Luke 5:27-28

After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.

Personal Challenge

Every time I read this account of Levi, I ask myself if I would be willing to do this. Levi was in a very lucrative position. As a tax collector, he was hated be the Jews, but he would have been a very wealthy person. Jesus said, “Follow Me.”, and Levi left everything behind and followed Him. Would I do that if Jesus called me to follow Him like this? Has my life, and the stuff that I have filled it with, become more important than Him? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner, and prepare me to hear Your voice and answer Your call.

Luke 4:18-19

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me

Luke 4:1

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Personal Challenge

As soon as John finished baptizing Jesus, Jesus went into the wilderness to be with His Father. It is in the wilderness where He is tempted and tested by the enemy of God. This is an image of what happens to every one of us after we are baptized into the family of God. This fallen world is our wilderness that we go into. It is in this wilderness that we are tempted and tested. And it is in this wilderness that we draw closer to our God because we need Him to survive. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Luke 3:21-22

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

Encouraging Words

God blessed Jesus, His beloved son, in His human state. He did not need to bless Him in His God state. Did God do this because Jesus needed God’s blessing? Or was if for our sake the God proclaimed Jesus, in His fully human state, as His beloved son in whom He was well pleased? Jesus led the way for us into the waters of baptism and into lives that can be united with God. Glory be to Him!

Luke 2:52

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Encouraging Words

It is so important for us to remember that Jesus was fully human. He was born as every other infant was born. He was loved and coddled by His parents as all of who have been parents did for our children. He went through all of the stages of life that each of us has gone through to reach adulthood. He was tempted as every other human being has been tempted. He, however, never gave into those Temptations. By His human choice, His human will, He was able to live a pure and innocent life. We can seize this as a blessing for ourselves, for we know that there is nothing in this life that we are experiencing that He does not understand. He can lead us through these challenges and difficulties as one who has been there. This is where we can put our hope, in Jesus who is fully God and fully man. Glory be to God!

Luke 1:50

And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.

Encouraging Words

This verse is taken out of Mary’s proclamation of what was going on within her as she was carrying Jesus before He was born…the Magnificat. This is a repeat of what was proclaimed by prophets many years and times before. The Christ, the Son of God, our Messiah, whose birth was coming, would be the Redeemer of human­kind. He would be the glorious and merciful God of all nations. If we fear him, love Him with our all, respect Him as our God, then He will pour His blessings out upon us and the generations that will follow us. This is a promise from God. Glory be to Him!

Luke 1:37

For with God nothing will be impossible.

Encouraging Words

Why is it important for us to believe that our God can do anything? In order for us to have unlimited faith we need to have an object that is not only worthy of that faith, but fully fulfills it. We cannot believe in something or someone that falls short in any area. Our God existed before anything else. He has always been and always will be. He has no beginning or end. Everything that we can see, feel, smell, hear, or even imagine are created by Him…everything. All life is found in Him. Believing this gives us a foundation in our lives to be able to live lives that grow in Him. Believing this gives us purpose and drive. Believing this sets us free from the limitations of this world that has fallen around us. Glory be to God!

Mark 14:72

A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.

Personal Challenge

Sin. The denial of God in our lives by choosing to do what we want to do rather than what He wants us to do. We all have it. We all do it. Peter shows us what we should do when we sin against our Lord, when we deny Him. He immediately wept and sought repentance. He fled to a place away from the sin so that he could seek his Lords’ forgiveness. We must do the same, over and over again, so that we can stay close to Christ and be kept pure by Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Mark 13:31

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Encouraging Words

The words of our Lord that will never pass away are comprised of much more than is contained between the covers of our printed Bible. These are what the early church fathers chose to canonize, but there is so much more. Jesus taught His disciples, who then taught the leaders of the early churches, who then continued to pass the teachings on down through the history of the church. there are other early church writings that capture the teachings of Christ, the teachings of the early church fathers, as well as the traditions established that have defined the church for 2,000 years. Jesus did not leave us without the tools to build His church when He ascended into heaven. Glory be to God!