Today we are reading Luke 5. In this chapter we read about the great catch of fish that Peter made. ”On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. 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 ‭ESV‬‬ Think of your work. What amazing thing could happen in your workplace that would lead you and everyone to conclude that Jesus is Lord?! In this story Jesus is speaking into Peter’s world of fishing. He had never heard of or seen a miraculous catch of fish like this. Jesus gave Peter his own personal miracle! May God do the same for you! Pastor Tim

Today we are reading Luke 4. In this chapter we read about the early ministry of Jesus. ”And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.“
‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭31‬-‭37‬ ‭ESV‬‬ It seems that Jesus encountered demons routinely. Do you feel they are less common or that we are less aware of their presence? What struggles that you encounter could be demonic? How can you take authority over the demons and rebuke them? May you see the mighty power of Jesus in you and call upon the name of Jesus in every time of need. Pastor Tim

Today we are reading Luke 3. In this chapter we read about the ministry of John. ”He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”“ Luke‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬ John’s message is true but very harsh. Why do you think he preached that way? Who needs to hear the message of John? How are you like John? May God give you the Holy Spirit to make you a powerful witness for Jesus! Pastor Tim

Today we are reading Luke 2. In this chapter we read about the birth of Jesus. ”And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.“
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Luke’s account of Jesus birth skips over a lot of details. Why do you think the account is so superficial? What does Luke emphasize instead? What is missing? How do Luke’s emphases inform our own celebration of Jesus’ birth? What do you emphasize at Christmas time? May God help you keep the main thing, the main thing! Pastor Tim

Today we are reading Luke 1. In this chapter we are reading about the birth of John the Baptist. ”Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.“ ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭57‬-‭66‬ ‭ESV‬‬ The birth of John the Baptist was surrounded by amazing events. Gabriel appeared to Zechariah. Elizabeth became pregnant in her old age. John was filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb. Mary visited Elizabeth. Everyone in the family were spiritually very strong. Why such a big deal about John? What do these details tell you about Jesus? How do you have a job similar to John the Baptist? May God use you in a mighty way to prepare the way for Jesus! Pastor Tim

Today we are reading Matthew 28. In this chapter we read about the resurrection of Jesus! ”Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”“ ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬ The first to see Jesus after His resurrection was Mary Magdalene. This was the opposite of what they expected! In our grief God promises the opposite of what we see. We have seen our loved-one pass from this life to eternal life—sort of. We only see them leave. Imagine if we could see them arrive in Heaven! May God comfort you in your time of loss with a beautiful vision of Heaven! Pastor Tim

Today we are reading Matthew 27. In this chapter we read about Jesus crucifixion and death. ”Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭45‬-‭50‬ ‭ESV‬‬ The death of Jesus seems unremarkable at first glance. People often die in a more dramatic fashion. And yet, if we were there, I’m sure we would think differently. Two facts remain dominant: First, the irony of the King of Kings dying in such a humiliating manner. Second, In His death, Jesus paid for the sins of all people of all time. Only Jesus’ death would have been an acceptable payment. I don’t believe we will fully comprehend this gift until we reach Heaven. May you be filled with child-like wonder at your Savior’s love! Pastor Tim

Today we are reading Matthew 26. In this chapter we read about the night when Jesus was betrayed. ”When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”“ Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬ This day in Christianity has been the focus of an enormous amount of scrutiny. How could the chief priests plot murder? How could Judas turn against Jesus? How could Peter deny Jesus? Why did Jesus change the Passover to the Lord’s Supper? As tragic and awful as all these events are we have to remember this was God’s plan. The various characters were simply the human means for preparing the sacrifice God made for our sin. The disciples didn’t get it at the time and it is still confusing to us. As we experience Holy Week again this year, may God impress upon you His dying love! Pastor Tim

Today we are reading Matthew 25. In this chapter we read about the Sheep and the Goats. ”“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’“
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭31‬-‭40‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Can you think of a time that you were in need and someone came to help you? Who was it that God sent? How did you feel when they showed up? Now flip the script. When did God send you to help someone in need? How did they respond? What did it feel like to be used by Jesus? May you find great joy in being used by the Master. Pastor Tim

Today we are reading Matthew 24. In this chapter we read about the destruction of the End Times. ”Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”“ Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬ I have twice been to Jerusalem and seen the destruction of the Temple complex which occurred in 70AD. Two thousand years of history has taken place since then but you can still see the giant stones of Herod’s Temple and marvel. Yet, the most magnificent creations of mankind are temporary and insignificant compared to God’s eternal works. Nothing can destroy God kingdom. No one can threaten or harm Heaven. Our inheritance is secure. How does this impact the things you protect and pursue in this life? What priorities do you need to rearrange? May the joy of Heaven make you feel safe and secure. Pastor Tim