Luke 23: 1-25

Pilate's verdict is interesting:
“You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent. ¹⁵ Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty..."

There was nothing in Jesus that deserved death which is why He was the only one who could pay the price for sin.

Luke 13

The beginning of this chapter is very interesting. From Jesus' very own lips he explains that Salvation is totally dependant on him, not the events of ones life.

Luke 11

Your eye is the lamp of your body...

It took me a while, and asking Tom, to figure the section v33-36 meant.

It has challenged me about what I allow my eyes to see. If we are to keep our heart pure we have to guard it.

Luke 22

Wow, Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to pay the price for us.

Although He was born to die He agonised over this sacrifice

'...his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.'

What a wonderful Saviour.

Luke 11

What an encouragement this chapter is... for those who trully seek God the door will be opened.

How vital it is that we obey God when we hear his voice speaking.

Luke 21

Watch out...
Make up your mind not to worry...
By standing firm you will gain life...
Stand up and lift up your heads...
Be careful...
Be always on the watch...
Pray...
Stand before the Son of Man...

There is nothing passive about the Christian walk. Yet the above is only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. As we look to Christ He will equip us for this walk amidst all the pressures of this world.

Luke 9

The instruction of Jesus at the beginning of this chapter has always intrigued me and challenged me. What faith the disciples would have needed to obey!

Luke 20

Vs 18: It is better to fall on Christ & in our brokenness allow Him to heal & make new than to get to the end of our life & for Him to say 'I never knew you'.

Vs 45-47. Man looks on the outside but God looks on the heart.

Luke 19

Zacchaeus was seeking Jesus & when Jesus found him Zacchaeus responded quickly & openly:
"he hurried and came down and received him joyfully".

He was filled with conviction & offered quickly to pay back where he had defrauded. His gift from Jesus was salvation. Zacchaeus contrasts the rich ruler in the previous chapter who wanted to inherit eternal life yet was sad at parting with his wealth. It is a challenge to put aside our treasures for the sake of Christ yet there is no greater reward than the gift of salvation.

luke 17 & 18

Thank God he takes our mustard seed grain of faith as a start.

We need to persist & not give up seeking & asking: as in the persistent widow & also the blind beggar. The beggar was bold enough even to cry out to Jesus when others rebuked him & he did not give up the first time he cried out.

Luke 16

God knows the heart. He sees what is done in public & what is done in private.

Luke 15

Jesus responds to the Pharisees comment that ..."This man welcomes sinners and eats with them..." with the 3 following parables of this chapter.

In each parable Jesus is saying 'go' to be with the 'sinners': searching & seeking out the lost sheep & the lost coin & even the father has gone some way to seek his son's return.

Church is a great place to be but we also need to go & tell others all that Jesus has done for us.

Luke 14

Jesus challenges the Pharisees in picking places of honour. Again it is a call to humility - to take the low place.

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

luke 8v40-56

I know I've skipped a few chapters on the blog. I have read them. Lately I've been taking time to mull over some of the verses, and not reading the whole chapter. This helps me to focus and meditate on a theme for the whole day. This passage I read yesterday. The part where Jesus says... Do not fear, only believe... really struck me. Often we behave or make choices out of fear, our path's would be so much more Godly if we just Believed.