What Jesus Did

[Jesus continued his teaching about how to pray:] "Give us each day the food we need, ..."

—Luke 11:3 NLT

Key Thought


One of the great blessings of Israel's wilderness wanderings was the lesson of daily dependence. They had to trust God for their daily food. They couldn't gather too much manna and quail that God gave them and store the food, or it would spoil and become putrid with maggots. They never suffered from having too little. They were reminded daily that...

 

At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way."

—Luke 10:21 NLT

Key Thought


Joy is a sign of the Spirit's presence (e.g., Romans 14:17; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Thessalonians 1:6). It was in Jesus' day, and it is in our day. For Jesus...

 

[Jesus continued his teaching about how to pray:] "... and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation."

—Luke 11:4 NLT

Key Thought


Sin is our problem. We bring it into our own world and into the world of those around us. Our sin unleashes the power of Satan to damage both ourselves and others. Also, others bring the effects of sin into our lives, leaving us wounded, battered, disillusioned, and angry. Satan...

 

Jesus said, "This is how you should pray: "Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon."

—Luke 11:2 NLT

Key Thought


Prayer begins with two realities: The first reality is that the Almighty God, holy and majestic, eternal and all powerful, longs for us to come to him as his children. The second reality is that God our Father calls us to enter into a relationship where his will and his way set the direction and the meaning of our lives as we voluntarily...

 

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

—Luke 11:1 NLT

Key Thought


So many books have been written about prayer. Most of us have attended classes on prayer. Yet, when was the last time you gave serious time to look in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and study how Jesus prayed, what he taught about prayer, and why he felt prayer was...

 

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me." But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are worried...

 

When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to [Jesus], "Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!"

—Luke 10:17 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus' name is so frequently used in vain today that we often forget how powerful his name is. We pray in Jesus' name because he intercedes for us with authority. By praying in Jesus' name, we invoke his power and authority to work in our lives and the lives of those we love. We pray by his power and authority...

 

[Following the story of the Good Samaritan:] "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked. The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same."

—Luke 10:36-37 NLT

Key Thought


Who is our neighbor? Jesus wants to challenge our legalistic definitions and our racially and ethnic limitations. So, the Lord made the hero of his story a Samaritan — someone detested...

 

[To answer, "Who is my neighbor?"] Jesus replied with a story: "A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. "By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. "Then a despised...

 

The [expert in religious law] wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

—Luke 10:29 NLT

Key Thought


So often when the conviction of God's word strikes our hearts, we try to justify ourselves rather than simply throwing ourselves on the mercy of God and changing our hearts and lives. If the expert who had come to test Jesus had honest motives, Jesus' question, affirmation, and reply would have been enough. But, the expert wanted to...