Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. (Luke 2:17)Shepherds.
Regular guys.
Telling everybody they ran into about Jesus.
Have you seen Jesus?
Have You Seen Jesus?
Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. (Luke 2:17)
Mary had plans and dreams for her future. STT: Behold
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There are times in Scripture where God helps us out, highlighting His word for us. The highlighter used most often is 'behold'.Behold!
I don't typically use that word in my everyday conversation, and except for Phineas and Ferb, I don't even hear it on a regular basis. In Scripture, when God uses it, He's drawing special attention to what He's saying or doing and that deserves a closer look.
In Luke 2:10, the angel says, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people." Behold. Get this. Pay attention. The shepherds probably needed a little focus after the whole miraculous, angelic appearance thing. (Just guessing, but I figure they were a little freaked out.)
In Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and will call His name Immanuel."
Behold. Watch for this.
Psalm 33:18 "Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy." Behold. You can count on this. I'm telling you…
As you study, watch for the 'prehighlighted' verses, slow down and catch what God has for you in them.
What are your favorite "behold!" verses?
(This is a repost for NaNoWriMo. New study tips return next week.)
STT: Luke
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Luke's gospel is a sweeping narrative, rich in detail and scope. Polished, proper with a formal prologue, he then gives us an account of the perfect man, the Son of Man. Luke interviews witnesses, tracks down details to ensure there would be a lasting record, to prove that these stories- seemingly too good to be true, weren't. In Luke's mind, you can't argue with the facts- God became a man, and He lived among us.
Some things worth noticing as you read through Luke-
Humanity. In Luke we see the birth of Jesus, His family, an episode from His childhood among other things. But we also see Him interacting with all sorts of people, especially Gentiles and women. Tracking these encounters makes a great study.
Parables. Luke records some of the most familiar, most beautiful parables Jesus taught, including the Good Samaritan in chapter 10, and the 'lost' parables in chapter 15 culminating in the story of the Prodigal Son. These also make a great study and illustrate Luke's passionate desire to communicate to his readers that the Gospel, the kingdom of God is for them, too.
Miracles. Luke, the physician, shows a keen interest in the healing ministry of Jesus. He knew firsthand how inadequate human efforts were and He recognized Jesus had all the answers.
It's also important to note that gospel is book one of Luke's two-volume work. We'll discuss book two, Acts, in a couple of weeks.
What's your favorite passage in Luke?
Just Doing My Duty
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Our attic is like a toy warehouse, housing the overflow from the kids' bedrooms and the toy boxes in the living room. As the kids trade out toys from the attic to the downstairs, they often end up lingering (… playing…) and before long the attic is a wreck. One day last week, I sent the two youngest up to fix that. After the job, my four-year-old said "Alan said you would give us dollars to pick up the toys in the attic." She expected to collect. Nice try. Your mess. Your responsibility.
But the more I thought about that, I saw myself. How often do I expect a special blessing, or a reward, or some other validation just for being obedient and doing the things God tells me to do? More often than I'd care to admit. When I value my obedience more than the God I obey, I end up with an inflated, warped view of my own importance. I start to believe my worth to God hinges on my performance, rather than His love.
God does bless and reward obedience.
Obedience does glorify Him.
But it's just my duty.
Does [the master] thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded of him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, "We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do." Luke 17:9-10.