Luke Recap

When I started this blog last year in December I was getting ready to study Luke.  You might wonder why I would start with that book instead of Matthew or Genesis.  I am usually one of those people that have to start at the beginning of things, but God had other plans.  Luke was a Greek citizen and wrote with non-Jews in mind.  He was an educated man, a doctor.  Luke not only shows Jesus as part of God, but he shows Jesus' compassion; ability to relate to everyday people; emphasizes prayer, miracles and angels; and gives a prominent place to women.  Luke was friends with Paul so he could interview the disciples.  So after I started I thought how fitting to start with this book written by an outsider Gentile to all people.  Since I am not Jewish either this was a good start.  I write to share God's love with all people, not just for any one group.  Apparently I have a lot more to say about the bible than I ever thought I would.  Thank you for going on this journey with me.

Here are some of my favorites that God gave me while reading this book: 

Our facts are only options to God.

To focus on my response to God when He asks something that seems impossible to do.

Spend time with God daily, I am to be prepared at all times.

With Jesus there is no neutral ground.

What is hidden in our hearts can never be concealed from God. 

God will use those who the world thinks to be useless.

Jesus was our example in temptation:  the enemy will tempt you with physical needs, thoughts of power or tempting God/pride.

You may be the only bible that some people read.

There is no deep dark corner which God's light can't invade. 

There are many Pharisees among us, take care not to be one of them.

You must be willing to give when others take, to love when others hate, to help when others abuse and to stand when all others around you fall.  

Our speech and actions reveal our true motives. 

Works of the flesh will get you nowhere but having faith like a child and love for Him will get you closer to Him.

Let your roots sink deep in the Lord and you will not get swept away when the troubles of the world coming knocking on your door.

The worse off we are and the more profound transformation the more likely we are to affect other people so they see that it is not us but God that made the changes.

When tragedy occurs we then may fall away from our preconceived notions to find where we should have been the entire time.

Don't let your lack of resources blind you from your potential. 

Please learn to say no to things that God is not wanting for you.

Is the money you spend out of proportion to the amount you give back to God? 

The devil knows that if all your attention is on worry then none of it will be on God. 

Just because we have ears doesn't mean we can truly hear. 

The son wanted to be free and lived as he pleased, but there is always a price that in most cases we would never really be willing to pay in the end.

Sometimes what appears to be the worse sinners are actually the best representatives for God.

Is your faith so strong that you can act on what God says even before you see evidence that it will work?

No one knows when Jesus will come back to earth.

What a poor and blind man could see was something that the sighted religious leaders refused to recognize.

People tend to judge others so easily, yet they do not hold the same standards for themselves.

Your not saved by good heritage or condemned by a bad one.

You will not think that you are lost before you are ready to be found.

Do not be afraid to share what God has done in your life, our reward will be based on our devotion to the task.

When a seed is planted it has to die to self and be broken open to be able to grow into a mighty oak tree.  Without this process the seed will die and produce nothing. 

There may be an underlining issue that they can not express in words and our compassion may deem the questions unnecessary. 

To bind by bargain or agreement is a good picture of what happens when we compromise, we will be bound up with deceit.

We do not have to know the why, just the Who.

When we eat food for our body we should think of Him since He is food for our soul.

He has given us entrance to His home.  Will you accept the invitation?

Judas and Peter both betrayed and denied Jesus, but only one repented. 

When we are stressed, tired and weak that is when the enemy will strike since we are easy prey during those times.

The farther you fall the more you see the distance that separates us from Him and the more thankful you are that He would even think to pull us out of darkness. 

The enemy will make an appeal to those that oppose your beliefs to find the greatest insult to their beliefs.

Even in the darkest of places, all hope is not lost.

When Jesus died, the curtain in the Most Holy Place was torn to break the barrier that stood between God and man. 

Do not think that your contribution is small, you do what you can with what you have.

We do not know the plans God has in store for us, we are to have faith that He knows exactly what He is doing. 

They went from being slow of heart to hearts on fire. 

Peace from God is something that is unequal to anything in this world.

When we teach it should be simply and with love.