Friday, February 11, 2022

Luke 4 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

Luke 4:16,17

He went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue, as was His custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it is written:

These verses speak of the intentionality of Christ and His devotion to the Father! Christ went to church regularly; do we? The Bible says it was His custom to go to the synagogue, which is the equivalent of our church. He did not go sparingly or only when His favorite pastor was preaching. He did not go only when He felt like it or when it aligned with His schedule but made it a point to be there often.

Christ is teaching us the importance of healthy habits. How being in the Father’s house is so very important for each one of us. If the Son of God made it a point to be there, then how much more the adopted children should make every effort to be there also. He doesn’t condemn us for not going, but He does set the standard by the way He lived out His life here on earth. Christ prayed and so must we, Christ surrendered and so must we, Christ gave of Himself and so must we, Christ quoted Scripture and so must we, Christ went to church and so must we! We must attempt to follow in His footsteps in each and every way possible.

We do this through the power and person of the Holy Spirit. For our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak, so we must surrender and be filled with the One strong enough to overcome our flesh and set us free. Christ knows there is power in the gathering of God’s people. That when we get together to worship Him from the heart, things happen! People get saved, hearts get softened, God gets glory, and we are strengthened in Him. God didn’t give us church as a punishment but rather as a refuge in this lost and lonely world. Will you go to His house this Sunday? The door is open, but will we walk through it?

Hebrews 10:24,25- And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

1 Corinthians 14:26- What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

God bless! I love you all, but His love leads the way! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

Luke 4:38,39

Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. So He bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

Are we interceding for those around us? Are we taking those we love to the wood shed or to the Throne room of our God? This story shows us the importance of intercessory prayer! It makes no mention of Simon’s mother-in-law having faith in Christ; it doesn’t say she served Him before this encounter. In fact, it was those around her that went to Christ for her, and it was through their request that she received her healing and mercy from Christ!

Do we see how powerful interceding for those around us can be? Her life was changed in an instant because of the faith and love of those around her. They knew the Healer and went straight to Him for her. They didn’t “wait and see” if she would get better or say, “If it’s God’s will, He will heal her”. But they came humbly before Him and went boldly to Him because they knew the loving King could help!

And what does she do with this healing? She uses this healing, this freedom, this new life to serve not only Christ but those who are with Him. This, my friends, is the spiritual side of this healing. Her body was redeemed, but so was her heart, and it shows in her actions. Her friends and family interceded for her, Christ had mercy on her, and she used this new life to serve the King and His Kingdom!

Prayer can change your life, and intercessory prayer can change a life around you. We can’t accept Christ for anyone or force salvation on them, but we can pray that Jesus will meet them right where they are and touch them, heal them, and call them His own! Thank you to everyone that earnestly prayed for me and my deliverance throughout the years. I believe they made a difference! Thank You, Lord, for listening!

1 Timothy 2:1- I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

James 5:16- Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

God bless! I love you all, but His love is greater than the grave! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

Luke 4:40

At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying His hands on each one, He healed them.

Do any of our traditions or rules block people from coming to Christ for their healing? The Jewish elders had legalized God’s Law, turning it from help to hindrance. These people had to wait until sunset on the Sabbath to come to Jesus because the elders had put limits on how far you could walk on a Sabbath and what you could carry. I imagine them laying there helpless, just out of reach of their healing and personal encounter with Christ, because man wanted more control. This is why Jesus rebuked them so sharply for setting aside the commands of God for the traditions of man.

Traditions do not care about the individual person, but God does, and He proves it in this verse. This verse says that Jesus laid His hands on each one! He is the intimate and intentional God! He could have just spoken the word over them, and they would have been healed. He could have said to the whole group of sick people to be healed, and at that moment, they would have. But He doesn’t do it that way, does He? He takes the time to touch each one, giving each one His full attention, making sure that each one is healed not only physically but all the way around.

He wants to experience each one of us and for each one of us to experience Him! What an awesome God we serve! So today, let’s not let our traditions, rules, and regulations stop or delay anyone from coming to Christ and let’s be intentional and intimate with the God who is intentional and intimate with us!

Mark 7:5-9- So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “’These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” And He continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!

God bless! I love you all, but His love triumphs over all! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

 

 

 

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