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Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 2:13-14     13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”     The shepherds had announced that a baby had been born in Bethlehem. Suddenly the “armies of heaven” joined them in praising God. Verse 14 has been misunderstood by some. There are some translations that refer to peace on earth and good will tow

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 2:23-24     23 The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” 24 So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”     Jesus’ parents dedicated Him according to the Old Testament law standards. The sacrifice they offered for Him was what poor people could offer. Jesus was not born into a wealthy home. This also reveals Jesus was born durin

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 2:45-47     45 When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. 46 Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.     Mary and Joseph kept frantically looking for Jesus. They had gone a day from Jerusalem so now they had to go a day back to it. On the next da

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 4:1-2     1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.     By “wilderness” some think of desert; others think of a wooded area. The word literally means “an uninhabited place.” In the case with Jesus it was a desert. Jesus was tempted there for 40 days by the devil. The word “

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 4:12-13     12 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” 13 When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.     This was Jesus’ answer to the testing by the devil. Again He used the Scriptures to do so as He quoted from Deuteronomy 6:16. Notice that the devil expected there to be other opportunities to test Jesus.   REFLECT   Does this help you to understand that the devi

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 4:22-24     22 Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” 23 Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24 But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.”     Those in Galilee could not believe that such gra

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 4:35     35 But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further.     This is what Jesus ordered the demon to do who was inside of the man. The demon knew who Jesus was and likely knew His power. Before the demon came out of the man, it threw him to the floor. The crowd watched as this was occurring.   REFLECT   Thin

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 5:1-3     1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.     When Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea o

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 5:13-14     13 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 14 Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”     For anyone who may have been watching, think how

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 5:22-24     22 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 23 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 24 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”     Jesus had forgiven the sins of a paralyzed man. The Pharisees and teachers of religi

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 5:33     33 One day some people said to Jesus, “John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?”     The watching world has questions about what believers do. Here the Pharisees ask why John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray but Jesus’ disciples do not. Jesus’ disciples were eating and drinking as usual. The Pharisees thought everyone should be followi

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 6:3-5     3 Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests can eat. He also gave some to his companions.” 5 And Jesus added, “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.”     The Pharisees claimed the disciples of Jesus were harvesting on the Sabbath as they rubbed the grain in their

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 6:17-19     17 When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil spirits were healed. 19 Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 6:29-31     29 “If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”     The disciples of Jesus were instructed by Him to do things that only those with divine love could do. The unbeliever could never do what Jesus suggested. Those who are

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 6:39-40     39 Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? 40 Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.”     Jesus reminded His disciples that a blind person cannot be a leader of others. One must be able to see where he is going. Jesus also let His disciples know that when they became fully trained they would be

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 7:1-2     1 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. 2 At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death.     Jesus’ hometown had rejected Him while Capernaum had welcomed Him. Here He learned that a “highly valued slave” of a Gentile Roman officer was near death. Jesus and His apostles were taking the Messiah’s message to the Jewish people first. The Gentile officer needed help beca

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 7:13-15     13 When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. 14 Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” 15 Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.     This passage reveals the heart of Jesus is touched with compassion when He sees others suffering. As the coffin was carried along He walked over

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 7:28-30     28 “I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!” 29 When they heard this, all the people—even the tax collectors—agreed that God’s way was right, for they had been baptized by John. 30 But the Pharisees and experts in religious law rejected God’s plan for them, for they had refused John’s baptism.     John the Baptist had a privileged position as

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 2:1-2     1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)     This passage reveals how the sovereign God used even unbelievers to accomplish His will. It tells of the world power at that time. The emperor wanted the then-known world to be taxed to raise money for what he desired to do, likely for his armies. This is t

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 2:36-37     36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. 37 Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.     Some say the 10 northern tribes were never heard from after they were taken into captivity. Ann

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 3:2-3     2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. 3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.     Annas and Caiaphas will appear again in the gospel story. The “John” referred to is not the apostle John, but

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 3:24-26     24 Heli was the son of Matthat. Matthat was the son of Levi. Levi was the son of Melki. Melki was the son of Jannai. Jannai was the son of Joseph. 25 Joseph was the son of Mattathias. Mattathias was the son of Amos. Amos was the son of Nahum. Nahum was the son of Esli. Esli was the son of Naggai. 26 Naggai was the son of Maath. Maath was the son of Mattathias. Mattathias was the son of Semein. Semein was the son of Josech. Josech was the s

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 7:41-43     41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said.     The Pharisee thought Jesus did not know who the immoral woman was

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 8:1-3     1 Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, 2 along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; 3 Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources