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Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 9:43b-45     43b While everyone was marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, 44 “Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies.” 45 But they didn’t know what he meant. Its significance was hidden from them, so they couldn’t understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.     Jesus wanted His disciples to listen and remember what He was about to say. He agai

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 9:57-58     57 As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”     It is relatively easy for people to say they will follow Jesus. He wanted them to know, however, that it would not be an easy life. Jesus wanted it known that following Him could mean giving up the comforts of life. The B

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 10:5-7     5 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ 6 If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. 7 Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.”     Jesus gave further instructions to the 72 being sent out to wi

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 10:21-22     21 At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way. 22 My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those t

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 10:33-35     33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 11:2-4     2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. 3 Give us each day the food we need,   4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.”     Although this is often referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer” it is obvious this was not what He needed to pray. He had no sins that needed to be forgiven. The word “temptation” also literall

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 11:14-16     14 One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed, 15 but some of them said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.” 16 Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.     Jesus cast a demon out of a man, which allowed him to speak again. T

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 11:29-30     29 As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah. 30 What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man will be a sign to these people that he was sent by God.”     Notice how direct Jesus was in addressing the crowd. He called them an “evil generation.” Matth

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 11:42     42 “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”     Jesus commended the Pharisees for tithing the smallest income, but He criticized them for ignoring the justice and love of God. The “tithe” referred to 10 percent. Some say if all the tithes of the Old Testament we

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 11:52     52 “What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”     Jesus continued to warn the religious leaders of judgment to come. Not only were these religious leaders not going to enter the Kingdom of God, but they were also preventing others from entering. What a serious charge this was for those who boasted in their

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 12:6-7     6 “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. 7 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”     Jesus was addressing those He called “Dear friends” (Luke 12:4). He wanted them to know how valuable they were to God. Those who now read these verses should be comforted as they realize God knows every de

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 12:20-21     20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ 21 Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”     This is what God said to the man who built more storage space for his crops and thought he was set for life. God called such a person “a fool” for only thinking about earthly treasure. At his death all that wealth would be of no

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 12:32-34     32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. 34 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”     A “little flock” would

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 12:45-46     45 “But what if the servant thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 46 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant in pieces and banish him with the unfaithful.”     Jesus continued to make the analogy between a master returning home and the Son of Man returning. Those expecting Him will be rewarded, but those not expecting Him

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 12:57-59     57 “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right? 58 When you are on the way to court with your accuser, try to settle the matter before you get there. Otherwise, your accuser may drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison. 59 And if that happens, you won’t be free again until you have paid the very last penny.”     Jesus was criticizing the crowd for not knowing how to discern the

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 13:10-13     10 One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” 13 Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!     The reference to the “Sabbath day” reveals they were sti

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 13:22-24     22 Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He replied, 24 “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.”     Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. This would be His last trip there because He would give His life there for lost mankind. He was asked if only a few would be saved.

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 14:1-3     1 One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely. 2 There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?”     This is another passage indicating the Sabbath day was always an issue with the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus seemed to tak

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 14:15     15 Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”     Jesus had told about being willing to invite the undeserving to a meal. It is a reminder that all people are undeserving of what Jesus did for them when He died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sin. A man at the table expressed appreciation to a time of breaking bread in the Kingdom of God.   RE

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 14:28-30     28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’”     Jesus had told the crowd they needed to tak

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 15:6-7     6 “When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!”     Jesus continued to tell the story about the lost sheep and the joy when it was found. He was stressing to the religious leaders criticizi

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 15:20-21     20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’”     The father was thrilled to see his younger son returning home. He gave his son a great welcome with hugs and kisses. The

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 16:1-2     1 Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. 2 So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’”     Jesus told another parable to His disciples. It had to do with being faithful in handling money. The manager was wastin

Day 1  RECEIVE   Luke 16:14-15     14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. 15 Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.”     Jesus had said a person could not serve two masters by trying to serve God and being enslaved to money. The Pharisees, who loved money, ridiculed Him for such a statement. Jesus pointed out their hypocris