Reading Plan:
Luke 6


Our Thoughts:
We all have moments in our life that we cannot unlive. For some it may be a moment we lived, for others, it may be the result of words spoken that cannot be unheard. A life experience that has stuck with you. An experience that has shaped you into the person you are today. A line uttered that has changed the way you live. Once you heard it you knew you would not be able to shake it. These words or events can result in experiencing an array of emotions. Sometimes it is inspiring, at other times infuriating. Sometimes it is astonishing, and at other times appalling. Sometimes it brings grief, at other times it causes nervousness. Every so often we know as soon as a moment occurs or words escape from someone’s mouth that we will not be able to live the same anymore. We know we must be different than we were before. In my life, these times are marked by being exposed to a new way of thinking, a new way of living. Often it contradicts what I thought could be true. Often it exposes a lie in culture. Often it is counter-cultural.

That is the moment we find ourselves in today in Luke 6. Jesus is teaching to an enormous crowd. There are people from all walks of life. Some are fishermen, others are tax collectors. Some are leaders, others are followers. Some are Jews, and others are Romans. Some are old, others are young. Some are ecstatic, others are in awe. Some are bitter, others are confident. All are here for one reason. They want to see Jesus and hear what He has to say. Jesus starts to teach what we call the beatitudes. Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. The crowd is changed forever after hearing this. They cannot live the same. I imagine the poor rejoicing. Tears begin to fall down their faces. The rich, the religious elite, and the corrupt are expecting something completely different. They have tears as well. Their tears are not like the poor’s tears. They know that the poor, the hungry, the weeping, the hated are close to the Father’s heart. They also know that the rich, the full, the laughing, and the popular will face troubles in the days ahead. The beatitudes flew in the face of the culture Jesus lived in. No one had ever heard anything like it before.

Read the verses in Luke 6 slowly. Let the verses sink in as you read them. Read them like it was the first time. Think about how different that teaching is. No matter what group we may find ourselves in today, we all know that when we encounter God, we cannot be the same. An encounter and a life with Jesus requires change. The good news is that God is the originator of change in our lives. No matter where you are in life, God wants a relationship with you. No matter who you are or what you have done, God wants a relationship with you so much so that he sent Jesus to earth to live a sinless life and pay for our sins by dying on a cross. Through prayer, fasting, reading scripture, meeting the needs of our communities, being generous, and other ways, our hearts are transformed by God. Our lives are changed. Our friends and families are changed one person at a time. Our world is changed as each of us spends time with Jesus.


More Questions:
What area of your life do you need to have transformed by God?
Who is one person you can commit to pray for this week who needs to know that the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the hated are close to the Father’s heart?

Prayer:
Lord, thank you that your heart is for the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the hated. Lord, we praise you that we get to serve a God who loves all people. Father, help us to love like you today. Convict us and show us where we need your healing and transformation in our lives. Help us end each day more in love with you. Amen.

Author: Cooper Herrington