God Was In Christ: An Advent Reading Of Luke 17

Day 17 Luke Chapter 17

“Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan” {vv. 15-16 NASB}.

Leprosy was a horrible disease. There was no treatment and no cure. It was a brutal disease that met with a horrific death. Their cry, “Have mercy on us” is heart-wrenching. Such a cry of anguish that echoes through human history.
The ten lepers cry to Jesus for mercy because He is their only hope to be delivered from this agonizing existence. One with the curse of leprosy was marked as someone God Himself had cursed. There was no way out from this deadly mark. They desire to be healed because they know that only their healing can lift the pain and ostracism, allow them to enter society, and give them hope that life can return to normal life like it was before.

The narrative of the ten lepers is a lesson for us. Before entering this Advent season, we were focused on being thankful and not complaining and murmuring about what we didn’t have or want. God responds to gratefulness, not grumbling at our circumstances. These ten lepers all had faith in Jesus. They knew He was the only one to deliver them and make things right again. Every hope they had clung to who Jesus was and the power of God within Him. Jesus delivered. They cried out for mercy, and He granted it to them. He told them to show themselves to the priest {according to the Law of Moses} to declare them clean. They all went away healed!

This account is not one of a lack of faith but of a lack of gratefulness. Only one returned to worship the Lord for what He had done for them. They were in utter despair in a crisis moment in their lives, yet how quickly they forgot. As soon as the crisis was over, they went their separate ways. What they received was not taken from them. But the one who returned left with more blessings than the others who did not return to worship. Jesus told him that not only was he healed from this crippling disease, but because he came back and worshiped the Lord for the miracle, he would also be made whole. All that he had lost would be restored to him.

That is Mercy’s pen writing a new chapter for each of them. But special prose was written for the one who worshiped in gratefulness to the divine Physician. He took the time to return and let Jesus know what it meant to him to be healed.


Reflect in this season of waiting for the Christ Child upon everything the Lord has done for you. Let us remember what He has so mercifully delivered us from, how He has healed us and made us whole. Let the Lord know how His mercy has marked your life with deliverance and wholeness.

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God Was In Christ: An Advent Reading Of Luke 16

Day 16 Luke Chapter 16

“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail” {vv.16-17}.

In chapter sixteen, Jesus continually rebukes the Pharisees, who believed they were more righteous. In v.v. 16-17, Jesus speaks about John the Baptist and says that the culmination of redemptive history is marked by his ministry. Jesus once again reveals the hearts of the Pharisees when He explains the Law to them. With the arrival of John the Baptist as Jesus’ forerunner came the arrival of God’s Kingdom. The Pharisees thought of themselves as the experts in the Law and the Prophets, yet they were dense and missed the very One to whom the Law and the Prophets spoke. Many people, including the Pharisees, were trying to force their way into the kingdom by other means than what John and Jesus were teaching. While the Pharisees were busy scheming and plotting against Jesus and opposing His teaching, multitudes of sinners were entering the Kingdom. The “by violent force” probably describes the zeal with which sinners sought to enter the Kingdom.[1]

Regardless of their self-justification, they were not living according to God’s Law. The fulfillment of the Law does not mean an end to the Law. Because of Jesus’ sinless, perfect, once-and-for-all sacrifice, the sacrificial requirements of the Law were no longer needed. However, the principle of the Law did not conclude, and they (and we) are required to live by the principle of the Law, to be written in our hearts (Rom. 2:15). Paul later rebukes the religious leaders for the same heart issue:

“Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it” {Acts 7:52–53 NASB}.

God’s eternal laws and principles did not cease. We must still live out love, faith, hope, loving our neighbors, and putting God first by seeking His Kingdom. 

Let’s purpose through this Advent to continue to live out the principles of God’s Law, which Christ declared should now be written on our hearts. Let’s put God first in our lives—this Advent—and beyond and give Him our very best.

 

 

[1] John F. MacArthur, ed., “Luke 16: 16–17,” The John MacArthur Study Bible: English Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2021), 1409.

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God Was In Christ: An Advent Reading Of Luke 15

Day 15 Luke Chapter 15

“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing” {vv.4-5 NASB}.

The care our magnificent Creator of the universe takes in reaching the poor, lost, and wandering sinners. His sheep are important to Him. He cares so much for His sheep that even though He has one hundred, should one stray away, He will search until He finds that one lost sheep.

I find it so beautiful (and no accident) that today is the third Sunday in Advent, in which we focus on joy. {If you would like to read more on joy in Advent, I wrote several posts a few years back for Advent; you can find them here, here, here, here, here, and here}. Jesus continues within this verse to say, “I tell you…there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” {v.7 NASB}. When one sinner comes to Him, there is JOY in heaven. There is joy in the presence of the angels of God! Imagine how wonderful that is, that though they cannot fathom salvation {1 Pet. 1:12}, they rejoice when one of God’s human creations receives salvation. Our salvation is one of joy; the psalmist prays, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit” {Ps. 51:12}.
I heard a minister of the Word once say that most Christians look more like they are on their way to hell rather than heaven. We should be the most joyous people on earth. Our salvation should sparkle in our eyes, exude joy on our faces, and joy in our walk; we should not cause the loss to long for what we have. If our Messiah has this much joy over finding us, should we not have joy when we find Him and walk with Him for the rest of our lives?

In chapter fifteen, Jesus teaches parables throughout on the importance of finding those who are lost. The righteous ninety-nine should take care lest they think themselves more virtuous than the lost one. We need to share the heart of the Shepherd and search for those who are lost. Pray daily for the lost—those you know and those you don’t. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Let’s search for them this Advent season and bring them into the care of the Good Shepherd. 

 

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God Was In Christ: An Advent Reading Of Luke 14

Day 14 Luke Chapter 14

“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple”

 {v. 27 NASB}.

Discipleship. It is the most important call Christians receive. The disciples have been following Jesus for some time now. Yet, He continues to speak to them in parables so that perhaps they will begin to understand what He has been teaching them—what He is teaching us—that we are to give God first place in our lives. The disciples are traveling with Him and are caught up in all the needs of the ministry, yet, Jesus still needs them to understand exactly what it means to be a disciple. To be a disciple is an act of obedience, not a declaration of faith. 

For the mighty ones, for the great ones of the world, there are only two places where their courage deserts them, which they fear in the depths of their souls, which they dodge and avoid; the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ.[1]

The Father gave us the most incredible gift that one could give—His only Son because of His love for us:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” {Jn. 3:16-17 NASB}.

The Father gave us a wonder beyond all comprehension to our finite understanding. He endured a long path to the cross to restore all that was lost. Can we not give Him back our best? Can we not follow Him with our whole hearts? Can we move beyond a confession of faith and follow Him in obedience? In this season, it is so easy to be caught up in the busyness of preparing for the holidays, just as the disciples were so busy with work that they—and we—forget about what Jesus is endeavoring to teach us; discipleship is the call, and it's going to cost us.

“Discipleship means adherence to Christ, and, because Christ is the object of the adherence, it must take the form of discipleship. An abstract Christology, a doctrinal system, a general religious knowledge on the subject of grace or on the forgiveness of sins, render discipleship superfluous.”[2]

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[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Mystery Of Holy Night (New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1996), 16.

[2] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost Of Discipleship (New York: Touchstone, 1959), 58.

God Was In Christ: An Advent Reading Of Luke 11

 Day 11 Luke chapter 11

“And He said to them, When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’” {Lk. 11: 2-4 NASB}.

Scripture once again leads us back into the subject of prayer. Jesus had a habit of praying. He knew that He needed to commune with Father to strengthen Himself for the work set before Him. How I would love to lay peacefully nearby to listen to Jesus as He spoke with the Father. The disciples had this privilege. They hung on every word that flowed from His mouth. The disciples witnessed His prayer life and how He connected with Father in a beautiful, intimate relationship; they wanted the same. The disciples knew Jesus prayed confidently and faithfully, and He nurtured His prayer life {see Day 5 for earlier writing on the subject}. They asked Him to teach them to pray the same way.

Jesus begins by teaching them to approach the Father with reverence and awe. God is our Father and His Name is to be hallowed. We are to pray that His kingdom comes to the earth and operate as it does in heaven and for His will to be done. He also taught us to ask for daily provision for our needs; He cares about every need we have and by bringing our needs to Him, we are demonstrating our trust in Him. Jesus also charges us to ask for forgiveness for our sins, however, our forgiveness hinges on our ability to freely forgive others. We are also to ask for God to deliver us out of situations that would cause us to sin. We will never be exempt from temptations—but we are strengthened to overcome them with God as our Father, Christ as our intercessor, and the Holy Spirit as our Comforter and Helper. Pray to be delivered from the evil in this world because we are not of this world though we must reside here.

We are God’s children and we have, through Christ, the right to ask God for anything—especially when asking for help to live the way He instructs and to spread the Good News of the Gospel. Jesus taught us that we don’t have the things we need because we have not asked. He reveals through a parable (vv. 5-13) that we must be persistent in our prayers. 

We must ask, seek, and knock. Jesus promises that the Father is good and will give to those who ask of Him when we pray in the manner Jesus taught:

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (v. 13).

Reach out to the Father. Come to Him in awe and wonder, knowing that He cares for you and will take care of you. Cultivate your relationship with the Father by coming to Him through Jesus Christ. Stand in awe that the Creator of the universe came to love you and set you free and reconcile you so that this wonderful, awesome relationship is possible.

 

~Out of love for humans God became human.

~The reason for God’s love of man or woman lies not in man or woman, but only in God Himself. [1]

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[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Mystery Of Holy Night (New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1996), 33.

Advent Seeking Christ: Day 17

Day 17 Luke Chapter 17

“Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan” {vv. 15-16 NASB}. 

Leprosy was a horrible disease. There was no treatment and no cure. It was a brutal disease that met with a horrific death. Their cry, “Have mercy on us,” is heart-wrenching. Such a cry of anguish that echoes through human history.

The ten lepers cry out to Jesus for mercy because He is their only hope to be delivered from this agonizing existence. One with the curse of leprosy was marked as someone God Himself had cursed. There was no way out from this deadly mark. They desire to be healed because they know that only their healing can lift the ostracism and allow them to enter society and give them a glimmer of hope that life can return to like it was before.

The narrative of the ten lepers is a lesson for us. Before we entered into this Advent season, we were focused on being thankful and not complaining and murmuring about what we don’t have or what we want. God responds to gratefulness, not grumbling at our circumstances. These ten lepers all had faith in Jesus. They knew He was the only one who could deliver them and make things right again. Every hope they had clung to who Jesus was and the power of God within Him. Jesus delivered. They cried out for mercy and He granted it to them. He told them to go show themselves to the priest {according to the Law of Moses}so they could be declared clean. They all went away healed!

This is account is not one of a lack of faith, but of a lack of gratefulness. Only one returned to worship the Lord for what He had done for them. They were in a crisis moment in their lives—in utter despair—yet how quickly they forgot. As soon as the crisis was over, they went their separate ways. What they received was not taken from them. But the one who returned left with more blessing than the others who did not return to worship. Jesus told him that not only was he healed from this crippling disease, but because he came back and worshiped the Lord for the miracle, he would also be made whole. All that he had lost would be restored to him.

That is Mercy’s pen writing a new chapter for each of them. But special prose was written for the one who worshiped in gratefulness to the divine Physician. He took the time to come back and let Jesus know what it meant to him to be healed.

Reflect in this season of waiting for the Christ Child upon everything the Lord has done for you. Let us not forget what He has so merciful delivered us from; how He has healed us and made us whole. Let the Lord know how His mercy has marked your life with deliverance and wholeness.

 

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Advent Seeking Christ: The Names of God

This Advent I have been going through the book of Luke (you may find the writings here) for reflection as we examine Christ’s coming, life, and ministry. I also though, cannot go through this season without reflecting on how Christ fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament {you may find here} and was not just simply a man who claimed to be the promised Messiah.

I want to reflect on the book of Isaiah which contains many prophetic utterances concerning the promised Redeemer. I also want to look at the Names which were given to Him foretelling His coming; the most wonderful event this world has ever witnessed.

This is the first post for Isaiah 9:6 and the Names bestowed on the promised Messiah. I encourage you to read the entire ninth chapter of Isaiah as we delve into the Names listed therein.

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” {Isaiah 9:6 NASB}.

Isaiah chapter nine begins with the birth and reign of the Prince of Peace. It is a dark time; a time of gloom and despair. The land, Isaiah describes, is in deep affliction. It is a time of anguish, despair, and darkness, but God’s promise is that He will make it glorious again. For the unrighteous, it will remain dark, but for the righteous—the people of God— the despair will end for a Great Light is coming to dispel the darkness. It is into this brokenness that Isaiah delivers the promise of a child. God promises these people who have lost so much and were under the tyranny of enemy forces and governments, they will one day be comforted by the promise of a new government. A government with a leader who will lay down His life for them and care for them like no previous leader had to date. They who receive this Light will do so with joy. They will have great joy in being in God’s presence again. It is a holy joy just as Jesus experienced in Luke 10: 21.

This Light, this mighty yoke-breaker and deliverer—this child is Immanuel—God with us, the Son of God, and the Son of Man and He shall be called Wonderful Counselor. His people will know Him and worship Him by this name. This name is precious and holy. He is called wonderful because He is both fully God and fully man. 

The Targum {an ancient Aramaic paraphrase or interpretation of the Hebrew Bible}so poetically reads;

“And there was called His name from of old, Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, He who lives forever, the Messiah, in whose days peace shall increase upon us.”[1]

He is wonderful! He is the Counselor for He was intimately implicated in the counsels of God from the beginning—eternally and gives counsel to men. All the works of God are wonderful and miraculous. Jesus’ birth was wonderful in that He had a human mother but is the only begotten {unique and one of kind}of the heavenly Father.

The teaching of the Messiah was wonderful, His life and ministry captivated humanity. There has been no teacher or sage equal to Him. He was sinless which described His character which was and is and forever will be wonderful.

His death and life were truly wonderful, for He laid His life down and took it up again by His wonderful power {Jn. 10:17-19}. His first coming was wonderful and His second coming will be just as wonderful.

Isaiah 25:1 rightly brings fame to God’s name Counselor for His counsels are from old and He is faithful and true:

“O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness” {NASB}.

Ephesians 1:11 encourages us that He works all things by the counsel of His own will and that His counsels are unchangeable {Heb. 6:17} and that His counsel is far above the counsels of men. We benefit from God’s counsel through His holy Scriptures for it is the infallible rule of life which guides us to live according to His will. We see His counsel by His providence and His divine hand that upholds and sustains everything {Col. 1:16-17}. Finally, we experience His counsel by the Holy Spirit who by following Him we are called sons of God{Rom. 8:14}.

This Holy Child that was promised so long ago is also evidence for the Trinity, as He is referred to as a Child and is from old while in the same verse is called the Eternal Father. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in a holy community of three.

How wonderful and holy the Messiah is and He deserves our praise. We should stand in awe of Him and His wonderful works and for His wise counsel which guides our lives and leads us by the Spirit. Praise and glory unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine, according to the power that works in us; to Him that is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, and to sustain us body, soul, and spirit; to the Almighty God, our heavenly Father, the King eternal, immortal, invisible—the only wise God—be honor and glory forever and ever {Ps. 119:116; Rom. 16:27; Eph. 3:20, Jude 24}.

“Wonderful Counselor is the name of this child. But because this child of God is God's own Wonderful Counselor, He Himself is a foundation of all wonders and all counsel. For those who recognize in Jesus the wonder of the Son of God His every word and deed becomes a wonder; they will find Him the last, deepest, most helpful counsel for all their trials and troubles. Go to the child in the manger, believe in Him the Son of God and you will find in Him wonder upon wonder, counsel upon counsel.”  ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer The Mystery of Holy Night

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[1] Text in J.F. Stenning The Targum Of Isaiah (Oxford, 1949), quoted in Edward J. Young, The Book Of Isaiah Commentary, Volume 1, (Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1965), 332.

Advent: Seeking Christ Day 16

Advent: Seeking Christ Day 16

Day 16 Luke Chapter 16

“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail” {vv.16-17}.

This chapter sixteen is a continual rebuke to the Pharisees who believed they were more righteous because they had wealth. They believed that financial wealth was a sign of God’s blessing on them. So if you were poor, God’s blessing was not on your life. But Jesus responded to them that God alone knows the heart and only He can judge who is righteous and who is not; money is not that judge. They cannot justify themselves by their wealth or religious standing. Jesus rightly informed them that He was not impressed with their outward appearance when their hearts clearly were not right; they have misunderstood the blessing of God’s covenant. There were many righteous people in the Old Testament who did not have riches and many unrighteous who were rich.

Jesus once again reveals the hearts of these particular Pharisees when He explains the Law to them. With the arrival of John the Baptist as Jesus forerunner came the arrival of God’s kingdom and brought to completion the Law and the Prophets. Many people, including the Pharisees, were trying to force their way into the kingdom by other means that what John—and Jesus—were teaching. Regardless of their self-justification, they were not even living according to God’s Law. 

The fulfillment of the Law does not mean an end to the Law. Because of Jesus’ sinless, perfect, once-and-for-all sacrifice, the sacrificial requirements of the Law were no longer needed. The principle of the Law, however, did not conclude and they (and we) are required to live by the principle of the Law which was administered by angels. Paul later rebukes the religious leaders for the same heart issue:

“Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it” {Acts 7:52-53 NASB}.

God’s eternal laws and principles did not cease. We must still live out love, faith, hope, and loving our neighbors, and putting God first in our lives.

Let’s purpose through this Advent to continue to live out the principles of God’s Law, which Christ declared should now be written on our hearts. Let’s put God first in our lives—this Advent—and beyond and give Him our very best.

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Advent: Seeking Christ Day 15

Day 15 Luke Chapter 15

“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing” {vv.4-5 NASB}.

The care our magnificent Creator of the universe takes in reaching poor, lost, wandering sinners. His sheep are important to Him. He cares so much for His sheep that even though He has one hundred, should one stray away, He will go searching until He finds that one lost sheep.

I find it so beautiful (and no accident) that today is the third Sunday in Advent in which we focus on joy. {If you would like to read more on joy in Advent, I wrote several posts a few years back for Advent; you can find them here, here, here, here, here, and here}. Jesus continues within this verse to say, “I tell you…there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” {v.7 NASB}. When one sinner comes to Him there is JOY in heaven. There is joy in the presence of the angels of God! Imagine how wonderful that is, that though they cannot fathom salvation {1 Pet. 1:12} they rejoice when one of God’s human creations receives salvation. Our salvation is one of joy; the psalmist prays, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit” {Ps. 51:12}.

I heard a minister of the Word once say that most Christians look more like they are on their way to hell rather than heaven. We should be the most joyous people on earth. Our salvation should put a sparkle in our eye, joy on our face, joy in our walk; we should cause the lost to long to have what we have. If our Messiah has this much joy over finding us, should we not have joy when we find Him and walk with Him for the rest of our lives?

The whole of chapter fifteen Jesus teaches parables on the importance of finding those who are lost. The righteous ninety-nine should take care lest they think themselves more righteous than the lost one. Instead of glorying in that we have been found, we need to share the heart of the Shepherd and search for those who are lost. Pray daily for the lost—those you know and those you don’t. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Let’s search for them this Advent season and bring them into the care of the Good Shepherd.

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Advent: Seeking Christ Day 14

Day 14 Luke Chapter 14

“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” {v. 27 NASB}.

Discipleship. It is the most important call we Christians receive. The disciples have been following Jesus for some time now. Yet, He continues to speak to them in parables so that perhaps they will begin to understand what He has been teaching them—what He is teaching us—that we are to give God the very best. The disciples are traveling with Him and are caught up in all the needs of the ministry, yet, Jesus still needs them to understand exactly what it means to be a disciple. To be a disciple is an act of obedience, not a declaration of faith.

For the mighty ones, for the great ones of the world, there are only two places where their courage deserts them, which they fear in the depths of their souls, which they dodge and avoid; the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ.[1]

The Father gave us the most incredible gift that one could give—His only Son because of His love for us:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” {Jn. 3:16-17 NASB}.

The Father gave us a wonder beyond all comprehension for our finite understanding. He endured a long path to the cross to complete everything for us. Can we not give Him back our best? Can we not follow Him with our whole hearts? Can we move beyond a confession of faith and follow Him in obedience? Can we move beyond a confession of faith and follow Him in obedience? In this season it so easy to be caught up in the busyness of preparing for the holidays, just as the disciples were so busy, that they—and we—forget about what Jesus is endeavoring to teach us; discipleship is the call and it's going to cost us.

Discipleship means adherence to Christ, and, because Christ is the object of the adherence, it must take the form of discipleship. An abstract Christology, a doctrinal system, a general religious knowledge on the subject of grace or on the forgiveness of sins, render discipleship superfluous.[2]

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[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Mystery Of Holy Night (New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1996), 16.

[2] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost Of Discipleship (New York: Touchstone, 1959), 58.

Advent: Seeking Christ Day 13

Day 13 Luke Chapter 13

“When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, ‘Woman, you are freed from your sickness.’ And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God” (vv. 12-13 NASB).

I have had my share of physical sickness and hurt in my life. When I read this verse it fills me with such hope. I have rested on this Scripture more times than I can count. Jesus was teaching in the synagogue and in the midst of His important expressions of truth, He sees a woman who is so sick she is bent over and cannot stand upright. Christ sees us in our pain and misery. The Christ in us sees others who are sick, miserable, and hurting. In order to preach and teach that Jesus came to deliver the bound, we must pray for their deliverance—it is part of the good news. This woman was healed and made whole because Jesus saw her in the midst of her pain and healed her. 

I have been healed and deliver from sickness. Sometimes I still experience sickness, however, I am strengthened by the Lord through the Holy Spirit to endure the struggle. Either way, I experience His divine deliverance. 

Hope is a part of the promise of the coming Messiah. Those awaiting the Christ Child longed—hoped for deliverance. Have hope this Advent season that Christ has come to deliver you and to give you hope.

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Advent Seeking Christ: Day 11

Day 11 Luke chapter 11

“And He said to them, When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’” (vv.2-4 NASB).

Jesus had a habit of praying. He knew that He needed to commune with Father to strengthen Himself for the work set before Him. How I would love to lay peacefully nearby to listen to Jesus as He spoke with the Father. The disciples had this privilege. They hung on every word that flowed from His mouth. The disciples witnessed His prayer life and how He connected with Father in a beautiful, intimate relationship; they wanted the same. The disciples knew Jesus prayed confidently and faithfully, and He nurtured His prayer life (see Day 5 for earlier writing on the subject). They asked Him to teach them to pray the same way.

Jesus begins by teaching them that we must approach the Father with reverence and awe. God is our Father and His Name is to be hallowed. We are to pray that His kingdom comes to the earth and operate as it does in heaven and for His will to be done. He also teaches us to ask for daily provision for our needs; He cares about every need we have and by bringing our needs to Him, we are demonstrating our trust in Him. Jesus also charges us to ask for forgiveness for our sins, however, our forgiveness hinges on our ability to freely forgive others. We are also to ask for God to deliver us out of situations that would cause us to sin. We will never be exempt from temptations—but we are strengthened to overcome them with God as our Father, Christ as our intercessor, and the Holy Spirit as our comforter and guide. We pray to be delivered from the evil in this world because we are not of this world though we must reside here.

We are God’s children and we have, through Christ, the right to ask God for anything—especially when asking for help to live the way He instructs and to spread the good news of the Gospel. Jesus tells the disciples and us, that we don’t have these things because we have not asked. He reveals through a parable (vv. 5-13) that we must be persistent in our prayers. We must ask, seek, and knock. Jesus promises that the Father is good and will give to those who ask of Him when we pray in the manner Jesus taught:

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (v. 13).

Reach out to the Father. Come to Him in awe and wonder, knowing that He cares for you and will take care of you. Cultivate your relationship with the Father by coming to Him through Jesus Christ. Stand in awe that the Creator of the universe came to love you and set you free and reconcile you so that this wonderful, awesome relationship is possible.

~Out of love for humans, God became human.

~The reason for God’s love of man or woman lies not in man or woman, but only in God Himself. [1]

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[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Mystery Of Holy Night (New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1996), 33.