On the Couch With God - Daily Devotional

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?" (Luke 15:4-10) Have you ever lost something important, maybe not of significant monetary value but nonetheless very important to you? When you did, you probably could not think of anything else except finding it, almost obsessively doing everything you could to search for it. Is the same thing true when God loses someone? We often refer to people who do not know Jesus as being "lost." In what sense are they lost? They are lost from God, and they have wandered away from Him. In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd knew that he must find the lost sheep to save him from certain death. In the parable of the lost coin, the woman had to find the coin because of its value to her. Many sermons have been preached on Luke 15 because it is so rich in essential truths for us. But let's

"Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:25-33) Nearing the end of His ministry, Jesus was travelling on the road to Jerusalem, knowing that the cross was soon to come. He was surrounded by crowds of people anxious to hear what He would say or see what miracle He would perform next. Jesus instead shocked the crowd by saying, "if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." It is easy to focus on the word hate here and take it literally. However, this does not mean we should hate and despise others; instead, the word hate in this context means "to love less." Therefore, as disciples, we should be devoted to Christ such that no other relationship compares to the love we have for Him. Jesus knew that many people were following Him for the wrong reasons and challenged them by saying, &qu

"Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." (Luke 13:22-30) In today's passage, Jesus was asked a question about eternal life (v. 23). The way He responded gives insight to a prophetic revelation and an urgent invitation. Someone in the crowd asked Jesus a curious and perhaps well-intentioned question: "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" Jesus, in His wisdom and understanding of the heart of man, did not answer the question. Instead, He focused on the responsibility that each individual has regarding their salvation: "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Striving implies that entering through the door will present specific difficulties that will require devotion, discipline, obedience, and perseverance to overcome. This does not mean that salvation is achieved by our own human efforts but through faith i

"You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Luke 12:35-40) While the title of this devotion seems like a line from a game of "Hide and Seek" and not part of a Lenten devotional series, it can be a serious matter as we look at our preparedness for the coming of Lord and Saviour, Jesus, the Christ. In verse 35, Luke gives us two visual elements as he describes the readiness for the return of the Master from a Wedding Feast: we are to be "dressed", and we are to "keep our lamps burning." Why would Jesus instruct us to do this? Imagine being notified the Queen of England had requested to visit your home at a specified date and time during a visit to Devon. You would most assuredly work to ensure your home was immaculate and would either wear your finest outfit or rush to purchase a dress/suit worthy of the Queen. It is doubtful anyone reading this has a home, or furnishings, on a comparable level with B

"Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you." (Luke 12:12-32) The words of Jesus in Luke 12 warn us of hypocrisy, covetousness, and anxiousness. As Christians, these are feelings and attitudes that many of us struggle with and can often be significant obstacles to our personal relationship with Christ. Even more significant concern is that each is usually interconnected and can manifest itself together. While speaking to the crowds, Jesus began with a warning of "the leaven of the Pharisees." It is a metaphor for hypocrisy, as it only takes a little bit of leaven to affect a great mass. This was especially important for the disciples to remember, as hypocrisy can often be strongest in those who enjoy high prestige or success. We hear the "Parable of the Rich Fool", who has become more concerned with justice related to his inheritance rather than the covetousness that was at the root of his question for Jesus. As the man asked

"Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness." (Luke 11:33-36) Today we continue our Lenten journey in Luke 11: 29–53. As the passage opens, we see Jesus warning the crowds who continue to grow around him. Jesus called them "an evil generation" who "seeks for a sign" (v. 29). Jesus reminded the crowds thatthe people of Nineveh were sent a sign from God through Jonah's preaching. He said that the people of Nineveh chose to respond to God's message with repentance. Next, Jesus reminded the crowds that the "queen of the South," who 1 Kings 10:1 and following tells us is the Queen of Sheba, travelled a long way to "test" Solomon. When she heard of "the wisdom of Solomon," she believed. Conversely, the crowds gathering around Jesus were hearing the Gospel from Jesus Himself and rejecting it. Jesus warned the crowds that

Now Jesus 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." (Luke 11:1-8) Of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer can be one of the most difficult. Because of its private and personal nature, it can quickly be drowned out by the tasks and noise of each day. How is prayer a priority in our lives? Once again, we see the example of the importance of prayer from Jesus. Luke took specific notice of how often Jesus prayed. Jesus prayed when He was baptised (Luke 3:21), withdrew into the wilderness to pray (Luke 5:16), prayed all night (Luke 6:12), prayed alone (Luke 9:18), prayed when He was transfigured (Luke 9:28–29) and, in today's passage, we discover that Jesus was praying in a "certain place." We know the importance of prayer, but it is helpful to be reminded in the pages of Scripture of how it was a consistent part of the life of Jesus. May we be stirred to be m

"Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him,"You go, and do likewise." (Luke 10:25–37) There's a line, right? For whom, exactly? Just how much do I have to do? We all want to know just what we're getting into, how far we can take it before going too far, and how much it will take to justify ourselves without getting inconvenient. We want to do just what's required and get defensive about whether we're doing enough. In the good Samaritan parable, we see Jesus responding to a question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus prompted the man to sum up the law with the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbour as yourself." Despite all the Old Testament provisions of sac

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:37-62) For eight chapters, the Gospel of Luke describes the coming of Jesus Christ and His early ministry. His disciples witness Him teach with wisdom, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, cast out demons, and bring the dead back to life. They were "astonished at the majesty of God" (v. 43). However, the narrative takes a drastic turn here in chapter nine. Jesus explicitly named the path awaiting him for the first time, involving suffering, betrayal, and death. Then He chose that path: "He set his face to go to Jerusalem" (v. 51), where He would suffer, be crucified, and die, and he chose the way of the cross. The disciples were slow to understand what Jesus meant. They were still excited by the glorious acts of Jesus' life so far. This exclusive focus on glory leads them to argue about the greatest. Then they wonder if they should

Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:18-27) Our willing dependence on God's faithful provision marks Luke 9. Yet, hearing Jesus say He must face rejection, suffering, and death soon after feeding the 5,000 must- haves disturbed his followers. The imagery and blunt language Jesus used to instruct His disciples most certainly captured their attention. Everyone who heard Jesus' words understood the gravity of the cross. In the Roman world, a man sentenced to die on a cross was first forced to carry the cross to the location of His own execution. This fact was not lost on those who heard Jesus say these words. In truth, a cross is heavy and awkward to carry, and it is not subtle and is difficult to ignore. A cross is public and often attracts disdain and ridicule, and it is severe and lethal and implies finality. And still, Jesus asks His followers (us) to voluntarily ta

And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace." (Luke 8:40-56) Jairus was probably used to being in control and solving problems. After all, he was the business administrator for the synagogue. Managing logistics and solving problems was part of his job description. However, in this passage, Jairus found himself facing a problem he could not solve on his own. He did not have the power or ability to save his dying daughter. Facing the reality of his daughter's illness, Jairus fell at Jesus' feet, begging Jesus to come to his house and save his daughter. Jairus must have felt relief as they moved through the crowd, only to have that relief turned to frustration when their progress was halted because a woman touched the fringe of Jesus' cloak. We do not know how long Jairus had to wait. Still, I imagine his feelings were of loss and grief when news arrived, saying, "Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher anymore."

And they went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, "Where is your faith?" (Luke 8:22-39) Other accounts of this storm (vv. 22–25) express Jesus' words differently ("O ye of little faith" in Matthew and "How is it that ye have no faith?" in Mark), but Luke's "Where is your faith?" conveys a different angle. Where was the disciples' faith? Did their fear temporarily scare it away, or was it resting elsewhere? Were they depending on things they'd been depending upon before meeting Jesus—the ability to earn a living, the sturdiness of their boat, good friends to talk things over with? In those dire moments in the boat, it's unlikely the disciples embarked on much self-examination. An old hymn says: "Master, the tempest is raging...Carest Thou not that we perish? How canst Thou

In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. (Luke 7:18-28) In this passage, we find John imprisoned, having to hear about the teachings and miracles of Jesus from behind bars. As John's entire life has been consumed by the proclamation of the coming Messiah who will free His people from bondage, he finds himself still in chains. In this very human look into John's heart, we see him begin to question Jesus' identity. "Is Jesus truly the Messiah? If so, then why am I still in chains?" He sends his disciples to go and ask Jesus a scandalous question, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" Let's remember the events of John's life. John was miraculously born of an elderly woman. He heard the audible voice of God calling him, lived in the wilderness only by being sustained by God, proclaimed the coming Messiah, had a massively successful minist

Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!" (Luke 7:11-17) In this passage, we see two times when Jesus raised someone from the dead. The Centurion's servant and the widow's son are being raised to life by Jesus. The first thing that we should pose with is Jesus's power. With the Centurion, Jesus did not even need to go to the house and see the servant. His word, from afar, was enough. With the widow's son, it took just these two words: "Get up." Second, we see Jesus as the compassionate Saviour in this passage. It's too easy to imagine Jesus as a powerful, unapproachable being. Certainly, He is powerful. But He is not removed from the pains of our lives. He sees us in our need and sorrow and treats us with compassion. Jesus is powerful, and He is near, approaching humans in their pain with the utmost love and care. Third, this passage points to a

"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." (Luke 6:20–28) Have you ever thought about the disciples following Jesus and what that meant for them? In Luke 6:22, it says, "Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the son of man!" As they were following Jesus, they realised how hard it would be, but they also learned how sweet the journey would be. The disciples were hated and were excluded because they chose to follow Jesus. As Christians, isn't that our story as well? The message Jesus is teaching the disciples doesn't end at loving and praying for those who have hurt you. We live in a day and age where there are many opinions, and the tendency is to not have friendships with those who oppose us. These different opinions have led to many splits. However, we are called to love our ene

And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:1–11) Imagine Simon Peter, the fisherman cleaning his nets, having finished his fishing for the night. He cleans his nets to keep them from rotting and breaking. The work had to be done quickly, so the fellow fishermen, including John and James, worked together. People stood on the shore to hear Jesus teach the word of God from Peter's boat as his platform. Jesus spoke to crowds, but he was always concerned about individuals. Fishermen in Palestine fished during the night. So, when Jesus had finished speaking, he noticed that, although Peter had fished all night, his nets were empty. Jesus called Peter to cast the nets on the other side of the boat, but he answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets" (v. 5). Peter went from

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:14–30) Jesus was at the very beginning of His ministry when Luke provides us with a glimpse into how His message of salvation might be ultimately received. As Jesus stood up to recite the words of the prophet Isaiah, the crowd became fixated on Him. Something was different about the reader this particular Sabbath. The group began to speak highly of Him, and Scripture tells us they even marvelled at His words. And then, it happens. Questions from their hearts and mouths begin to form: "Wait a minute, did He just say, 'fulfilment of Scripture'? Don't we know this man's parents? Haven't we watched Him walk through the marketplace with his mom and learn how to be a carpenter with his dad? Wasn't it just a few years ago

And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Luke 3:3–6, 10–1) When the word of God came to John the Baptist in the wilderness, it ended over 400 years of prophetic silence. The timing of John's ministry was clearly stated by Luke. The gospel writer goes to great lengths to establish the context of John the Baptist's ministry in Luke 3:1–2. The list of seven leaders, five Gentiles and two Jews, certainly gives us a precise chronological timeline. Still, it also describes the conditions of the time for God's people. The nation of Israel was in the midst of a dark time. They were oppressed politically by the Roman government, they were bearing the weight of religious legalism, and they were bound by the power and penalty of their sin. They needed a King, a Saviour. In ancient times, when a king was coming to town, a messenger would go ahead to herald his coming and prepare the city for his entrance

"Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him" (Luke 2:22–52; focused on 2:22–32) Waiting is a daily part of life. We wait for our turn at stoplights, in check-out lines, to cross streets, to pick up children or adults, for class or meetings to begin or end, and the response to our text or WhatsApp message—daily we wait. On a larger scale, we wait for "BIG" things to possibly happen in our lives—life to begin with birth, education beginning and ending with graduation, marriage, anniversaries, and even death. Spiritually, we wait for God's answers, our conversion to faith in Christ, His direction in our lives, and our daily walk with Him to see what He will do in His plan. We wait and wait and wait. Simeon is not mentioned before this passage in Luke. We do not know historically more about him. From this passage, though, we see that he

Luke 2:1–21; focused on 2:8-15 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10–11) Reflect In our passage today, we find the shepherds, Mary, and Joseph, as unlikely participants in the most remarkable event in world history. They were God's chosen witnesses to a desperate world receiving its Saviour. The shepherds went quickly to see what the angel of the Lord had told them and then departed, telling others of the miracle of this birth. Mary faithfully endured shame and scorn while carrying the Christ child. Joseph trusted the angel's message to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife. They all realised the magnitude of Jesus's birth and its impact on humanity. We are told that Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. Each of the people the Lord chose to witness th

Luke 1:57–80; focused on 1:67–79 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David." Reflect As Luke continues to weave his narrative after Mary's song, The Magnificat, he takes us back to his first story: the foretelling of the birth of John the Baptist. Luke 1:5-25 gives the account of Zechariah and Elizabeth, an elderly, childless couple who are models of Jewish faithfulness. Zechariah is a Temple priest. He is told by an angel that Elizabeth is to have a son, who is to be named John—one who will turn the people to the Lord and prepare the way for the Messiah. (Christ). Luke's readers are immediately reminded of Abraham and Sarah—another childless couple well beyond childbearing years who at first cannot believe the good news of a baby on the way. Because Zechariah doubts this is possible; therefore, he becomes mute until the child is born. After

Luke 1:46–55; focused on 1:46–50 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant." Reflect Today, we begin our Lenten devotional journey. During each day of Lent, we will interact with a selected reading from the Gospel of Luke. We begin our journey with Mary's song of praise, known as The Magnificat, found in Luke 1:46–55. The word "Magnificat" is derived from the Latin translation of the phrase "my soul magnifies"—the first phrase on the lips of Mary. In the words of N.T. Wright, this passage "is one of the most famous songs in Christianity. It's been whispered in monasteries, chanted in cathedrals, recited in small remote churches by evening candlelight, and set to music with trumpets and kettledrums by Johann Sebastian Bach." Mary's song is richly steeped in the phrases of her own Bible—the Old Testament. There are no fewer than

We must release the power of God through prayer. There is no limit to what God can do in and through the saint. But the saint limits the working of God in and through him by the degree of his yieldedness to the Spirit. How much of God’s power are you measuring out to your family? Business? City? How much of God’s power are you distributing to the situation that you need God to work right now? Is it possible that God has done His part and now we distribute this power out? God’s unlimited power is limited to our prayers. God has all power but His unlimited power is limited by prayerlessness. Am I going to distribute His power? Am I going to measure it out to my situation? Elijah prayed 7 times for something God already said He was going to do. Why? It is because he was releasing what God wanted to do in His life. Elijah’s fiery praying and God’s promise the rain. E.M. Bounds says, “Prayer carries the promise to its gracious fulfillment. It takes persistent and persevering prayer to g