Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 6:27-36.  Let’s go!

Luke 6:27-36 (NIV) 
27  “But I tell you who hear me: 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 strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.
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…….

As you read these words from Jesus, keep in mind the following:

Everything Jesus told his followers to do here Jesus modeled for us first and did so perfectly at the cross.  Jesus always leads us not just with his words but with his example as well.
God wants us to be people of grace who love our enemies, do good to them, lend without expecting to be repaid in full, and forgive them when they hurt us.  When we do this, we’re following in God’s example, store up treasure in heaven and show ourselves to be “children of the Most High”.
You will never give to anyone more than God has already given you.  You will never have to forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven you.  You can never outgive or outforgive God.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 6:12-26.  Let’s go!

Luke 6:12-16 (NIV) 
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.

On verses 12-16:  Notice that Jesus spent quality time in prayer before he chose his disciples and called them his authorized representatives (“apostles”).  What can we learn from this?  Before you ask someone to be in a significant relationship with you (whether it’s business-wise, romantically or otherwise), make sure you pray about it and seek God’s guidance.  Like Jesus, pray through your most important people decisions.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 5:27-39.  Let’s go!

Luke 6:1-2 (NIV) 
1  One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels.
2  Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

On verses 1-2:  People living in Israel were allowed to walk through a fellow Israelite’s grain field and pick kernels with their hand to eat, just as Jesus’ disciples were doing here.  This was specifically allowed in Deuteronomy 23:24-25 as a way for Jewish landowners to show grace and mercy to the poor.  However, because Jesus’ disciples were doing this on a Sabbath day, the Pharisees were offended, for the Pharisees taught that picking heads of grain and eating it on a Sabbath day was “work” which violated God’s command that His people rest and not work on a Sabbath day.  The Pharisees had misapplied God’s command to rest on the Sabbath day to an absurd, ridiculous and unhelpful extreme.  As a result, laws that were meant to encourage grace, mercy and rest for people were replaced with a strict kind of legalism that just placed more burdens on everyone.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 5:27-39.  There are so many lessons we can learn from today’s passage.  Let’s go!

Luke 5:27-28 (NIV) 
27  After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 
28  and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. 

On verses 27-28:  Back in Jesus’ time, tax collectors were despised in Israel.  That is because tax collectors had a reputation for being crooked and money hungry, known for charging Jews more taxes than they actually owed to the Roman government and pocketing the difference.   Jewish tax collectors were seen as traitors, since they were working for the Roman emperor while profiting at the expense of their fellow Jews.  Levi was one such Jewish tax collector.  Notice, however, that Levi’s occupation, background and reputation did not keep Jesus from inviting Levi to follow him.  It also did not keep Levi from leaving everything to follow Jesus.  Levi (also called Matthew) would become one of Jesus’ first disciples and apostles, and would go on to author the gospel of Matthew, the first book in the New Testament.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 5:12-26.  Let’s go!

Luke 5:12-14 (NIV) 
12  While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 
13  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. 
14  Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
 
On verses 12-14:  This to me is one of the most beautiful scenes in the Bible.  Here you have a man covered with a skin disease which not only affected him physically but socially as well.  According to the Jewish laws, a person with leprosy was not allowed to live among the people but had to live alone outside the city.  They had to cover their face, leave their hair undone, and walk around with torn clothes yelling “Unclean! Unclean!”