Dear friends,
Hope you had a marvelous Christmas? Long-time, no see. I am genuinely covering my face because I have not posted since April. Another project I have been working on took my time. Hopefully, I will be more consistent in the next year!
I took part in the challenge to countdown to Christmas through the book of Luke. The aim was to read through each of the 24 chapters in the book of Luke, starting on the first of December up until Christmas Eve, so that by Christmas day, the full story of Jesus from birth through death to resurrection would have been fully taken in afresh.
Below, I discuss something I have picked up from each of the twenty-four chapters in the book of Luke during this challenge.
Luke 1: The secret things belong to God. Historians believe that there are about 400 years between Malachi’s prophetic ministry and John the Baptist’s birth. The Israelites knew that God had promised a messiah who was to come from David’s line. No one knew when this messiah would come, only God did. It was a secret! The church was also a secret that God had planned, which no one knew about until Pentecost when the HolySpirit came into the upper room. Just like Christ was quietly gifted to the world through Mary, I would like to think that God has more secret gifts planned for us, both in this world and in the next and this gets me excited!
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed and disclosed belong to us and our children forever, so that we may do all the words of this law (Deuteronomy 29:29) [AMP].
Luke 2: God reveals his secrets to those who are loyal to him. Every time I read Luke chapter 2, I am fascinated by Simeon and Anna. Simeon is described as righteous and devout, Anna is described as a prophetess. These two were aware of the miracle that was right before their eyes when Jesus was presented (or dedicated) at the temple. In a time when the HolySpirit was not available to everyone, the bible says that the HolySpirit was on Simeon (how special!). The HolySpirit revealed to him that he would see the messiah in his lifetime; a piece of information not privy to everyone. The deeper we go in our relationship with God, the more committed and loyal we become to him and the more God lets us in on secrets about himself, our lives and the world at large.
There’s a private place reserved for the lovers of God, where they sit near him and receive the revelation-secrets of his promises (Psalm 25:14) [TPT].
Luke 3: Every generation plays a part. At the end of Luke Chapter 3, between verses 23 and 38, tracing through Mary’s ancestors, the genealogy of Jesus Christ from Adam is listed. I counted and there are 70 generations (individuals) from Adam till Eli (who I presume was Mary’s father); Abraham was 16th in line from Adam and David was 30th. How interesting! All these 70 individuals probably never realised how important they were to facilitate God’s plan on earth. Do you know you are important towards the fulfilment of God’s purpose on the earth? The generations that came before us did the best they could, we carry on from where they left off, making sure to make good choices that will put generations that come after us in good stead.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9) [KJV].
Luke 4: Handling rejection with grace. We see Jesus rejected when he visits his hometown, Nazareth. The people who had seen him grow up, who he considered to be his closest friends and family could not accept that he was operating in such a capacity even though reports of all he had been doing had spread through the whole region. They kept asking “Is this not Joseph’s son? How can this be?”, they found it hard to accept him for who he was and at some point, they unsuccessfully attempted to push him over a cliff. Jesus did not try to convince these people about who he was so they would accept him, he simply moved on.
Coming to Him as to a living stone who is rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up to a spiritual house as a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:4-5) [MSG].
Luke 5: Jesus, friend of sinners. Jesus commissioned us to go into the world and make disciples for the kingdom, yet many of us remain in our church pews with our church cliques and Christian friends. We have separated ourselves from the world such that the world has no clue about who we really are and what we stand for. In today’s society, it is very easy for anyone to concoct a false image of who Jesus is and who Christians are and the world will readily gulp it in.
Matthew (the tax collector), the newest disciple of Jesus at the time, threw a feast for Jesus which was also attended by many of his tax collector friends. This led to the Pharisees and religious people of the day castigating Jesus for hanging out with sinners. Although we are not of this world, we are still in it and we need to remember that we are God’s ambassadors on earth. People who don’t know God are meant to see him through us. How will they see him through us if we isolate ourselves from them?
In our daily walk with God, we need to ensure that our interactions with other people (Christian and non-Christian alike) are led by the HolySpirit so we do not choose friends and acquaintances, or relate to other people based on a false sense of superiority.
I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders - an invitation to a changed life, changed inside out (Luke 5:32) [MSG].
Luke 6: Love is the new law. The popular Christian song “Oh Holy Night” is argued to be Britain's favourite Christmas hymn. Chloe Wilson, one of the United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) presenters felt the result was incorrect as there were many other carols that people loved, so she decided to do a poll on her weekday, afternoon programme. In the end, it turned out that “Oh Holy Night” was indeed a favourite as it was the song most voted for! One of the beautiful lines of this hymn goes like this: His law is love and his gospel is peace.
All the Israelites had as guidance towards living right was the law of Moses which although accurate, was usually misconstrued with wicked people using it wrongly as armour for their actions and a tool to control others. In Luke 6, the Pharisees were waiting to see if Jesus would heal a man’s deformed hand on the sabbath because then, according to them, he would be breaking the Jewish law which declares the sabbath day as a day of rest. Jesus ignored the Pharisees and healed the man showing us that love fulfils the law. So if you ever find yourself in a situation where you believe you are in the right, but whatever it is your actions are, clash against tradition, test the act from a place of love.
Jesus replied “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.'' All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40) [NIV].
Luke 7: When men faint. We are human beings so our faith is not always strong. Sometimes, we faint. When life does not go the way we expect it to go or when pressures of life arise, doubt can easily creep in. John the Baptist was locked up in prison by Herod - an unfair situation he had found himself in because he spoke out the truth other people were muttering beneath their breaths. John who had previously maintained that Jesus was the messiah started wondering if indeed he (Jesus) was truly the messiah.
I believe John felt abandoned and expected that Jesus would speak up for him and maybe at least visit him; they were cousins after all. Jesus showed John the Baptist’s disciples signs, wonders and healing that was happening in people’s lives so they could pass on the message to John. Jesus also said, “Blessed is he who shall not be offended by me”. Maybe today you are disappointed because God has not come through for you like you thought he would, please know that God loves you. Wait on his signs and leading. It can be hard sometimes but choose to believe even if your faith is little. All we need is a mustard seed size faith anyway!
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12) [NIV].
Luke 8: Talitha Koum. Talitha Koum means ‘Little girl, get up!’ These were Jesus’ words to Jarius’ daughter who he brought back to life. More impressive was the faith of her father who believed that Jesus would make sure his daughter was well, even when news got to him that she had passed away. This Christmas period, let us remember that we can speak life into any situation which seems dead. When time was going and Jesus kept being interrupted on his way to see the twelve-year-old girl, he said to Jarius “Only believe!” Like Jarius, let us choose to believe.
But Jesus, having heard, answered him, “Fear not; only believe, and she will be saved.” (Luke 8:50) [BLB].
Luke 9: Embracing the hard truths. Life is full of challenges. Even Jesus acknowledges that we will have many troubles in this world but thanks to his sacrifice on the cross, irrespective of how things seem at surface level, we always win; we have won every challenge we will ever face before we face them because Jesus won every single challenge for us.
Jesus knew he would die. He knew he would suffer many things yet he did not run away from the struggle and he did not deny the pain. Instead, he embraced it and worked his way through it; being utterly dependent on the Father. Whenever we are faced with difficulties, let us not shrivel in fear, let us acknowledge them, let us count the cost and let us go to God for help because he will fill whatever gaps exist. After acknowledging his death would happen, Jesus went to pray as usual with Moses and Elijah appearing and talking to him about his impending death - no doubt providing some guidance and encouragement that Jesus needed.
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you (Isaiah 4:2) [NLT].
Luke 10: Deserving of pay. Do you make sure you stop to breathe and enjoy the things you work for and all of God’s blessings to you? Or do you just Go! Go!! Go!! In Luke 10, Jesus sends out 72 of his followers in groups to towns and villages to heal the sick and to tell people that God’s kingdom is very near. Jesus gave instructions to the 72 on sending them out and one of the things he mentioned was this: “Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.” We need to make sure we take time off to rest when necessary and bask in whatever blessings God brings our way. Even God rested on the seventh day!
There is nothing better for people to do than to eat, drink and find satisfaction in their work. I saw that even this comes from the hand of God. Who can eat or enjoy themselves without God? (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25) [GW].
Luke 11: God loves to answer our prayers. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray and he did. To provide an outlook on why we are to approach God with confidence, he explains that we human beings who are generally evil make sure to get our children what they want. How much more will God give us his HolySpirit? Staying in connection with God is the key to a fruitful spiritual life. Jesus often withdrew himself from people to be alone to pray, If Jesus who was fully God and fully man needed to pray constantly, how much more do we need to pray? I am grateful that the disciples were humble enough to ask him to teach them how to pray. The Lord’s prayer has been a template for prayer across the years, all over the world!
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Luke 11:9-10) [NIV].
Luke 12: Public Acknowledgement. One of the ways through which relationships between people become solidified is through public acknowledgement. In this day and age where social media is the in thing, people post selfies of themselves as well as pictures of close friends and family on their pages. If you make it to someone’s Instagram page (for example), you must be very special to them. When someone in your life is very important to you, you talk about them, you introduce them to your friends, they are invited to all your events etc. In essence, the people we value in our lives are the ones we acknowledge publicly. Do you acknowledge Jesus publicly or are you ashamed of him? Do your co-workers and friends know you are Christian? If we were to scroll through your social pages, will it be obvious to us that you are the daughter of the Most-High? Jesus says if we acknowledge him before others, he will acknowledge us before the angels in heaven and if we disown him, he will disown us before the angels in heaven.
I refuse to be ashamed of sharing the wonderful message of God’s liberating power unleashed in us through Christ! For I am thrilled to believe that everyone who believes is saved (Romans 1:16) [TPT].
Luke 13: Nothing new under the sun. Luke chapter 13 begins with the story of the Galileans who had been killed by Pilate while making sacrifices at the altar. The story of the 18 individuals who were crushed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed is also mentioned. Not too different from the world we live in today, right? There seems to always be one disaster after the other: As of recent, I can think of the two 737 Max 8 crashes, I think of Grenfell tower, I think of mass shootings, I think of knife crimes, I think of how poverty is rife across the once prosperous nations of Africa… I could go on and on, the long and short of it all is that injustice continues to permeate the layers of the earth and we humans just cannot seem to agree with one another. Governments and people with higher authority majorly oppress and take advantage of the weak - this is not a new thing and it seems to be getting worse by the day. There is one sure thing though; Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. God never changes. In the face of injustice, he is just and in the face of lies, he is the truth. The uncertainties of this world can disconcert us but we joy in the certainty that because we are children of God and in the next world where moth and rust cannot destroy, we live!
Jesus said, “Don’t be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. Then I will take you with me, so that you can be where I am.” (John 14:1-3) [ERV].
Luke 14: Don’t chase after honour. Instead of chasing after accolades, societal importance and honour, let us be known as people who choose to serve others. Humility becomes ingrained in us when we live a life of service towards other people. Being in an active personal relationship with God is to know that the God of the universe honours us. We can bask in the great honour God has bestowed upon us such that we become secure in who we are, and the prestige and importance other people desperately seek after do not move us. The bible says promotion comes not from the east or from the west but from the most-high God. Do not try to promote yourself, let God promote you. Who does God promote? - God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in good time (1 Peter 5:5-6). I pray we receive a heart of service.
But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God]
(1 Timothy 6:6) [AMP].
Luke 15: Lost and found. After continuously losing my bank cards, supermarket cards and some I.D. cards, I decided it was time to stop losing things, so I got myself a very compact and lovely wallet. Just a few days into using my wallet, I could not find it after a trip to ASDA. I lost my cool - I stumped my feet, sat on the floor and started crying, by this time, my wig was already on the floor. I started dispatching my angels (it be like this sometimes), I kept praying “God, anytime I see lost items, I always make sure I try my best to get them to the owner, please don’t let my own item get lost.” It was a hysterical moment! As someone who normally would not care much about losing things and would just replace anything lost, this one hurt because I had taken so much pain to make sure that I did not lose any of my personal items again; now, it was not just one card that was lost, all the cards in my wallet including the wallet itself seemed lost. It turned out that I left the wallet in the supermarket trolley, thankfully, someone reported it lost to customer care! Have you ever lost anything really valuable to you? Other people may not think item you have lost is important, but to you, it is worth so much. Other people may not think you valuable but God values you immensely! God ultimately wants us found. He wants us found in him and he wants to restore any loss that may exist in our lives. We only need to be open to him.
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents ( Luke 15:10) [NIV].
Luke 16: Smarts. The world we live in is very crooked. A lot of people cut corners, and commit illegal acts so that they have the upper hand in society. They believe in outsmarting others while trying to be smart enough not to get caught - this is the world’s kind of smartness! To be smart in God’s eyes is to be faithful, both in the small things and the big things. Jesus did say that the sons of this world are wiser than the sons of light. We cannot afford to be naive, we need to open our eyes wide so that we are both alert and aware of channelling our energy into truthful things while not being taken advantage of.
Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16) [ESV].
Luke 17: Jesus, have mercy on me. Do you try to solve any issues that arise in your life all by yourself or do you ask God for help? If the ten lepers did not cry out for help, they would have not been healed. We have been given the gift of HolySpirit, the divine helper, involve him more in your issues and watch life become less stressful for you, as you take the steps he asks you to take. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, remember you can cry out to God for help!
Give your burdens to the Lord. He will carry them. He will not permit the godly to slip or fall (Psalm 55:22) [TLB].
Luke 18: A childlike faith. As children, we easily believe anything is possible but as we grow up and face life’s challenges, the awe, wonder in our hearts as well as the innocent lens through which we view the world slowly disappears. If not checked, there is the tendency to move from being soft-hearted to being hard-hearted. According to Jesus, if we are to enter God’s kingdom, we require a heart full of faith and humility like that of a little child.
And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19) [ESV].
Luke 19: Making up for lack. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus but he was short, his view was blocked by the crowd. He did not let his height deter him so he climbed a tree. Jesus saw Zacchaeus in the tree and asked to stay in his house. All of a sudden, Zacchaeus was hosting the person he was trying to get a glimpse of, height notwithstanding. God can meet every need of ours, including areas of lack, we only need to trust him. An important point to make however is that Zacchaeus made an effort to climb the sycamore tree, a solution to his view being blocked. If there are any areas in your life where you feel there is a lack, make sure to check for any other plausible solutions.
Young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing (Psalm 34:10) [BSB].
Luke 20: Trap after Trap. The Pharisees wanted to get Jesus in trouble so they tested him time and time again with their numerous questions, which were always set up so that Jesus’ back would be against the wall. Jesus who was filled with the HolySpirit always discerned their motives and through divine wisdom, never once fell for their sly tactics. In Luke 20, we see how they unsuccessfully tried to get Jesus in trouble with the government by asking if it was fitting to pay taxes to a corrupt government. Jesus’ response, in summary, explains that in regards to giving, we should give the government what the government requires and give God that which belongs to him. One thing I learn from this scenario that corroborates with my life experience so far is that being an honest person who stands with the truth can often prevent one from falling into already set traps of the enemy.
… To keep satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11) [AMP].
Luke 21: From the heart. Have you ever wondered why you give (particularly in a church setting)? Do you give because the pastor says so? Do you give because everyone gives? Do you give because you want to be seen giving? As you probably know, none of these reasons are good reasons to give. We give because we love God and we want to contribute to his kingdom even here on earth; a huge privilege! I believe the easiest way to know what to give is to ask God. It is not about how much you give, it is about having a heart of obedience - the story of the widow’s mite illustrates this.
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7) [NIV].
Luke 22: Betrayal. If you have ever been betrayed, you know it is a very painful experience. Jesus knew Judas was going to betray him, yet even till his last breath, he loved Judas. The way we treat people who are not so kind to us or who have hurt us greatly shows how much of a Christian we truly are. Jesus says we should be like our father in heaven who causes the sun to shine both on the just and the unjust. This does not mean we coddle those who intend to harm or hurt us. It means we set the necessary boundaries when it comes to how close they get to be to us. It also means that whenever we are in a position of power ourselves, we choose to love them and not chase after revenge.
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44) [NIV].
Luke 23: Crucify him! Pontius Pilate could not pin any crime down against Jesus, so he sent him to Herod who could find no fault in him either. The crowd, however, was eager to have him crucified. The same people who welcomed him into Jerusalem shouting "Hosanna!" were the same people who cried “Crucify him!”; people can be very flaky! Like a lamb led to the slaughter, Jesus laid his life down for us.
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13) [NLT].
Luke 24: Resurrection. After 3 days of being buried, Jesus rose from the dead like he said he would, trampling over sin and death. We rise just like Christ rose from the dead and through him, we have life everlasting and an undying hope. He gave us the HolySpirit who lives in us, keeps us alive and awakens us every day, not just in our physical bodies but in our regenerated spirits.
Yes, God raised Jesus to life! And since God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in you, he will also raise your dying body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you! (Romans 8:11) [TPT].
