Today’s Reading: Luke 11
The purpose of Chapter 11 of Luke is to give us a blueprint or outline of our daily work and spiritual growth. In the days of Christ and in our society, we are all seeking ways to better our mind, body, and spirit. The same questions that the early church dealt with are seen in our lives. We are confronted with how to pray, how to worship, how to sing and praise, what to wear, how to live for God? But in this passage of scriptures we can find some solace in Christ’s words. The outline that I find here is: Pray, Prepare and Plan, and Participate.
PRAY:
As Stephanie stated in the previous section, we must pray often and daily.
Luke 11: 1- 4
Now Jesus[a] was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread,[b]
4 and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
Jesus has given us the most powerful prayer that can be prayed. This is the purest connection that the Father and Son had and it was given openly and graciously to us to have an inherited connection with the Father. This prayer contains all the essentials that God requires of us. We can come into true relationship with Him with this prayer. Jesus uses the relational language to create peace and reverence to reconcile us with God. This prayer creates the aim and focus for our lives and daily living.
PREPARE AND PLAN:
Luke 11: 24-26
24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
Throughout my life, my father has always had a saying that means more as I grow into a young man and father: Focus and Plan. Even as a child I had this printed and framed in my room. The meaning behind this statement is: You must FOCUS on the goal or the dream and then you must PLAN how to achieve it. In Luke 11, Christ teaches about not only do you need to PRAY, but also you must PREPARE & PLAN your life to be for God and live for him daily. In this passage Jesus performs several miracles that are questioned by the Pharisees thereby questions his authority. Christ expels an unclean spirit from a man and then proceeds to give a parable about how to maintain the new Christ-filled life. Jesus states it s not only a one-time process of cleaning, but it must be a continual and daily process. Sometimes, when we commit to Christ, we have the newbie excitement and then it fades and we may find ourselves back where we were before or even in worst places. Christ relaying this information, with a warning to allow him to clean us up and then we need to continue to seek him and make him a part of our house. When He is the Lord of the house, not only the cleaner, we will be made whole. This will allow his light to shine through us and bring others to Him.
PARTICIPATE
Luke 11:39-44
And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.
42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”
Jesus has had many interactions with people of all backgrounds and is genuinely truthful in all aspects. I love the way that he goes to the dinners he is invited and then challenges each person. In the passage, Jesus is sitting and enjoying food with the Pharisees and lawyers and then gives them and us great advice. We can be blinded by the “proper and correct” manner of living and neglect justice and the love of God. How many times do we turn a blind eye to the injustices that happen in our daily lives? How often do we see our brothers or sisters in need and turn the other way? Sometimes this is easy to see, but there are some instances that we don’t see or choose not acknowledge. We must become better participants in God’s plan and continually ask Him for guidance and direction to show His Love.
This outline is one that will allow us to be ambassadors to the kingdom of God. Praying, Preparing& Planning, and Participating are the essential parts to allow Our Father to create his Kingdom to Come. Are we following the blueprint? How can we change to become more aligned with his vision and purpose? Be Blessed.
