October 24 - Luke 4-6
I remember one of my seminary professors, Dr. Oscar Thompson, saying that reading through the Gospels quickly had given him some new insights into the life of Jesus. I know that now we are reading them fairly quickly, and I hope we will have the same results. It is nice to read slowly and let it all sink in, but it is also good to get the big picture, so we don't lose the focus of Jesus. What did God say to you as you read His Word today?
This morning, I was struck by the fact that Jesus was "filled" with the Holy Spirit (4:1) and the results of that filling. Why did Jesus need to be filled with the Spirit? Wasn't being divine enough? I think we must realize that Jesus being the God-Man was very complicated. Having two natures in one person caused Him to be very unique, but at the same time, He was very much like us, too. I believe Jesus voluntarily submitted Himself to the Father for His incarnation and His earthly ministry, so He needed to be filled with the Spirit, so He could follow the Father's will and have the power and authority of God for everything He did. In this way, He was the perfect example for us. We must be filled with the Spirit and follow the Lord's direction, or we have no power or authority from God for our lives. Without that power we can't do God's work, only our own.
Look at all of the references to this truth in this passage. I will mention a few, but I know you will find more as you read it yourself. Jesus was led by the Spirit. (4:1) He withstood the tests of Satan after fasting for 40 days. Why did He fast, if He was God? He needed the power of God in His life, because of His humanity. He spoke the Word of God with great authority as the Father showed Him what to say. (4:17-23) This made the people of His hometown angry, but others marvelled at His authority and power. (4:36) Jesus did not cease spending time with the Father for power and direction after the time in the wilderness. He regularly spent time in prayer. (4:42; 5:16; 6:12) This resulted in His continuing in God's power and blessing, so that He could heal people, cast out demons, and direct His disciples in the truth. (6:19, 27-31, 46-49)
I pray that we all have learned this lesson. If Jesus could not operate in God's will with power and authority without the Holy Spirit, how can we expect to live apart from the Spirit's filling and do God's will in His way? It is impossible. Please, realize our situation in life. We are not too busy to spend time with the Lord and walk in the Spirit. We are so busy like Jesus that we must spend time with the Lord and walk in His Spirit. If not, we will live unfulfilled lives of frustration. I pray that each of us will experience the abundant life in the midst of earth's trials. That is what God wants for us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Luke 7-9.
This morning, I was struck by the fact that Jesus was "filled" with the Holy Spirit (4:1) and the results of that filling. Why did Jesus need to be filled with the Spirit? Wasn't being divine enough? I think we must realize that Jesus being the God-Man was very complicated. Having two natures in one person caused Him to be very unique, but at the same time, He was very much like us, too. I believe Jesus voluntarily submitted Himself to the Father for His incarnation and His earthly ministry, so He needed to be filled with the Spirit, so He could follow the Father's will and have the power and authority of God for everything He did. In this way, He was the perfect example for us. We must be filled with the Spirit and follow the Lord's direction, or we have no power or authority from God for our lives. Without that power we can't do God's work, only our own.
Look at all of the references to this truth in this passage. I will mention a few, but I know you will find more as you read it yourself. Jesus was led by the Spirit. (4:1) He withstood the tests of Satan after fasting for 40 days. Why did He fast, if He was God? He needed the power of God in His life, because of His humanity. He spoke the Word of God with great authority as the Father showed Him what to say. (4:17-23) This made the people of His hometown angry, but others marvelled at His authority and power. (4:36) Jesus did not cease spending time with the Father for power and direction after the time in the wilderness. He regularly spent time in prayer. (4:42; 5:16; 6:12) This resulted in His continuing in God's power and blessing, so that He could heal people, cast out demons, and direct His disciples in the truth. (6:19, 27-31, 46-49)
I pray that we all have learned this lesson. If Jesus could not operate in God's will with power and authority without the Holy Spirit, how can we expect to live apart from the Spirit's filling and do God's will in His way? It is impossible. Please, realize our situation in life. We are not too busy to spend time with the Lord and walk in the Spirit. We are so busy like Jesus that we must spend time with the Lord and walk in His Spirit. If not, we will live unfulfilled lives of frustration. I pray that each of us will experience the abundant life in the midst of earth's trials. That is what God wants for us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Luke 7-9.