Luke 1

Scripture

Luke 1: 76-79

And you, my child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.

 

Observation

A lot goes down in Luke chapter one. So here’s the nice condensed version:

• The birth of John is predicted, and his father loses his speech because he can’t believe it
• The birth of Jesus is predicted (no one loses their speech or virginity there)
• Mary visits the mother of John, Elizabeth is is far along in her pregnancy
• Mary gets so excited that she sings a song of adoration
• John is born, is almost not named John, but then is (his father, Zechariah gets his speech back)
• Zechariah prophesies over his son, and pretty much gets it all right

 

Understanding

I think it is fair to argue that John has some pretty big shoes to fill. For starters, his parents are pretty well-known in his community so he has to live up to the family name. If that isn’t stressful enough he also has to pave the way for the literal Son of God… no biggie, right? Wrong! If I were John I’m not sure I would know how to cope or deal with the mounting expectation placed on me. But here’s the honest truth: if we are called followers of Christ, we have this same mounting expectation of us.

I know what you’re thinking, “Wait what? I wasn’t born to usher Jesus into the earth. My sole purpose is not to baptize Jesus either…” You may have not been born for those sole purposes, but the moment you gave God the right to tell you what to do, you offered your life as an embodiment of ushering Jesus in. I know that doesn’t make much sense either, let me explain:

My job as a Christ-follower is to bring Jesus to others. I am to usher in the Presence of God wherever I go. There’s no question of whether God is with us, He’s with us the moment that we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. The question is whether or not we’ve created an environment for Him to move in the lives of others. In other words, we are tasked with the same mission that John the Baptist was given when He was born. Daunting, but also an extreme honor to carry.

 

Life Application

So I know I just made all of that sound extremely unattainable and scary, but I promise it isn’t. In order to make room for God to move, we must make time to understand His heart. That means getting familiar with His ways through His word and through prayer. It means actually spending time with people who could use a move of God. It means making yourself available to be used by Him. It means actually knowing Him. A simple start, but it leads to powerful encounters. Let’s be the reason that someone experiences the Presence of God.

-Allison Khan

Proverbs__22

Scripture

Proverbs 22:15 

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.

Observation-What does it say?

King Solomon continues with sharing his wisdom in Proverbs. King Solomon was King David’s son. I believe that many of his wise counsel came from personal experience, including things his father and/or mother taught him, especially with this verse related to children.

Understanding-What does it mean?

Based on this proverb from God's Word, children are not born innocent. They are actually born foolish. This is why discipline is necessary. This is why God gave children parents; it was not just to provide for their basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing, but also to love them and teach them the right way they should go. The only command with a promise in the Word of God is for children to honor and obey their parents. The promise is that life will go well for our children as they trust and obey our wise counsel.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.””
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:1-3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Prov. 22:6

Life Application

We may no longer be children based on our age in the world’s eyes, but we are still children; children of the King of kings. Therefore, we must take discipline and correction seriously and learn from it.

My favorite line in the hymn “Come thou fount” says, We are prone to wander. We need the guidance of our Heavenly Father, His Holy Spirit, His Word and other Spirit filled people to keep us on the straight and narrow path. We must be willing to accept Truth spoken over our lives and be humble enough to accept it instead of getting defensive about it.

Proverbs 22:4-"Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life"

Proverbs 12:1-“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.”

Proverbs 15:31-33-“Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise. Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding. Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the LORD, and humility comes before honor.”
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Dear Lord, thank You that You adopted us into Your family and we are Your children. I pray that we would always come to You with child like faith and humility. I pray we would trust and obey Your Word and also trust the authority and leaders You have placed over us to submit to. May we continually pray for our fellow parents (especially now) who are raising children and also leaders who keep watch over us and who will be giving an account for our lives in Heaven. May their work be a joy and not a burden (Heb. 13:7). I pray for fruit from our labors whether we are parents, spouses, ministry leaders, pastors or all of the above. Amen.

-Michelle Gaddi

 

Ephesians__5

Scripture:

Ephesians 5:1-2

Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Observation:

Paul is writing to the church of Ephesus, continuing his exhortations from the previous chapter. 

Much of what Paul shares throughout Ephesians is a call to unity in response to newly converted Jews who often separated themselves from their Gentile brethren.

Understanding:

It does not say, “Think about God” or “Admire God” or “Adore God,” though those are all important Christian duties. This is a call to practical action, going beyond our inner life with God.  [https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/ephesians-5/]

Therefore, our measure of what it is to live a holy life is not one that brings into account what the society of today, cultural norms or what our neighbor or best friends says is ok…our standard is Jesus.  And Jesus’ greatest example was a life of love; that love took the form of healing, praying, providing food, welcoming the outcast, encouraging the downtrodden, extending grace, forgiveness, teaching, etc.

Life Application:

Put simply, go love on somebody!  There are many opportunities to do so – even while meeting social distancing requirements.  May we imitate the one who created us, the one who loved us first and share that love with those we know and those we meet.

And, if you feel like you’ve got nothing to give, spend some time in worship and gratitude (vs. 19-20) and watch how God will lighten your burden and perhaps reveal someone who may need that love most and/or a way to show that love with what you do have.

Rei