Monday: Read today:
Pages 117-122 - The
Way-40 Days of Reflection (Daily Devotion Guide)
Way-40 Days of Reflection (Daily Devotion Guide)
Friends in Low Places
“The Spirit of the Lord
is on me,
is on me,
because he has anointed me to preach good
news to the poor.
news to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the
broken hearted,
broken hearted,
to proclaim release to the captives,
recovering of sight to the blind,
to deliver those who are crushed,
and to proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord.”(Luke 4:18-19)
acceptable year of the Lord.”(Luke 4:18-19)
Jesus’ first sermon in
his hometown of Nazareth was very short—only eight words. After reading the
text for the day, Isaiah 61:1-2 (quoted in the passage above(, he said, “Today,
this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Isaiah’s words defined Jesus’
ministry. He was born a king, but he did not look, dress, or act like any other
king the Jewish people of Palestine had ever known.
his hometown of Nazareth was very short—only eight words. After reading the
text for the day, Isaiah 61:1-2 (quoted in the passage above(, he said, “Today,
this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Isaiah’s words defined Jesus’
ministry. He was born a king, but he did not look, dress, or act like any other
king the Jewish people of Palestine had ever known.
Jesus was conceived out
of wedlock, born in a stable, and brought up as a son of a handyman in a town
that was considered “the other side of the tracks.” His father Joseph was in
fact a carpenter, but in a day when homes were built of stone, a carpenter was
in fact a handyman—building things, making tools and furniture, repairing farm
implements. And with regard to his hometown of Nazareth, Nathaniel captured it
well when, upon hearing where Jesus was from, he asked, “Can anything good come
out of Nazareth?”
of wedlock, born in a stable, and brought up as a son of a handyman in a town
that was considered “the other side of the tracks.” His father Joseph was in
fact a carpenter, but in a day when homes were built of stone, a carpenter was
in fact a handyman—building things, making tools and furniture, repairing farm
implements. And with regard to his hometown of Nazareth, Nathaniel captured it
well when, upon hearing where Jesus was from, he asked, “Can anything good come
out of Nazareth?”
In his ministry, Jesus
was most often drawn to the poor, the sick, and the sinners. He had special
compassion for the nobodies, the ne’er-do-wells, and the socially unacceptable.
It was this compassion that captivated my heart and led me, as a
fourteen-year-old reading the Gospels for the first time, to want to be his
follower.
was most often drawn to the poor, the sick, and the sinners. He had special
compassion for the nobodies, the ne’er-do-wells, and the socially unacceptable.
It was this compassion that captivated my heart and led me, as a
fourteen-year-old reading the Gospels for the first time, to want to be his
follower.
This King had “friends
in low places.” He humbled the proud and lifted up the lowly. He reminded us
that the truly great must play the part of the servant. He taught that when
sitting as a guest at a party, we should take the least important seat. He
demonstrated concern for the lost and great compassion for those who were
considered lowly.
in low places.” He humbled the proud and lifted up the lowly. He reminded us
that the truly great must play the part of the servant. He taught that when
sitting as a guest at a party, we should take the least important seat. He
demonstrated concern for the lost and great compassion for those who were
considered lowly.
Those who follow Jesus
find ways to show compassion, seeing others as Jesus sees them—as dearly loved
children of God. In the process of building relationships, reaching out with
compassion, and demonstrating love in tangible ways; we actually become more
human, more the people God intended us to be.
find ways to show compassion, seeing others as Jesus sees them—as dearly loved
children of God. In the process of building relationships, reaching out with
compassion, and demonstrating love in tangible ways; we actually become more
human, more the people God intended us to be.
I think about Gerry. An
executive with a large telecom company, Gerry had an idea (The Bible might
label it a “vision”) of starting a Bible study for men in prison. God kept
putting people and events in his path that pointed in that direction and
reinforced his idea. So the following year he stepped out, worked with a nearby
prison, and began befriending inmates and mentoring them. Today the program has
grown to include more than two hundred church members who are engaged in
building relationships and mentoring and discipling men at Lansing Prison and
Leavenworth Penitentiary. Lives are being changed through this ministry—not just
the lives of the inmates, but also the lives of our members who have been
blessed by the relationships they’ve established with the prisoners.
executive with a large telecom company, Gerry had an idea (The Bible might
label it a “vision”) of starting a Bible study for men in prison. God kept
putting people and events in his path that pointed in that direction and
reinforced his idea. So the following year he stepped out, worked with a nearby
prison, and began befriending inmates and mentoring them. Today the program has
grown to include more than two hundred church members who are engaged in
building relationships and mentoring and discipling men at Lansing Prison and
Leavenworth Penitentiary. Lives are being changed through this ministry—not just
the lives of the inmates, but also the lives of our members who have been
blessed by the relationships they’ve established with the prisoners.
Jesus befriended
sinners and taught about a God of second chances. Have you made friends in low
places? Are you learning from them and offering hope?
sinners and taught about a God of second chances. Have you made friends in low
places? Are you learning from them and offering hope?
Lord, help me to see others through the lens of your
grace, and to always remember that you are the God of second chances. Amen.
grace, and to always remember that you are the God of second chances. Amen.
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