Mon.’s Devo - Commissioned and Sent Out

Read Luke 10:1-16 Jesus appointed 70 elders to go out to every city and bring in the harvest. Then he gave them specific instruction: they were not to bring money, any pouch for food, nor shoes because God was going to use the body to supply all they needed. When they got to the town they were going to minister to, they were to look for a house to stay in. When they entered it they were to proclaim peace over that house and stay there the entire time they were in that city. They were to eat what was set before them and usher in the kingdom of God by healing the sick. If that city didn’t receive them, they were to go into the streets and proclaim that they were wiping off the dust from that city from their feet. Their judgment will be worse than that of Sodom. Sodom was a town of sexual perversion and vile sin but it’s sin does not compare to having the light of the world right in their midst and rejecting it. Tyre and Sidon had been corrupted by commercial prosperity which will receive a lighter judgment than Chorazin and Bethsaida because the latter saw first hand the mighty miracles of Jesus and still rejected him. Mark 1:32-34 talks about all the mighty things Jesus did in Capernaum. Even after seeing them, the people had hard hearts. Then he summed it up with this: if they receive you, then you know they are receiving me but if they hate you then they hate me and God. That is a good test for us also. If we walk in the spirit then we either draw people of like hearts or we stir up the demons inside those who don’t have like hearts. What we have to remember is that it should have nothing to do with us. Jesus was rejected and a man of sorrows and we are asked to share in his sufferings so that one day we can share in his glory. Lord, help us to not allow the devil to trick us to thinking this life has to do with us and our popularity. We are here for your renown only.

Fri.’s Devo - Three Encounters

Read Luke 9: 57-62 Along their way to Jerusalem Jesus and his disciples met many types of people. Today we read about 3 of them which stand for 3 type of people and their responses to Jesus. The first one wanted to follow Jesus no matter where he went. Jesus explained to him that even though it is natural to have a home, his was not here. If that man wanted to follow him he would have to gain eternal life and dwell with him in heaven because that was his home. I’m sure the man didn’t know what he was talking about and we don’t know what became of him. Jesus approached the second man and told him to follow him. The man told Jesus that he needed to bury his father first. Jesus replied that he needed to let the dead bury the dead; his job was to preach the kingdom of God. What he was trying to get across was to let people who aren’t interested in salvation - the spiritually dead - tend to the funeral and things pertaining to life and death, but he needed to follow him and learn of spiritual life so he wouldn’t die without eternal life. Then he could spread life to others so they wouldn’t die without eternal life. The last man said that he wanted to serve Jesus but first he wanted to say goodbye to those in his household. Jesus saw that this was just an excuse and told him if he was wanting to give up this soon he was not appropriate for the kingdom of God. Sometimes Jesus seemed a little abrupt but he could read hearts and he got straight to the point because this subject of life and death was so important. Lord, teach us to number our days that we see how important every day is.

Thur’s. Devo - The Towns of Samaria

Read Luke 9:51-56 Jesus knew it was time to ascend to heaven so he headed to Jerusalem. Some of his followers went ahead of him to plan his trip. They planned for him to stay in a Samaritan town but the Samaritans didn’t want him there. When James and John found this out they wanted Jesus to send down fire and destroy Samaria. At one time Samaria and Jerusalem were both capitals of Israel. At the time of Christ, Palestine was divided into 3 provinces: Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. Samaria lie in the middle of Palestine. It had some copies of the law and they had a worship system like the Hebrews with some differences. They seem to be the counterfeit. The devil looks a lot like God only he is a deceiver and a counterfeit. Samaria was one of his strongholds which would be greatly evangelized after Jesus’ death. Jesus actually taught in some of the Samarian towns and the woman at the well was a Samarian. She was instrumental in winning her city over to Jesus. But when Jesus sent out his 12 he told them not to go to the Samarian towns. After his death he specifically told them to go to Samaria and Judea after they had the power of the Holy Spirit. It would take that power to bring down the strongholds over the towns of Samaria and Judea. Back to today’s reading: Jesus response to the disciples desire for judgment on this Samaritan town was a rebuke. Jesus didn’t come to bring judgment but salvation. When he died his apostles went back to these Samaritan towns and built up churches because it was then time to spread the gospel to the Gentiles. Jesus came to the Jews so he was headed to die in their capital of Jerusalem.

Wed.’s Devo - Pride vs. Humility

Read Luke 9:46-50 Just after Jesus tells his disciples to let his sayings sink down into their heart they start wondering who among them will be the leader or the elder. He told them that he was going to be delivered into the hands of men so who is going to take his place here on earth. It doesn’t tell us that they talked about it but more like it was a wave of thought that came to all of them at the same time. Jesus perceived this hook of the devil’s and gave them an object lesson. He took a child and set him beside Jesus. Then he said, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me: and whoever receives me receives him that sent me: for he that is the least among you all, the same shall be great. So while they are wondering if they will be the next elder, he is using the youngest to show that leadership and position has nothing to do with age or worth, but heart. The devil is the epitome of pride and Jesus is the epitome of humility. Jesus is trying to get that into the hearts of his disciples. Then he gets another way to show them. John tells Jesus that he saw someone casting out devils in Jesus’ name and they told him he had to quit doing that because he wasn’t following Jesus like they were. Jesus rebuked them and told them that if he is not against us then he is on our side. Once again he kills the issue which is pride. They think that they are elite because they are walking with Jesus everyday and that anyone else is subordinate. It reminds me of Elijah’s complaint to God that he was the only prophet. God enlightened Elijah with the understanding that he had 300 prophets hidden to be used when he needed them. It is God’s will that is going to be done: with or without us. Lord, we want to be a part of what you are doing. Remind us that there are many other people doing what we are doing just in different ways and it all magnifies you. Let that be our goal. May You be Glorified!

Tues.’s Devo - A Confrontation with Satan

Read Luke 9:37-45 The day before, Jesus had spoken to Moses and Elijah about his death. God had come down in a cloud and put his stamp of ownership on Jesus for the sake of his disciples. Every time Jesus goes up to spend time with God the devil manifests. So the next day, it is no wonder that the first person Jesus meets is a man’s son who is totally oppressed by the devil. He involuntarily screams, foams at the mouth, and is thrown down and bruised by the devil. Don’t you know the devil is trying to torment Jesus by showing him what happens when someone is given to him. He knows that he is soon his father will be handing him over to the devil to be tormented himself. The boy’s father tells Jesus that the disciples couldn’t help him so he was coming to ask Jesus if he could. Jesus doesn’t rebuke the disciples… he rebukes the whole generation. He calls them faithless and perverse. They have things backwards. They should not be afraid of the devil - he should be afraid of them. As Jesus approached the boy, the devil gave him one more threat and threw the boy down in a convulsion. Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child and gave him back to his father. Then as the crowd was wondering how he could do this, he told them to remember this scene because he was going to repeat this when he is delivered to his enemies. They couldn’t comprehend it. Two fathers and two sons. The heavenly father is about to deliver his son to the devil for the sake of all the people. The earthly father has gone to all the people to help him deliver his son from the devil. The son of God is the answer to the earthly son and all the sons to come. Halleluah!!!

Mon.’s Devo - Vessels not Tabernacles

Read Luke 9:32-36 Peter, James, and John, had accompanied Jesus on to this mountain where Jesus talked with Moses and Elijah while they were in a deep sleep. When they woke up and saw what was happening they were amazed. When Moses and Elijah had left Peter spoke up and wanted to make 3 tabernacles for them so people could worship them. He didn’t understand yet that only Jesus was worthy of any worship. God answered his request by coming down in a cloud and engulfing them in his glory. Out of the cloud came the voice of God saying, “This is my beloved Son: hear him.” What a revelation for us if we can hear it. We love idols and people we can look up to. Every Hebrew boy played being Moses parting the Red Sea or commanding plagues on the Egyptians, or Elijah commanding down fire on the altar of Baal, but they hardly knew this Jesus. He walked among them. Sure, he did miracles, but was he greater than Moses or Elijah? God wanted to make sure they knew he was. Sometimes the greatest blessings are right in plain view and we miss them because they don’t come in the package we thought they would. God is all around us speaking and wanting to release miracles through us. He is not looking for another Moses or Elijah, he is looking for a clean vessel he can use. He is actually looking for an army of clean vessels he can use. It doesn’t matter if the vessel is rough or smooth, ornate or ugly, old or new as long as it is clean and empty. He will fill it with his pure water which can water the nations. Lord, we want to be clean vessels that you fill with the water of your Word. Pour us out to all we meet.

Fri.’s Devo - The Transfiguration

Read Luke 9:28-31 I have always had so many questions about the transfiguration like how did they know it was Moses and Elijah?, and why did Jesus let them see this? I do find it interesting that both Moses and Elijah died on a mountain overlooking Jericho which was the first city the Israelites encountered when they entered the promise land. I wonder if Jesus didn’t transport the disciples to the very mountain and moment in time when these two men were standing on the mountain discussing their own death with God. Jesus is about to face his death and in verse 31 it says that they were discussing that. Hebrews 11:13-16 says, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. So many of the prophets had seen the promise of a saviour from a distance of time. The last 2 verses of that chapter in Hebrews reads, “39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” The righteous people of the Old Testament are not made perfect without us and our lives. We are the fulfillment of their words and their lives. We make their lives a life lived not in vain. That is why they are the crowd of witnesses in Hebrews 12:1 that cheer us on to the finish line. We are all connected as one body - one bride. We all have something to pass on to the next generation: mine is my love for studying the Word of God. Ask God what your mantle is that you will pass on to your scope of influence. Lord, put deep in our hearts the concept of eternity and our responsibility for our watch on earth. May we totally fulfill our destiny.