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Luke 12:29-31

“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Encouraging Words

Have you ever been in a situation where you are putting all of your focus into something that you are seeking that every­thing else becomes a blur? It might be that special item that you have lost or misplaced. Or it might be some treasure that you are trying to find. You are so intent on finding what you are seeking and everything else just seems to blur into nothingness. There is joy in the hunt but there is great joy when you finally find what you are looking for. This is what Jesus is encouraging us to do, seek after God and His Kingdom as if your life depends on it (which it does), and He will give it to you. Glory be to God!

Luke 12:22-23

Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.”

Encouraging Words

Sometimes life can press in on us and we begin to feel alone. Sometimes things happen in life where we begin to get worried that we will not make it and be able to meet the needs of our loved ones or ourselves. These times are real and the feelings are deep. Jesus reminds us that we are His children and that He will take care of us. That care may not always be in the format that we expect or desire but it is still there. He knows our true needs, including what we need to learn in the midst of our trial, and He will fulfill those needs. Our prayer should be that our eyes be open to His handiwork. Our prayer should also be that He will use us at He sees fit in the lives of those around us who have needs that are lacking so that we can be part of their journey through their trials in a positive, Christ-illumining way. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Luke 12:8-9

“Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.”

Personal Challenge

What does Jesus want us to do when it comes to confessing Him before men? He wants us to be willing to live our lives in such a way that people see Him in us. He wants our actions to match our words, “I am a Christian.”. We cannot be His representatives if we do not follow in His footsteps and do what He has asked us to do. Confession of Christ before men is much more than mere words. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Luke 11:23

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

Personal challenge

Jesus continues to remind His disciples, and ultimately us, that there really is no middle ground as a Christian. We are either with Him and doing things His way or we are not and therefore working against Him. This is so contrary to what the world expects from us. We must make a choice. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Luke 11:17

But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.”

Personal Challenge

When our Lord Jesus Christ started the Church over 2,000 years ago, did He start up the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, or the myriad of Protestant churches that we have today? No! He started up the “one holy catholic and apostolic Church”. The definition of Catholic here is referring to the church universal and not the Catholic church as we know it today. Jesus even prayed later for us to have unity amongst ourselves as His Church. It appears to me that we have veered Very far from His desire for His Church and have actually become a divided house. Isn’t it time that we unify around our Lord and work together to build rather than divide His Kingdom? Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Luke 11:9-10

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

Personal challenge

Context is so important. These two verses are so often used by those who believe in the “name it and claim it”, or prosperity, gospel. By themselves, it is possible to see why this happens. In the verses prior to this, Jesus gives the parable of the man who has some visitors show up late at night and he has nothing to give them. Hospitality is an extremely important part of this culture. So, he goes to his neighbor to see if he will give him what he needs to entertain them properly. The neighbor is already in bed and refuses to answer the door. However, through persistently knocking on that door and calling out to the homeowner, the door is opened and the request is granted. Jesus tells us to be persistent askers, seekers, and knockers, to pursue Him relentlessly, so that He will take care of us when the time is right. Glory be to God!

Luke 10:41-42

And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Personal Challenge

Is there a difference between business and busyness? There definitely is, especially in our relationship with God. What is His business that we should be involved in? It really is simple to articulate. Loving Him and loving our neighbor. If we make this our business, then we too, just like the apostles will change the world around us. Unfortunately, what we so often do is get caught up in busyness. This is doing all those things that look good in the eyes of man as if we are doing His work. We are checking off the lists that we have created that we believe describes the things we need to do to be good Christians. However we become Martha’s and get too busy to love God and love our neighbor. We lose our joy in Him and eventually, if we keep this up, we lose Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, hare mercy!

Luke 10:19-20

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

Encouraging Words

We can rejoice in the truth that as followers of Christ, our names have been written in the book of eternal life. This is more valuable than any of the blessings that God would bestow upon us while we live here on earth. Knowing this truth helps us through every trial and tribulation as we take each step closer to our home in heaven. Glory be to God!