Daily Digest

Luke 9:24-27

²⁴ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? ²⁶ Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

²⁷ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

What does a “sold out for Jesus” life looks like?  What does it look like to not live for ourselves?

I think it is a life that has boundaries, however, is known by key “fruit”.

• Being loving and caring.
• Choosing to be joyful.
• Finding His peace in the midst of challenge.
• Being patient and expectant.
• Having Kind words and actions (let arguments go through to the keeper).
• Choosing what is good – for you and others.
• Faithfulness- be dependable.
• Self-control: having good boundaries.

How does this work itself out?

• Believe the best of others with wisdom.
• Be generous with time, money and talents.
• Be aware of the pitfalls and schemes of the enemy.
• Worship, pray, read the word, deeply connect with others and be in Community regularly.

Lord, help us become more like you and live like you.  Help us to walk in rhythm to your Holy Spirit.  Help us to deeply engage and connect with others.  Jesus, shine through me.

In Jesus name.  Amen

Written by Ps. Sue Botta

Luke 9:18-22

¹⁸ Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

¹⁹ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”

²⁰ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”

²¹ Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. ²² And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

This is a pivotal moment in Jesus’s training of the disciples.  They have walked closely with Him, heard Him teach the crowds and speak to them privately. Now it is time for their final exam.

He asks, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”. It’s interesting to hear their thoughts on this, but their answers are not what is important to Jesus.

There is really only one question that matters to Jesus – “Who do you say that I am?”

This is a question that each one of us must face. What is your confession regarding the identity of Jesus Christ? The multitudes have differing opinions – and in this instance the speculations are actually quite positive but still fall short of understanding the true identity of Jesus.

It’s interesting to note that Jesus does not seek to proclaim Himself openly. He draws from the disciples their confession, rather than putting it into their mouth.

Jesus does not force His way into our lives. Knowledge of His true nature rests on revelation and faith.

Just last night I was speaking with someone who is genuinely still trying to figure out if Jesus is the true revelation of God. In the past I would have felt anxious to try and convince that person about who Jesus is, but I have come to realise that this is not Jesus’s way. He gently and patiently waits for us receive this revelation and respond with faith.

Lord, thank You for how kindly and patiently You interact with us. I pray for those in my world who have not yet had the revelation of who Jesus is, that their eyes will be opened to see the truth and respond in faith. Declaring you as my Lord and Saviour is the best decision that I have ever made.

Written by Shelley Witt

Luke 9:7-9

⁷ Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, ⁸ others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. ⁹ But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.

In this passage we discover that Herod Antipas, the ruler of the region, hears about the ministry of Jesus and the disciples. He didn’t have an explanation for the events, and according to the passage those around him didn’t seem to be able to explain what was happening either. It would seem that Herod was mostly curious about what was occurring in his territory. In Luke 23:8 it says that Herod was pleased when Jesus was brought before him, as he wanted to see Jesus and he wanted Jesus to perform a sign.

What strikes me about this passage is the way that people sit up and take notice when God moves in power. I am made hungry by this passage, that God would use me to move in power in the lives of those around me, whether it be provision, wisdom or a miraculous healing. It’s hard to argue with an event. God may you show me and teach me to live a life that impacts those around me and draws people to you.

Written by Beth Waugh

Luke 8:40-55

⁴⁰ Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. ⁴¹ Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house ⁴² because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. ⁴³ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. ⁴⁴ She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵ “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

⁴⁷ Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

⁴⁹ While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰ Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

⁵¹ When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. ⁵² Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”

⁵³ They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴ But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” ⁵⁵ Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.

Two very different women are helped by Jesus. The contrast between the two shows us Jesus’ loving care for both, but also his preference for the most vulnerable in society. It also reveals to us (as it did to the disciples and peoples who were with him at the time) that Jesus is God and powerful and able to accomplish miracles of incredible healing and resurrection.

The first woman had been sick with bleeding for 12 years. In the culture of her day and age she would have been outcast due to her sickness. People who were bleeding were unclean and unable to enter the temple, the place around which community revolved. You get the idea that she was alone and desperately poor – out alone seeking help, no family member has come to seek out help for her! She has heard of Jesus and the miracles he has been performing and she determinedly pushes in to touch him.  Jesus heals her, it would seem, without even consciously intending too. It appears to tell us that Jesus heals her from his very being. It is simply his nature to heal those around him who are hurting and vulnerable, and who have sought help from him wholeheartedly (have faith in him). This is so beautiful! It is a keen reminder that Jesus is the embodiment of love and goodness.

Jesus is being hurried to an important household to attend to a Roman soldier’s daughter. But social status is not what concerns him. He stops when he feels the power go from him to heal the lady. He seeks her out and makes an example of her. His seeking out of the lady and making her an example of faith to others reveals the upside-down nature of the Kingdom of God that Jesus has come to pronounce. Jesus’ preference for this hurting lady does not lessen his ability to care for Jarius’ daughter. Luke records this miracle with such tenderness and kindness – Jesus simply calls her back to life and instructs them to feed her

Jesus, we thank you that you are loving and powerful! We thank you that you announced your upside-down kingdom here on earth. Help us your people to live with your priorities and preference the care of the vulnerable around us. Empower us to reveal your love and goodness today. Amen

Written by Ps. Zoe Stewart

Luke 8:22-25

²² One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. ²³ As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

²⁴ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ²⁵ “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

The disciples were on the lake with Jesus when they were caught in a life threatening storm.  Jesus rebuked the storm, it stopped and the disciples were filled with a sense of complete awe and wonder regarding Jesus authority over the natural elements. After the storm had eased Jesus asked his disciples, “Where is your faith?”

It’s always interesting when Jesus asks a question!  It is a rather hard hitting question to ask a believer too.  It could be said that the disciples showed their faith when they woke Jesus up to get him to do something about the imminent peril they faced.  I think it is important to acknowledge they knew who to go to in times of trouble – Jesus! So what was Jesus getting at “Where is your faith?”  Thinking about this today I go back to the fact that it was Jesus who said, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake” and they obeyed.  They headed in the direction the Lord wanted them to go but it was not smooth sailing.  If things get difficult it does not mean you are not fulfilling God’s will.  In other words don’t let circumstances put you off your path but rather trust that the Lord will bring you through, somehow, some way.  He is faithful, kind and can be trusted.

Dear Lord thank you that your words can calm storms in my world and bring peace.  Help me to trust you as I follow you.  Amen

Written by Ps. Ainslie Woods

Luke 8:4-18

⁴ While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: ⁵ “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. ⁶ Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

⁹ His disciples asked him what this parable meant. ¹⁰ He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,

“ ‘though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.’

¹¹ “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. ¹² Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. ¹⁴ The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. ¹⁵ But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

¹⁶ “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. ¹⁷ For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. ¹⁸ Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”

I often think of this passage from the perspective of the soil. Is my heart good soil – the kind of soil that on hearing the Word will retain it and by persevering produce a crop? Is my heart the kind of soil God can work with? Am I taking care how I hear (v. 18)?

But today I started thinking about this passage from the perspective of the farmer. Serving regularly in church can sometimes feel fruitless. I regularly serve in kids church, and there are weeks when none of our prepared activities go to plan, it feels like no one is listening to the story, and it seems all we’ve done is entertain the kids for a morning! But then a child will say something weeks later that makes me realise some tiny seed of what we talked about has stuck! We cannot control the soil of other’ hearts. That’s between them and God. But we can faithfully keep throwing seed, praying that some of that seed will hit the right place at the right time and grow to produce a crop.

Thank you, Lord, that you involve us in your work. Help us to continue to work faithfully with you, even when we can’t see the direct fruit of what we’re doing. Help us to obey you and trust, you will do the rest.

Written by Rhiannon Mellor

Luke 7:36-50

³⁶ When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

⁴⁴ Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Luke has just told us about John the Baptist sending disciples to ask who Jesus is: ‘Are you the one who is to come?’ Jesus tells them to look at the things he is doing that only God can do (verses 18-23).

This story begins with Simon saying to himself that Jesus is no prophet. Jesus isn’t rejecting this woman and her display of gratitude, so he thinks he must have no idea who she is. But Jesus clearly sees who she is and why she’s doing this. And he clearly sees Simon and his heart too. The story ends with Jesus doing what only God could do: he forgives her sin. Simon and his guests are confronted with the question, “Who is this who does what only God can do: forgive sins?” (There’s only one answer.)

After Jesus’ parable about how people should respond to an unrepayable debt being forgiven, they should be asking “How should I respond to Jesus, the source of God’s forgiveness and peace?”

How should I respond? Perhaps I should copy this woman.

Jesus, the only appropriate response is to come to you. I reject everything in my life that is a rejection of you. Thank you for the forgiveness that only you could give me. I love you with all my heart. I want to honour you as extravagantly as this woman did. I pour my heart out to you – you know it better than I do. Please transform my heart today. Amen.

Written by David Cornell

Luke 7:11-17

¹¹ Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. ¹² As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

¹⁴ Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” ¹⁵ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶ They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” ¹⁷ This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

Jesus continues to travel through towns and villages and everywhere he goes he brings life. In this village, Nain, he brings life back to a widow’s son. We’re told that Jesus’s ‘heart broke’ (Msg) or ‘his heart went out to her’ (NIV) when he saw the widow. 

Historically, the death of her son now meant her life would be one of poverty, with no husband or sons she would have no means of income, no protection, no security, a society cast out. 

Jesus’ breaking heart shows me he is a God who cares, a God of unmerited grace, a God of great mercy, compassion, care, and provision. It was nothing that they had done, no faith is mentioned, (mother or son) just Jesus’ heart toward her.  

As a single woman, I understand the vulnerability of this widow. I too count on the same heart of Jesus, even in our culture today, being single, not married or partnered and no children, can be an oddity and disadvantage.  As I’ve meditated on this passage the Holy Spirit has strengthened me in my assurance that Jesus indeed is my provider, security, protector, he loves and cares for me, he brings life and has my future in his hands. 

Lord, I pray that all who read this today, will know without a doubt that Jesus’s compassion and heart for them and every aspect of their life is certain.   Amen.

Written by Suzie Hodgson

Luke 6:46-49

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸ They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

What stands out in this parable is that both builders recognized Jesus as their Lord, and they embarked on constructing their lives, symbolized by the houses, with the purpose of being in His service. Nevertheless, the impact of their actions far outweighed their words.

The first builder puts Jesus’ teachings into practice. This person’s faith is not merely lip service or a Sunday event, but a commitment to live out the principles and values Jesus teaches. When the storms of life come, as they always do, this person’s life stands firm. The foundation of faith in Christ supports them through difficulties and trials.

The second builder represents those who may call Jesus their ‘Lord’ but fail to align their lives with His teachings. Their faith remains superficial, grounded in words rather than action. They haven’t allowed Jesus to fill their hearts and provide them with new life. When the storms of life come, their foundation proves weak, and their lives crumble.

I am challenged to consider the authenticity of my faith. Am I actively living in obedience to His word? True faith, as Jesus reveals, involves more than words; it encompasses a life built upon His teachings, a life with a deep, unwavering foundation in Him.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the overwhelming love of our Lord Jesus. Help us to build our lives on the solid foundation of His words. Grant us the wisdom and courage to put His teachings into practice daily, so that our faith may be authentic and reflect Your glory.

In your precious name, Jesus. Amen

Written by Sven Bessesen

Luke 6:24-36

²⁴ “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
²⁵ Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
²⁶ Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

²⁷ “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹ Do to others as you would have them do to you.

³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Recently, I had the opportunity to show mercy when I really didn’t want to. Someone had wronged me and I found myself at a crossroads.  I had the choice of either getting mad, getting even, and potentially getting this person sacked under the company’s HR policy, or I could show mercy. God loves mercy! (See Psalm 145:9) He loves to give it to us – the undeserving, but he also loves when we do the same for others. I realised, fortunately just in time, that my other workmates were watching – looking on to see what I would do. The stakes were so, so high. If I blew it and let my anger bury this guy who wronged me, how would my workmates see what God is like and know His mercy for them? I HAD to show mercy. We MUST show mercy. We must be merciful as our God is merciful (see verse 36). How else will those around us know this wonderfully, generous, gracious God who, “is kind to the ungrateful and wicked”?

Thanks Lord, for being merciful to me. Help me to show mercy to those who hurt me so that they will come to know you.

Amen.

Written by B van Noppen

Luke 6:12-19

¹² One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. ¹³ When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: ¹⁴ Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, ¹⁵ Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, ¹⁶ Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

¹⁷ He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸ who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, ¹⁹ and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

There is power in prayer and Jesus knew it.  In fact, Jesus was diligent in prayer.  He went to a specific place to pray, and He spent all night in prayer we read here in verse 12.  It occurs to me that I do not have the diligence of Jesus in prayer.  He was committed to prayer, and He was the Son of God.  I am caught with the thought that Jesus, who was fully man and fully God was committed to prayer at a level I am not, and I am only fully man.

Father, help me to be diligent in prayer, not making excuses – simply choosing to pray – when it is convenient and when it is not!

Written by Ps. Richard Botta

Luke 5:33-39

³³ They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”

³⁴ Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? ³⁵ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”

³⁶ He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. ³⁷ And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. ³⁸ No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. ³⁹ And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’ ”

It can be hard to remain faithful to what God has said and done, and, at the same time, to not miss the new things he’s doing.

When Solomon’s temple was dedicated, God’s glory visibly filled the temple (2 Chronicles 7:1-3). Ezekiel describes a vision of God’s presence leaving the temple before the Babylonians destroyed it and took the people into exile (Ezekiel 10:18-19; 11:23). Twice a week, the Pharisees fasted in mourning and longed for God to return to his people like he had before. (They wanted the old wine again.)

Now God has come to his people. But its not like last time. It’s much more wonderful: he’s come as one of his people, in the person of Jesus. He’s healing people excluded from the community by unclean diseases like leprosy (5:12-16). He’s forgiving sins and freeing people from paralysis (5:17-26). He’s seeking the outcasts, like Levi and his tax collector friends, transforming them and inviting them in (5:27-31).

‘¹⁶ This is what the Lord says – … ¹⁸ “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. ¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”’ (Isaiah 43:16,18-19).

Jesus’ response that fasting isn’t appropriate when the bridegroom is present might have reminded them of Isaiah likening God to a bridegroom coming to his beloved but unfaithful bride, Jerusalem (61:10-62:5, 11). It might remind us of John’s vision of Jesus returning and the marriage feast of the lamb (Jesus) and the new Jerusalem (Revelation 19:6-8), where God’s people dwell with him forever. I’m looking forward to Jesus continuing to do new and better things.

Jesus, I want to be part of the brilliantly new things that you are doing today and will continue to do tomorrow. Please give me the wisdom to recognise the new things you’re doing, and not be confused by things that aren’t you. Thank you for how the things you have done point to the things you’re going to do.

Written by David Cornell

Luke 5:17-26

¹⁷ One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. ¹⁸ Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹ When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

²⁰ When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

²¹ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

²² Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ²⁴ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ²⁵ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. ²⁶ Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Jesus is teaching the teachers and others. They wanted to hear and learn. And then a teaching moment literally breaks through the roof of the home he was in. 

Jesus, seeing faith in action, immediately forgives the paralysed man of his sin and the man is healed. Everyone is astounded. A visual physical teaching moment of forgiveness of sin and the healing it brings with an unspoken declaration that Jesus is God.  Sin.  Such a small word but with so many tentacles in our lives, like small veins travelling through us invisible to all but God. Jesus saw the man’s real need was forgiveness of sin. In this instance, it was sin that paralysed him.  Jesus demonstrated that he only could forgive our sin, he does it quickly, asks no questions, does it completely.

This passage has made me ask, what parts of my life are paralysed by sin? Maybe not seen by others or even by me, but God can see.

Lord Jesus, I ask today that you show me any area of my life that has been paralysed by sin. I know this is a big ask but show me where I need to ask your forgiveness, so that your healing to come and restore.  AMEN

Written by Suzie Hodgson

Luke 5:1-11

¹ One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. ² He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. ³ He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

⁵ Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

⁶ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. ⁷ So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” ⁹ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” ¹¹ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

This profound moment in Peter’s life, a seasoned fisherman who had toiled tirelessly all night and caught nothing, echoes into our own lives. Regardless of the work we do, we should regard it as part of our called ministry that fulfils God’s larger purpose.

Jesus calls us from diverse backgrounds, blessing us with an array of skills, gifts, and talents. Our work isn’t merely for worldly recognition but is carried out as an offering to Him. In moments of weariness, discouragement, or when your proverbial nets hang bare, we must remember that our trust is solely upon and for Jesus! Our work, once marked by fruitless endeavours, are given new purpose when Jesus stepped into our lives.

Whatever your calling may be and those you need to work with, this passage teachers us humility, obedience, and unwavering trust in God. We are to remain humble, recognizing that our talents, expertise, intellect, and strength are ultimately a gift from God. We are to be obedient because God’s plan for us is greater than any of our own aspirations. We are to trust in God, casting aside our fear and live in the unshakable faith of His divine plan.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift and talents You have blessed us with. When we feel like we have made no headway, help us to remember that You have placed us there for a reason. May we be Your hands and feet in this world, loving those around us because of Your great love!
In Your precious name, Jesus. Amen.

Written by Sven Bessesen