Mar
18
Luke 11:1-36
11:1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread, 4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” 5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” 14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.” 27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” 29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
4 Comments for "Luke 11:1-36"
Leave a Comment
Back To Home...
vs. 34 The eye is the lamp of your body…Have you ever met someone and right away you can see the spirit and love of the Lord in that person? The Holy Spirit transforms within and shines in the countenance of a believer.
Yes, Linda, the Holy Spirit does give the better gift indeed!
(vs 2-4)… Although I've heard and said this prayer throughout my life, I took a much longer look at it today, as it is the way Jesus is telling us to pray! I think it's important to ensure we hit the 3 basics of this prayer each time we pray. First, we need praise God to put us in the right mindset to have a conversational relationship with Him. Second, we can address our daily needs–"daily" really stood out to me, as our daily time with God refreshes our relationship with Him as we ask for our needs. Lastly, we should ask God to not only forgive us of our sins, but also to allow us to forgive everyone who sins against us–this is one that I continuously struggle with, as total "forgiveness" can be so difficult at times. As I look back at our previous weeks readings, without forgiveness I do not have love, and without love I am nothing!
Linda, you are right about His gifts being far better. He doesn't necessarily give us exactly what we ask for when we ask, seek, and knock, but He does give us the good thing. He may not give us exactly what we ask, but He doesn't give us things to harm us. In my circumstances, that I find trying sometimes, it is hard for me to bear this in mind. I just want to believe that he isn't answering me at all rather than see his better gift that may be shaping my character rather than my desire.
27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
This is a great example of a time when even the most humble a person could have the light shown on them by another. Mary was a humble servant of the Lord, a tool He used to bring about His perfect will. She was blessed, but never sought to raise herself up as anything more than a willing servant. Jesus does a great job of keeping the focus on his Father and not allowing Mary to be elevated to a place of worship. We have seen that others throughout history have made the same mistake this woman made that day and missed the greater message.
Lord, I desire to always remain humble and remind others that anything I do is only possible through your grace and power.