A Devotional Life

Luke 2:10-15. (The message of the angel to the shepherds). When a baby is born, people celebrate, send gifts, and travel from all over to see the baby. And it can be pretty expensive for those of us with siblings all over. Often, when we see the baby, we make physical remarks like: “Oh, she’s got a round head like her dad”, or “his eyes are like his mum’s,” or “the baby’s so cute”, or “isn’t it lovely that she sleeps a lot”. All these remarks are not remarks of expectation. We’re not expecting anything from the baby for ourselves, let alone for everyone; that would be odd. But many years ago, a baby was born, and an angel appeared to some shepherds, informing them that this birth had implications for all people (v10). This birth affects everyone, you and me, both in this life and in the next. What did th...

Luke 13:10-21. (The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast). One time, I was leading a service in our Church in London, and a homeless man walked in and sat at a seat we had reserved for our Senior Pastor. Somehow, he had slipped past the welcome team. One of the trainee pastors stared at me to do something, but I didn’t. Then I stared back at him to do something, but he didn’t. So, to avoid further awkwardness during worship, we let him sit there. What a situation! In today’s passage, a similar situation occurs, but this time the religious leaders respond in a way that prompts a rebuke from Jesus. In the passage today, Jesus heals a woman who was crippled for eighteen years on a Sabbath day. How transformative. She began to praise God, and the people rejoiced, but the religious leaders were upset that it wasn’t done their way (v10-14). So Jesus rebuked them, us...

Luke 15. (The Parables of the Lost…Sheep, Coin and Son). The three parables were Jesus’ response to a criticism from the Pharisees. They saw that tax collectors and sinners gathered around Jesus, and that He welcomed and ate with them (v1-2). And Jesus likened the tax collectors and sinners who had gathered around Him to something important that was lost (v3-32). Can you recall a time you lost something important? I once arrived at the airport and realised my passport wasn’t in my jacket. I thought, could I have forgotten it? In the middle of the check-in area, with everyone stirring, I emptied my hand luggage; my clothes, bank cards, documents, laptop, and everything else were scattered all over the place. I finally found my passport, which I had hurriedly packed with my clothes. Out of excitement, I yelled, “Yes, found it!” A few people began ...

2 Peter 1:3. Praise God! Happy new year!!! One time, I was meeting friends for a game of badminton. When I arrived at the court, I noticed I had come with the wrong bag. I planned to play in shorts, but I played in trousers, and my very competitive friends were not merciful. Peter described the Christian life almost like my backpack experience, except that he made the right switch. He picked the one that had all he needed for his journey. In Luke's passage (Luke 5:1-11), he records Peter's first meeting with Jesus. It was at a time when he had toiled all night but couldn't catch any fish. So he parked his boat by the seashore. But when Jesus saw Peter's boat, he got into it and used it to teach the crowd the word of God - to meet their spiritual needs. Again, in displaying his divine miraculous power, he used the boat to provide much fish - to meet the physical needs ...

Luke 17:11-19. A year 5 teacher begins: “Today, boys and girls, you’re going to draw on your pieces of paper something or someone you’re grateful for… it’s a great way to remind ourselves how lucky we are for what we have or who we have in our lives. Afterwards, we will share what we have with the rest of the class.” After the drawing, the kids began to share: I’m thankful for trees because they give me oxygen. … for my parents because they help me with my homework. … for chocolate. A kid drew a hand. “It’s your hand Ms Sanders, …” recalling how the teacher cares for them, “and I’m thankful for you.” When it comes to thanksgiving, it’s easy to miss the obvious. In the passage, Luke sandwiches a miracle among Jesus’ teaching on His k...

Luke 10:38-42. Have you ever had one of those busy and exhausting days when, in the end, you didn't do the main thing(s) you had set out to do? Distractions are inevitable, aren't they? In the passage in Luke 10, Jesus deals with the issue of distractions. How does Jesus see distractions? As things that could quickly spiral into sin if not dealt with (v40-42). Martha starts off being distracted (v40), then got worried and upset (v41) and lost sight of the "one thing" needed (v42). From distractions to worries to idolatry - a dangerous spiral. And this shows how distractions and the things we worry about can often become the centre of our lives. But good news! Jesus offers a solution to distractions and worries. His Presence (the one thing, v42). In response to Martha, Jesus points to Mary's choice - which was to draw close to Him, ...