The Gospels through the Summer, Day 49 Will we try again because Jesus says? Read Luke 5. Peter explained that they had worked hard and they had done their best and they had failed. Well, Jesus didn’t care. He told them to do something again. Interestingly, Jesus didn’t promise them great results. He simply told them what to do and they were expected to obey. Do we obey? Do we obey when it doesn’t make sense? Do we obey even if there aren’t any promise of results? Do we obey just because it’s Jesus who is asking? What has Jesus asked of you today? Will you obey?

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 48 Authority. Read Luke 4. Have you ever been around anyone who didn’t have authority, but acted like they did? They give orders and they make decisions and yet there’s no follow through or no consequences if something doesn’t go according to their plan. Authority is everything when it comes to giving direction. The key that we see through this passage is that Jesus was teaching the people, but not like they normally were taught. Before, their teachers would say what they wanted, but there was no sense of authority. They were simply reading someone else’s words. Here, Jesus was teaching and preaching with…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 47 Do we produce fruit? Read Luke 3. This chapter details the ministry and message of John the Baptist, and we see that he is focused on 2 things. First, repent. Second, bear fruit. These two messages encompass the whole of the message that John was sharing with the people. We must all repent and recognize that we are sinners in need of a savior. Secondly, once we have made our commitment to the Savior, we need to go about bearing fruit so that others can tell where we are at and where our commitment is at. Have we repented? Do we bear fruit…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 46 Are we looking for the Lord’s salvation? Read Luke 2. As we read about the salvation through the birth of Jesus, we see people who had no idea what to expect, but they came running. Then there are others who had been watching and waiting. They were anticipating all that God would do and as a result, they recognized it when God did it. How do we respond? If we don’t know it’s coming, do we still come running when God makes his plans known to us? Are we excited to be wherever God is? Or, are we the person who has been…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 45 God still fulfills his promises. Read Luke 1. As we finished Mark yesterday, we saw at the end of his life Jesus fulfilling all his promises to us. Here, as we begin again through the story of the life of Jesus, we see God still fulfilling all his promises. Two different authors. Two different times in history. Still, the theme remains the same. God fulfills his promises. As Mary heard the message that she would be the mother of Christ, we see how this is a fulfillment of God’s promise. Will we believe and trust in Christ and patiently wait for him to…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 44 Jesus does what he says he will do. Read Mark 16. Jesus told his disciples that he would arise again from his death. Still, his disciples were surprised when what he said would happen, happened. Are we surprised when Jesus does what he says he’s going to do? When we are looking through the promises of The Bible, this is an opportunity for us to see all that Jesus has said he will do. Many of the things he has already fulfilled, but some of the other promises he has not yet. But make no mistake, everything that Jesus has said he will…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 43 Jesus is God. Read Mark 15. As we read about the crucifixion of Jesus, we see how others responded to this event. I’m sure that centurian had overseen countless crucifixions. He had probably seen so many people die. Yet this one was different. When seeing Jesus die, he knew this one was different. He recognized that Jesus was the Son of God. When we are going through the daily activities, do we recognize when things are different? Do we see Jesus in our lives? Jesus is there every single day and he is working. Are we in awe of who he is and…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 42 God knows us. Read Mark 14. So many truths are in this chapter. The passover meal, Jesus prays for them, and then Jesus is arrested. Yet through it all, Jesus displays the fact that he knows us. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. This statement and the verse above is such an incredible reminder that no matter what our best intentions are, we are still going to face temptation and we’re still going to fall. We need Jesus to be able to do anything today. Only through Jesus will we withstand the temptation that we face. We must continue to pray…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 40 What belongs to God? Read Mark 12. Jesus continued sharing stories and this time we see how God is truly the owner of everything. It starts with the parable about the tenants and tmaster of a field. It ends with Jesus making this statement above and calling out a widow for putting in 2 small coins. Even though others put in more quantity, this woman put in all she had. When we think about our lives, do we recognize that God is truly the owner of everything. We own nothing. Everything we have is simply a result of what God has allowed us…