Today’s Verse: And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. ~Luke 23:43 The Garden Isle of Kauai is called “paradise” by vacation experts. Paradise brings to the mind a place of blissful beauty, a tropical garden setting, peace, safety, and an irresistible haven of rest. The ancient Persians described paradise as a shady, well-watered hunting reserve with enclosed walls where animals were kept for hunting. Paradise is also synonym

Today’s Verse: Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. ~Colossians 4:14 Among our many Western idioms, “just what the doctor ordered” is probably one of the more catchy and favored ones. It is a term that means something is exactly as needed. Luke, or Lucas, bears a prominent place in the New Testament and first-century churches. Though he was not a strong preacher or church planter like Paul, he was a man whom God mightily used for His glory. We must remember that

Today’s Verse: But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people. ~Luke 9:13 In the Christian life, God will frequently test us with challenges that are intended to stretch our dependence, faith, praying, and trust in Him. Most of us tend to think in terms of what we have and not of what He is able to do. As a result, we can become easily frustrated and perturbed abou

Today’s Verse: And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. ~Luke 23:42 One of the hymns we sing as Christians is “At the Cross.” The chorus says, “At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burden of heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day.” This morning, we see the dramatic salvation of a man who was not only at the cross, but on a cross. We see the condemned. This man

Today’s Verse: And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. ~Luke 13:11 Our devotion this morning is about a woman who had an infirmity that caused her to be bowed together for eighteen years. She had a serious spinal condition that caused her to be bent forward and unable to sit or stand upright. I imagine this was an aggressively progressive disease that robbed her of a quality l

Today’s Verse: And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. ~Luke 24:31 Have you ever heard the phrase “wide-eyed”? It means that you are very awake, alert, and attentive. When you are wide-eyed, you can see clearly, with great focus, at all angles, and for a long distance. One of the keys for a successful journey is great visibility and the attentiveness to everything in your sight. Jesus opened the eyes of the two disciples who encounte

Today’s Verse: And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. ~Luke 2:7 Today is Christmas! Around the world, Christians are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and His incarnation. His arrival signaled that the Saviour of the world was born. His birth brought holiness, hope, and happiness. Let us rejoice this morning in the birth of our Lord Jesus. We see the work. “And

Today’s Verse: And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. ~Luke 2:25 One of the many male names that was prominent among the Jews was Simeon. This name would be interchangeable as Simeon or Simon. In Luke 2:25-35, we have the account of this man Simeon. He is one of several notable characters surrounding the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Simeo

Today’s Verse: And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. ~Luke 19:5 One of the favorite Bible accounts for both young and old is how Zacchaeus came to Jesus. The salvation of Zacchaeus led to Jesus stating His ministry purpose when He said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” While he is a great lesson on a sinner getting saved, Z

Today’s Verse: And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. ~Luke 17:26 Jesus was asked by the Pharisees about when the kingdom of God should come. He proceeds to tell them what will happen leading to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Second Coming must precede the start of the millennial kingdom. He takes them back to the days of Noah in order to understand what to expect. We see the careless. “They did eat, they drank, t

Today’s Verse: Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? ~Luke 13:4 Luke 13:1-5 addresses the question, “Are all tragedies the judgment of God?” Perhaps you, like I, have considered a tragic calamity such as an accident, natural disaster, disease breakout, or other unexpected, unfortunate event as the judgment of God upon people. We may have thought, “This most likely is God’s j

Today’s Verse: But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? ~Luke 12:20 As Bible-believing Christians, we believe that the Bible is the first and final authority in all matters of our faith, life, and practice. The Bible is God-breathed and is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furni

Today’s Verse: Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? ~Luke 10:36 "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" was a nationally-syndicated television program greatly loved and popular among children and adults alike. Fred Rogers gave a very gentle, grandfatherly image and taught practical lessons about being kind and helpful to others. His theme song was entitled “Won't You be My Neighbor?” Today, neighbors are content knowing who you ar

Today’s Verse: Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. ~Luke 10:3 Lambs and wolves are natural enemies. Lambs are young sheep that are less than a year old. Lambs are cute, cuddly, and compact (small). They are extremely vulnerable and must rely on the safety of the flock and the shepherd. Wolves, on the other hand, are carnivorous predators. Wolves see lambs as easy pickings for food. Jesus told seventy men whom He sent out to proclaim the gospel that H

Today’s Verse: And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. ~Luke 7:44 How would you feel if you were invited to someone’s house for a meal but you were disrespected, ignored, and set up for accusation? I think all of us would feel awkward, insulted, and angry with our host. Jesus was invited to the home

Today’s Verse: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. ~Luke 7:7 What do you consider to be your worth? We associate a value to worth. For instance, our world is possessed with knowing our net worth. We think of benefit, cost, meaningfulness, and usefulness with worth. The idea of a zero or a negative worth has the connotation of worthlessness. This morning, we are touched by the life of a man who said, “

Today’s Verse: Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? ~Luke 6:9 One of the dangers of being a Christian for a long time is that we can allow traditions and practices to interfere with good sense and cloud our practices. Well-meaning Christians can elevate days, events, and traditions over what glorifies God. This morning, let us be reminded of and stirred about the import

Today’s Verse: Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. ~Luke 5:4 The first time I went deep-sea fishing was many years ago out on Monterey Bay with some professional colleagues. We spent the morning challenging one another to grow our businesses and lives, and then we went out about 30 minutes outside of the harbor. I dropped my fishing line as instructed, and within 45 minutes, I caught 8-10 varieties

Today’s Verse: But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. ~Luke 1:13 Do you sometimes feel like people in your life tune you out? We might be talking to a loved one but sense that he or she might be distracted or not listening. Our auto-response is to ask, “Are you listening?” Then, we are surprised when they respond back with, “I hear you, and here is my answer.”

Today’s Verse And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: ~Luke 10:41 Do you ever get overwhelmed? By this, I am referring to feeling forgotten, overloaded, stressed, underappreciated, and anxious. It is one thing to feel overwhelmed with family cares, financial burdens, and long-term illness. It is another thing when we are overwhelmed because we are “cumbered about much serving.” We see the reason. Martha was “cumbe