The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Luke 10, John 10:1 – 11:54
Act 3: God’s New Covenant People
Scene 2: Christ’s Ministry; God’s True King Manifests His Kingdom
Background Information: Luke 10, John 10:1 – 11:54
We tend to think of Jesus wandering around with his meager group of twelve disciples, but in fact, he had quite a large following. It included the seventy-two he sent out as itinerant missionaries and many more who are not mentioned directly in the gospels. Paul wrote that the resurrected Jesus appeared to more than 500 brothers and sisters, indicating that they were likely already his followers. (1 Corinthians 15:6). Think about how much more we don’t know about the Lord’s life. He rebuked the cities of Korazin and Bethsaida for their lack of response to his miracles. We know little of his work in Bethsaida and nothing at all of his time in Korazin. John concludes his gospel by writing, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.” John 21:25. The gospel writers had to be laser-focused on what they believed to be the most important parts of Jesus’ life to include in their writing. It had to be difficult to leave so much great material out, but a gospel that was thousands of pages long would not have been very useful in reaching people for Christ. What this highly selective reality of the gospel writing should do for us is to make us laser-focused on what is included in the gospels. When we consider all they could have written and didn’t, we should be very careful to pay attention to what they did write. They were focused on what Jesus was focused on. What was his focus? It’s summarized in the great commandment, “Love God, love people.” That focus shows up in the Lord’s continual reshaping of the perspectives of those around him. He told the seventy-two not to rejoice in the success of their ministry, but to rejoice that they were born again. He told the expert in the law that the despised Samaritan was the hero of the story because he served his neighbor– even a neighbor who might have hated him. He told Martha that Mary had made the right choice by sitting at his feet and not serving others. To love God with all of your heart and to love others well requires spiritual situational awareness. Should I sit at Jesus’ feet right now, or should I go and help someone in need? How do I think about some great success in my life? What is really most important to rejoice in? We have been given the Word of God in order that we might be the faithful people of God. Focus and pay attention, for it’s worth the effort.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for Youth Horizons. Ask God to move in the hearts of the boys from the ranch who have been attending church on Sunday. Ask God to raise up mentors for children who are waiting for a mentor.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.