Dig Deeper:
HANG IN THERE: Luke has really long chapters, but remember how valuable reading God's Word is to you each day, especially as we are reminded once again of the words and actions of Jesus.
FOLLOW THE MONEY: Jesus and the disciples lived cheaply; not much is ever said about their accommodations, but I'm sure it wasn't fancy. Still they had expenses to pay, and the opening verses tell us that Jesus' ministry was made possible financially by a group of women (v3).
YOU ONLY THINK YOU HAVE WHAT YOU HAVE: Jesus' teaching in v18 is certainly true of our material possessions, that's not what He's referring to. Rather, Jesus is talking about a person's spiritual knowledge. Here's how commentator William Hendriksen puts it:
In spiritual matters, standing still is impossible. A person either gains or loses, advances or declines. Whoever has, to him will be given more. On the other hand, whoever does not have, even the small bit of knowledge, that superficial acquaintance with spiritual matters, which he thought he had will be taken away.
Is your spiritual knowledge moving forward or backward?
FLABBERGASTED: The disciples have seen Jesus do all sorts of amazing miracles by this point, but nothing stops them in their tracks like witnessing Jesus' authority over the wind and the waves. "Who is this?" is all they can say. How would you answer that question?
YOU TELL, YOU DON'T: Jesus commands the man whose demons escaped into the pigs to go home and tell everyone how he was healed. Yet he commanded Jarius' family not to tell anyone that their daughter was raised from the dead. The difference comes in their ethnicities: It was ok for the gentile man to tell because gentiles had no misperceptions about what a Savior should look like, while the Jewish Jarius belonged to a people who wanted Jesus' miracles more than they would want His grace.
AAA Prayer Tips:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Jesus, Son of the Most High God! (v28 - you'll be quoting a demon as you begin your prayer!)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Do not fear, just believe (v50)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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