our death. We must be preparing for either of those events.

12:37 – For those who have this attitude and have stored up treasures in heaven for such a day, the Master will honor them: “I will repay each of you according to your deeds” (Revelation 2:23). 

God repays all His “debts.” If He promised to reward or repay, He will do it, if not in this lifetime, then the one to come. Do you believe this? If you do, then what are you doing about it? Try this: pray and ask God if there is anything you have that you need to give away. Afraid to pray that? Then perhaps your treasure owns you instead of the other way around.

On one occasion, I struggled over giving away some books in my library. Can you imagine that I was attached to some books?  Another time I struggled to give away my coin collection. A few old pennies found their way into my heart and attached themselves there, producing greed! How about your time? Do you jealously guard your “space” even if someone else has a need or your church needs it?  Is that a form of greed? Could you give your time away and thus store up treasures in heaven?

12:38 – We don’t know when the Lord “will come” for us. This could be my last day on earth, so I must be in a state and mindset of readiness. Are you? Are you talking about where you will go or what you will give “one day”?  I know of people who won’t give $5 because they can’t give $50. They lose the benefit that a $5 gift could bring them because they lament that the gift can’t be larger. Is that how you think? Then give the $5 today and store up treasure in heaven. You have no time to lose.

12:39&40 – We must be ready to meet the Lord at any time. Is there anyone you need to forgive? Someone to whom you need to express your love?  Is there some place you must go? Something you must do? Then take action today! You don’t know how long you have, so act like your time is short. I hope your time here is long, but act like the opposite is true.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled The Leadership Walk. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 20

Study 19 - Luke 11:42-12:15

Dear Student of the Word,

I am making good progress as I edit my New Testament Bible studies, at this point focusing on Luke's gospel. I am in the final editing process for my study in Acts, so I am immersed in Luke's writing these days. In this week's study in Luke, we will look at Jesus' addressing the leaders in Israel and warning the people against both the leaders and the work of the devil. whom Jesus saw as a real threat and not some figment of mankind's imagination. I wrote in part 5 of this week's seven-part study the following commentary (you can download the entire transcript of study 19 below):

Study Nineteen, Part Five

4 "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

v. 4 – In previous studies, I confessed that I have often been afraid of men and worked for their approval, often at the expense of God’s approval. Jesus said this in the context of his negative remarks about the Pharisees and experts in the Law. He was urging His disciples to fear the one with true power, not those who could only take their lives.

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short” (Revelation 12:11-12). 

v. 5 – Jesus told His followers to fear the devil, whose damage has eternal not just physical implications. I try never to address the devil, rebuke the devil, or mock him. He is a formidable spiritual opponent and I am powerless against him without Jesus. In fact, I am not very “devil-conscious” at all, but I am very “God-conscious.”

Yet, the verses from Revelation above tell us how we will overcome the devil. We will be victorious by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our salvation testimony. We will trust in the blood of the Lamb so comprehensively and speak so fearlessly that we will be victorious, even if we are put to death. 

Even the writer of Revelation warned against the fury of Satan. He is a marvelous spiritual being who is crafty and relentless. Fear not, however, for Jesus overcame the devil and if you are in Jesus, you did too.

v. 6 – God is awesome. No one and nothing escapes His notice and care. He is intimately acquainted not just with you and me, but with all of His creation. It has not grown to a size that is too much for Him to comprehend or control. That should give you tremendous comfort in the midst of whatever circumstances you are going through. God is in control.

v. 7 – What’s more, God knows how many hairs are on your head! (studies show that there about 180,000 for a blond, 200,000 for a redhead and 220,000 for a brunette). With day-to-day hair loss, the number is always changing, but God always knows how many hairs we have at any given time. That should give you confidence that nothing escapes God’s notice, so fear not.

Keep in mind that Jesus was warning His disciples against their current leadership. I must assume then that Jesus was warning them not to be afraid of the Pharisees, who may kill them but cannot do them eternal harm. Are you afraid of your leadership at work or in church? Then Jesus has a word for you —“Don’t be afraid!”

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled The Leadership Walk. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 19

Study 18: Luke 11:14-11:41

Dear Student of the Word,

I hope you benefit from these online studies. I have begun to prepare some of my past studies for publication, Acts being my latest project. In the meantime, I want to continue to edit the studies that I have completed, and that is why you are receiving these studies in Luke. Thank you for your help in prodding me to get these finished. In this week's installment from Luke, we read about the leaders accusing Jesus doing His good works because He was in partnership with the devil. In part six of this seven-part study, this is what I wrote (you can download the entire study below):

Part Eighteen: Day Six

33 "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”

11:33 – Notice the context in which Jesus made this statement. Jesus did His good works for all to see. In ancient times, it was said that someone who had evil in mind would light a candle and then hide it under a bushel. Then when all were asleep, the person would take off the cover and have light to do evil deeds. Jesus wasn’t doing evil deeds by casting spirits out of people. He was doing good deeds—lighting a candle so to speak—so that there would be light in a dark world.

11:34 –The Jews had an incorrect perspective on some spiritual things and this caused them to see the good that Jesus was doing as evil. There is a popular word in modern circles and that word is paradigm (PAIR-a-dime). It means the model or mindset which one uses to interpret the events in one’s world. The Jews had an old and incorrect paradigm, and that caused them to misinterpret the current actions that Jesus was doing.  Because they had a “bad eye” or wrong way of seeing things, then they could not correctly interpret what Jesus was doing.

It is easy to do what the Jews were doing. One can adopt a certain assumption about how “things are” and that is the way it is, no matter what other evidence presents itself. At one time, man’s paradigm was that the world was flat and that the sun circled the earth. When men came forward with evidence to prove those views incorrect, they were ignored or persecuted. Do you have any paradigms that are keeping you from seeing the truth about someone or something? If you do, Paul had the remedy for a “bad eye.”

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:1-2). 

11:35 - Do you need a mind change that will help you see new things in new ways? If so, then ask the Spirit to renew your mind and that renewal will transform your whole being. This will make your eye (paradigm) good, and will enable light (right perspectives) to fill your body. Jesus said to see to it that your eye is filling your body with light. That means that you may have to change your mind and admit you were wrong about certain assumptions or conclusions you have held.

Someone once said that he no longer put his views in concrete, but rather tacked them to a bulletin board. He did that so it was easier to change his mind when he was wrong. Are your views in concrete, having to be blasted out to change, or are they loosely held on the bulletin board of your mind?

11:36 – A correct mindset of spiritual things and Jesus will cause your whole body to be full of light. I hope that is the situation in your life. If not, then make up your mind to get your eye right.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled A Daily Taste of Proverbs. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 18

Study 17: Luke 10:21-11:13

Dear Student of the Word,

It's time once again to visit our devotional Bible study of Luke's gospel. This week, we focus on Jesus' teaching on prayer, but we also encounter the well-known and often-taught on story of Mary and Martha. I offer a slightly different take on that story, which is included in part four below of this seven-part study, all of which can be downloaded below:

Study Seventeen, Part Four

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." 

10:38 – This is the well-known story of Martha and Mary, sisters of Lazarus whom Jesus later raised from the dead. It seems that Martha was the elder sister, or at least it was “her home” and she was “in charge.”

10:39 – Jesus must have begun to teach while He was in the house, for Mary sat at his feet, taking in everything He said. That isn’t a bad place to be—at the feet of Jesus, listening to His word. Perhaps you would do well to follow Mary’s example today and sit at his feet to learn and be encouraged.

10:40 – Since Martha had extended the invitation, she was responsible for hospitality.  She felt a sense of duty to provide food not only for Jesus, but also for His traveling companions. It bothered her that Mary had abandoned her, and Martha was offended that Jesus was allowing that to happen! So Martha gave Jesus a piece of her mind! She accused Him of not caring and of endorsing Mary’s seeming irresponsibility. Martha then ordered Jesus to order Mary to come help her in the preparations!

There is a deeper issue here than just Martha being busy and Mary choosing to sit at Jesus’ feet. In Jesus’ day, women were not part of the spiritual community. They were second-class members of the covenant community. I think Mary chose to be a disciple of Jesus and that angered Martha because Mary (and Jesus indirectly) were expressing the freedom of women to be Jesus’ disciples. I have watched some women come into their ministry and their greatest opposition can come from women who think they shouldn’t be in ministry. Martha was trying to force Mary to do what was “proper” for women to do—run a household and handle food preparations.

10:41 – Jesus said that Martha was “worried and upset.” Oh my, how often I have been in the same condition. When working on this section of Luke’s study, I was in Zambia and I was “worried and upset.” I was doing some ministry consulting here, and a large group was supposed to come to have their personality profiles done. But the group was too big and the profiles I had were defective. Therefore, I worried and thought about how I could possibly handle this group. To make a long story short, the group never came! I realized then that I have spent much of my adult life “worried and upset” over many things that never even happen! That makes it easy for me to identify with Martha. Are you “worried and upset” about anything today? Then why not choose Mary’s path and just sit at Jesus’ feet?

10:42 – Jesus said that Mary chose the better thing and that was to focus on God and not on the circumstances. She had chosen to reject the traditional view of women and instead became a disciple of Jesus, not just His servant.  Jesus saw this as the better choice and refused Martha’s petition to order Mary back into her “place” in the home. Every woman who reads this story should stand up and applaud not only Mary, who was among the first to reject the cultural norm to follow God, but also applaud Jesus who allowed it to happen and then endorsed it. Every man reading this story should ask whether or not he has given the women in his life freedom to sit at Jesus’ feet.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled A Daily Taste of Proverbs. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 17

Study 16 - Luke 9:46-10:20

Dear Student of the Word,

It's time once again for an installment from an edited version of a devotional study of Luke's gospel. In this week's study, we look at Jesus' teaching to His disciples, which covered various topics. This study is divided into seven parts, and here is part six, with the entire study available to download below:

Study Sixteen, Part Six

13 "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. 16 "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

10:13&14 – Obviously, Jesus was performing miracles so that people would know and see that the kingdom of God was near. It wasn’t a Kingdom as they were expecting, which was the literal restoration of the throne of David. It was a spiritual, internal Kingdom that would touch every area of life—body, soul, and spirit.

It is also obvious that the miracles came to lead people to repentance, which means making a 180 degree turn around in one’s life. Repentance is not a one-time event; it is a way of life. If you encounter a habit, behavior or attitude that is not in line with God’s kingdom rules, then you must repent, turn around, and begin walking in a new direction.

10:15 – Capernaum was Jesus’ adopted hometown. I would imagine that the residents were rather proud of their adopted Son’s ministry. But if the residents thought that Jesus’ residence gave them special privileges, they needed to think again. The fact that they saw Jesus’ public ministry more than others made them more responsible to repent and turn to God. If they refused, then it would be worse for them in the final judgment because Jesus had lived there.

There are some who want God as a good luck charm so that good things will happen.  God isn’t interested in being a tool to carry out someone’s selfishness. God expects repentance and anything less is unacceptable. He expects Kingdom residents and not Kingdom tourists who visit His word and will every now and then. Are you a Kingdom resident or a Kingdom tourist?

10:16 – This verse summarizes the ones above for the disciples that Jesus was sending out. “If people don’t accept you and your message, they are really rejecting me,” is what Jesus was really saying. The Lord spoke this same thing to Samuel when the people requested a king to rule over them:

But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king" (1 Samuel 8:6-7). 

Don’t take any ministry rejection personally. It’s not about you; it’s about King Jesus and His kingdom. And ultimately, the person rejecting you has rejected the Father’s overtures for that person to become properly related to God. So keep sowing, keep working and keep your eyes on Jesus. Go where you’re celebrated and distribute the peace of God to whomever will receive it. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled A Daily Taste of Proverbs. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 16

Study 15: Luke 9:12-45

Dear Student of the Word,

It's time for another installment from our devotional study of Luke's gospel. This time we look at Luke 9, which has all kinds of interesting stories in it. Jesus talked to His disciples about the cross and suffering, took some of them up to His Transfiguration, and confronted a demon-possessed boy when they came down from the mountain. Here is what I had to say about a few of the verses in part six of this seven-part study, which you can download below:

Study Fifteen, Part Six

37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not."

9:37 – As I stated above, you always have to come down from the mountain. Have you ever gone to a conference and been so high, only to come home and be depressed three days later? I learned that I had to determine what I was going to do, what changes I would make at the conference before I got home. If I expected the spiritual high to last very long, I was always disappointed. Jesus and His disciples came down from this fantastic encounter with Jesus’ glory to confront a large crowd with a big problem.

9:38&39 – Jesus Himself had to come “down” from the mountain to deal with the only child of a man in this crowd. It seems that the boy had epileptic seizures of some kind that were caused by a demonic presence. The man knew that the problem was a demon, but he was powerless to do anything about it. As I have said in previous studies, people are in touch with spiritual reality, often more than their leaders. This man’s problem wasn’t a lack of knowledge; it was a lack of power. Is that your problem too?

The devil and his partners are mean.  They just don’t want to hurt the people of God; they want to kill them: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). 

9:40 – The man had enough faith to press through his disappointment in the lack of success on the part of the apostles to come directly to Jesus. Many people today haven’t been able to do that. They are disappointed with the Church and, therefore, are disappointed with God. Someone once said, “People like Jesus; it’s the Church that they have a problem with!”

Are you disappointed with the Church? We have all been at one time or another. Remember that Jesus gave His life for the Church, and the word of God still stands true for you, even if you are disappointed: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). 

Jesus loves the Church and gave His life for it. He asks you to do the same.There are times when I have tried to receive from the Church, filled with imperfect people, what I could only get from God, who is perfect in every way. Disappointment was inevitable, because I looked for my source outside of God. 

I am in the Church not for what I can get, as needy as I am, but for what I can give. As I give, I receive but not always what I thought I wanted or needed. But the Church has caused me to grow in love for imperfect people just like me. I have a silly deductive reasoning ditty that I often recite in church work:

                        People are crazy, I am people, so therefore, I am crazy.

It helps me deal with the fact that I can all too easily think I am all right, while everyone else is messed up. Truth is, I am as messed up as anyone else, and Jesus wants me to walk in love with other brothers and sisters who are as sick or sicker than I am.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled A Daily Taste of Proverbs. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 15