Observations from the Doctor, Day 22 Persistent Humility. Read Luke chapter 18. As I read through Luke, chapter 18, these 2 words stand out. The stories and parables and lessons that Jesus teaches us about and that Luke shares in this chapter, they can be summed up in those two words: persistence and humility. The question becomes, how do those 2 go together? We can look at the examples of persistence in the chapter and think, “Wow, they were so bold and so arrogant is to think that they would be helped.” They were persistent in calling out to the Lord. Then we see the examples of the importance of…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 21 What do we value? Read Luke 17:20-37. As we read through this second half of the chapter, we get a picture of what the coming of the kingdom of God will look like. It’s interesting to see how many people talk about the coming of the kingdom of God, but are not actually wanting to see the kingdom of God come. Do we focus on the importance of our priorities? If we are a follower of Jesus Christ, there is nothing better for us than to see him face-to-face and for him to return. However, we haven’t seen with heaven looks like, so it’s…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 20 As… such a tiny word with huge implications. Read Luke 17:1-19. Reading through the first half of Luke chapter 19, we see more discussion about faith. What does that mean to truly have faith? And how do we live out faith? We see this demonstrated very clearly in this story of the ten lepers. Ten people afflicted with this horrible disease sought out Jesus and asked him to heal them. Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priest. Now in that day and time, they would have known that you only did that once you had been cleansed from your leprosy. Then,…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 17 Meh Christianity. Read Luke chapter 14. The English language continues to change and morph. New words are added every year as we find new ways to express ourselves. One of my favorite recent additions is “meh.” It’s the perfect descriptor for a variety of circumstances where you just don’t really have a strong opinion. “Where do you want to go eat?” Meh “How is your day going?” Meh “What did you think of that movie?” Meh In so many ways, we have become a society that isn’t strongly passionate about many things. We just sort of relax back and go with the flow. And…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 16 The choice. Read Luke chapter 13. Every single person has a choice to make when it comes to Jesus. Unfortunately, a lot of people choose no. In Luke chapter 13, we see the results of the choices that people have made. Jesus gives several examples that speak to the results of these choices. Jesus spoke about a fig tree that didn’t give figs or people are choosing the wide path instead of the narrow one. Throughout this entire chapter, we see Jesus’s desire for people to make the choice to follow him. However, as we see in our key verse today, Luke 13:34, Jesus…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 14 Does the inside match the outside? Read Luke 11:33-54. I cut into an avocado the other day. It was a beautiful color on the outside, but when I cut into it, it had already started to go bad on the inside. Over the years I have had similar experiences with multiple fruits or vegetables and that has always been a frustrating experience. However, it’s not nearly as frustrating as when the same thing happens with a person. How many times have we experienced a situation where we had one view or impression of a person, and then something happens and we end up seeing…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 13 What are we asking for? Read Luke 11:1-32. When we think about our relationship with God, we may find that we are constantly making requests of God. We ask God to help us. We ask God for money and prosperity. We ask God about the weather. We ask God to help our sports teams win. We ask God for so many things. As you read the first part of this chapter, it’s easy to see that the disciples were the same. They wanted Jesus to help them understand how to pray. Jesus wanted them to understand that God is a good father who wants…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 12 Your actions matter. Read Luke 10. A couple of days ago, we focused on the importance of hearing the word of God. Then we saw the importance of faith and trusting God to be who he says he is. Today, as we read through Luke chapter 10, we see multiple stories that are focused on what people now are willing to go and do. You see, as Luke was studying and seeking to understand Jesus’s life, he recognized that Jesus was very focused on making sure people go and do the things that he has told them to do. In this chapter, we see…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 11 The big picture. Read Luke chapter 9. Reading through Luke chapter 9, we see stories that display both the power and the mercy of God. Jesus feeds the 5,000 and he’s transfigured on the top of the mountain, both demonstrating the power and true awesomeness of God. And then we see Jesus pardoning a city that doesn’t accept him and answering questions of who he is and where he’s from with patience and grace and mercy. Power and mercy. These two characteristics are so defining of who Jesus is and how he interacts with us. Every day he is full of power and full…