30 Days With Jesus

February 6, 2012

Luke 24:36-53 Psalm 60

Towards the end of the Gospel of Luke, we see the torture, death, and burial of Christ. For the disciples, it was over. The man they thought was the Messiah was dead. But then Jesus resurrects and begins appearing to people, walking down roads, chatting with travelers, and showing up at dinner parties.

When the disciples heard the story about Jesus being alive they dismissed it as “an idle tale.” Somewhere between His arrest and death, the true believers became skeptics. And even when Jesus appeared to them, they still didn’t understand. This wasn’t a second–hand account; the disciples were in the room with the risen Son Of God. And they doubted. Jesus invites them to “see my hands and my feet…touch me, and see” and they still doubted. After three years of following Jesus, when He fulfills His mission to die for our sins and three days later He comes back to life, His closest followers don’t even have the faith to believe it.

How much more do we struggle with our own doubts? We can’t see Jesus. We can’t touch Him. He’s probably not appearing to you in your kitchen, asking you to make Him a plate of fish sticks. So we seek Him where He’s found—in His word. But we need more than just knowledge. The knowledge of God without revelation from God is incomplete; it’s ignorance parading around as wisdom. The Bible is a supernatural book and we need supernatural means to comprehend it. Someone has to “[open our] minds to understand the Scriptures” like Jesus did for His disciples. We can’t do it on our own.

In the same way that we’re powerless to reconcile ourselves to the Father without Jesus, we’re powerless to fully understand the scriptures without the Holy Spirit. Without His help, we can’t overcome our own limited understanding. Like the disciples, we miss it. But God graciously gives believers the Holy Spirit to guide us in wisdom and truth so that we can comprehend His word and have strength and encouragement to apply it.

God knows we’re too weak to save ourselves and too limited to understand His revealed character and purposes in the Bible. So He sent His Son and His Spirit to stand in our place and do what we can’t. God gives us Himself so that we can know and understand Him—not just human knowledge, but divine revelation.

February 5, 2012

Luke 24:1-35 Psalm 59

You either believe in the resurrection or you don’t. The resurrection is the centerpiece of the Christian faith. Without it, our preaching, teaching, Bible reading and church–going is all in vain. It is possible to not believe in the resurrection and still look like a Christian. However, it is impossible to not believe the resurrection and be a Christian. There is no maybe. There is no middle ground. There is no centrist view. If you don’t believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, you’re not a Christian.

So, what is the birthplace of passion? The disciples walking along the Emmaus road were confused, hurt, and devastated. They “had hoped He was the one who was going to redeem Israel,” but their hope turned to despair as they watched Jesus bleed. Other disciples were hidden, locked in a room, fearing that they too would be captured and killed.

And yet, turn a few pages in your Bible to the book of Acts, the sequel to Luke, and see the disciples boldly proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ to magistrates, proconsuls, angry stone–throwing crowds, and the very Pharisees who had Jesus killed. What gave them their courage? What gave them their passion?

Simply put, the resurrection was proof to the disciples, is proof to us, that Jesus has power over death, hell and the grave.

We can study Jesus and live by His example. We can imitate His behavior. We can look like a Christ–follower. But to be a courageous, passionate Christ–follower we must be radically changed by an encounter with the Living Christ. Could it be we are not passionate because we don’t believe that He is raised? Could it be that we are still walking along the road confused, hurt and devastated when His abundant life waits rise up in us?

Jesus is alive. Take courage. Live with passion.

February 4, 2012

Luke 23:26-56 Psalm 58

At the darkest hour of Christ’s life, His prayers still focused on forgiveness for the lost. When pain and separation from His Father were weighing down upon Him, to the point of death, He never lost sight of His purpose.

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” The declaration of their need for forgiveness makes it clear that they were guilty, despite their ignorance. Some sins I willingly and rebelliously commit; others I’m entirely unaware of. Regardless of what motivates my sin, I’m still an indebted sinner, hopelessly lost unless I receive forgiveness.

Upon receiving His forgiveness, Christ says I must offer it to those who have wronged me (Matt. 6:14–15). My tendency is to cling to my pain, to hold it up as evidence as to why I should remain unforgiving toward those who have hurt me. But Christ’s example on the cross allows me no room to nurse my grudges.

If I don’t yield my pain to Him and respond in accordance with His example, the hurts that I hold onto may become a permanent attachment to my heart. Over time, any pain that I won’t address will likely give way to anger, which grows into a grudge, which develops into an unforgiving spirit.

When someone intentionally wounds me, I’m offered the beautiful opportunity to share in Christ’s sufferings. But the gospel also dictates how I will respond to those sufferings: die to self and offer the same forgiveness I’ve been shown.

February 3, 2012

Luke 23:1-25 Psalm 57

We’ve all been teased. We’ve all been made fun of for some quirky character trait or a physical flaw. We’ve all bore the brunt of a joke but few of us have chosen mockery, willingly placing ourselves on the front lines ready to receive a barrage of verbal assaults. Jesus did. Jesus chose to endure the questioning of Pilot, the ridicule of the Jewish Council, and the rejecting crowd screaming, “Crucify, crucify Him.” Despite His power, Jesus allowed them to continue their insults knowing His death would soon follow.

The Bible says in Isaiah 53 that Jesus “was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.” It says that He was “oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth.”

Jesus swallowed the name–calling, the rejection, and the beatings for our sake. He bore this suffering and by doing so, demonstrated His love for us. Christ’s obedience placed Him in extremely uncomfortable places. Jesus was able to endure His circumstances because of His undeniable love for the Father and for us. We see Christ’s undeniable love for us on the cross. His undeniable love marks us. In our hardest times, we can endure hardship and ridicule because of Christ. We can show the world what true love is. We can be undeniable.

Father, may You and Your work be undeniable in our lives.

February 2, 2012

Luke 22:39-71 Psalm 56

All of us want life to be easy. There’s no sin in wanting to avoid pain, discomfort, difficulty or betrayal. But it’s our response to suffering when it does come—and it will—that reveals how fully we show the world who Jesus is.

In His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39–46), on the eve of His betrayal at the hands of Judas, Jesus models for us the godly response in those moments when the agony of life presses down on us with a weight that seems unbearable.

Tellingly, Jesus decides to pray just a stone’s throw from His disciples, close enough for His disciples to hear. Perhaps Jesus urges them to stay awake that they might witness the attitude that will prevent them from denying Jesus as Lord in the desperation that would follow his death.

Jesus shows us that it’s OK to be deeply anguished in real trouble, and it’s OK to ask God for deliverance. But the greatest lesson Jesus teaches here is that we must want God’s perfect plan above all—not our own comfort. God never promises us a life free of suffering. But He does promise us His presence to endure through it. Are we true worshipers of Jesus, open to God’s will whatever it is? Or, are we worshipers of an idol, a god whose job is to bless our dreams and protect us from all discomfort?

February 1, 2012

Luke 22:1 - 22:38 Psalm 55

Pride is a powerful force, perhaps more destructive than any other. The desire to elevate ourselves above others can drive us to do crazy things like fight with our best friend or cheat at work. We all want glory, credit, and attention from others. As followers of Christ, we can win the battle against pride.

In Luke 22:24, Jesus’ disciples argue about which of them is the greatest. Jesus had just served the Last Supper where He told them He would suffer and die. Instead of being upset at their misunderstanding, Jesus calmly taught His disciples the ways of the Kingdom, which contrast sharply with the ways of the world. He said that great people in His Kingdom are those who serve others and consider themselves the least entitled. They don’t lord their authority over others or want a prestigious title to draw attention to themselves.

Jesus, who humbled Himself to become a man and die for us, said to them, “I am among you as the one who serves.” Jesus is The One Who Serves! We must ask Jesus to reveal to us where pride has crept into our thoughts and actions. We must confess our pride, and ask Jesus to make us clean. We need to ask Him daily to help us walk in humility.

Jesus has all power over pride and He will change us into servants who do great things in His Kingdom.

January 31, 2012

Luke 21 Psalm 54

The widow gave everything—all she had to live on. Others gave a portion of their wealth. She gave all. She could have given just one of her two coins. Had she done that, she would’ve given 50% of everything. 50% is quite a bit. Imagine liquidating half your assets and giving them to church or charity. That would be substantial and impressive. Had she given 50% of her money, anyone watching would say, “This woman gave generously, even sacrificially.” In this case, the widow chose not to divide everything. She gave everything.

Jesus is not after a percentage of our life. He is after everything. He is ruthlessly after our entire existence. There is nothing hidden from Him. Everything is laid bare in front of Him. We must give an account of everything. He wants it all.

So how are we doing? The Bible says in Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God &endash; this is your spiritual act of worship.” In other words, based on the fact that Jesus gave everything, our only reasonable response is to give Him everything.

This story about the widow is not about how much money you put in next week’s offering. It’s about something bigger. Have you emptied yourself in complete surrender to Jesus? Does every area of your life belong to Him 100%? Every day you’re faced with the decision to offer Jesus a percentage of your life or offer Him everything. We must give Him all.