Day 95 Bible Reading - Luke 10: 41-42 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 2: 24-37, Deuteronomy 3, Deuteronomy 4: 1-14, Luke 10: 25-42, Psalm 50: 10-19

Luke 10: 41-42 (ESV)

“But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.””

I love the story of Mary and Martha. In verses 41 and 42 from Luke 10, we see Christ’s answer to Martha when she complains about her sister Mary not helping her to serve. I know what it’s like to be Martha, when you feel like you need to serve and play the good host. I’ve never been a “Mary” who can just seemingly drop everything to just and listen to a guest. From reading several bible commentaries, Jesus was praising Mary’s simple devotion to him by sitting at his feet and listening to him. Mary shows a continued focus on Jesus. Her submission to him brings her peace. She is gifted with strength. By listening to Jesus, she gains wisdom and learns not to sin. Martha tries to serve Christ, but without a continued focus on him which resulted in frustration. Martha needed to diligently serve and keep her focus on Christ, and if she did that, she wouldn’t have complained about Mary. We need to remember that as we serve God – to always keep our focus on him.

Day 94 Bible Reading - Luke 10: 3 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 1, Deuteronomy 2: 1-23, Luke 9: 57-62, Luke 10: 1-24, Psalm 51: 1-9

Luke 10: 3 (ESV)

“Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.”

Verse 3 from Luke 10 reminds us we need to be like lambs when doing the work of God. A lamb is totally dependent on his shepherd to care for him, to guide him, and protect him. If we think of ourselves as a lamb and God as our shepherd, we can do the work of God without fear knowing that we are dependent on God. God will guide us and work through us in what to say and how to act. God will care for us to make sure we are headed in the right direction. And finally, God will protect us as we do our work for him in the world of “wolves.” And I know sometimes it does feel like sometimes when you are doing the work of God, that you are a sacrificial lamb. There is fear, there is trepidation, there is even a metaphorical fear of death and in some cases perhaps a literal fear of death. But we have to have faith that even if we experience a metaphorical death of our ego, God is working through us and that out of the death of our ego God will be able to speak through us in faith.

Note: I was a day behind in posting my bible readings, but I am finally caught up. YEAH! Praise God!

Day 93 Bible Reading - Luke 9: 46-48 (ESV)

Numbers 35 and 36, Luke 9: 28-56, Psalm 50: 16-23

Luke 9: 46-48 (ESV)

“An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.””

Verses 46 through 48 from Luke 9 reminds us that to be great in God’s kingdom you need to be like a child and be “least”. A child is humble and does not tell lies, much like Jesus, who was sinless. Jesus was not concerned about his own status and he doesn’t have to be the center of attention like a child. Jesus also told us to be “least” or humble, and not powerful. Jesus wants his followers to not crave power or be the person out front and be happy about it. This recommendation is hard to do in the competitive world we live in today. But to be humble is powerful in God’s kingdom. When I do work in God’s name, I try to be humble about it but it’s hard. A few weeks ago, I volunteered to help a new church get ready to open on Easter. I ended up cleaning the women’s bathroom and I felt very happy doing it, until other volunteers wanted to use the bathroom. One of the women told me that she was glad I was cleaning it and not her. I thought that such a strange remark. I was cleaning the bathroom because this church was God’s house, and I felt privileged to be cleaning it. I was cleaning it hard like it was my own house because it was God’s house. But that woman’s remark unsettled me somehow or I let it unsettle me. Maybe I was too full of pride for cleaning that bathroom because it was really disgusting, and I was so proud and happy with myself. But at the end of the day, one of the women from the church remarked that she was so happy the bathroom was clean and smelled so good. This woman’s remark made me so happy and I felt happy that I had cleaned that bathroom for God.

Day 92 Bible Reading - Luke 9: 16-17 (ESV)

Numbers 33 and 34, Luke 9: 10-27, Psalm 50: 1-15

Luke 9: 16-17 (ESV)

“And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.”

Verses 16 and 17 from Luke 9 comes from the famous story of Jesus feeding the 5000 with only fives loaves and two fish. I heard a commentary today which I found very moving. Back in the time of Christ, the people who came to listen to him did not indulge in food like they do in our time. People in those times rarely ever ate until they were satisfied. People ate food but most likely just enough to calm the hunger inside of them. Jesus really loved people and if he was going to feed them food, he was going to give them enough until they were full and satisfied. Jesus shows that God will always give us enough of what we need, and we will always be satisfied. God will not give us less than we need or just enough of what we need. God will give us what we want until we are satisfied, because that is how much God loves his people.