Luke – Chapter 3

Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Luke 3:8 – What must I do to be saved? That was the question John was answering. What did it actually look like for different individuals to turn from their sin, an essential aspect to their salvation story. While John gave answers to all sorts of people as to what turning from their sin looked liked, John was also wise enough to know what was on the minds of some. There would be people who believed they were good enough on their own because of their lineage. Just like we see Jesus’ family tree in this chapter, they’d look at their family tree, see Abraham in it, and deem themselves holy enough for God because they were descendants of this faithful patriarch. John response to that was golden! That no one should be foolish enough to bank their holiness off their ancestor, for God could make even from the stones children of Abraham. What John was saying is that trusting in your relationship with another person to guarantee you holiness is a failed idea. For every human has a family tree like Jesus, going all the way back to Adam, which brings sin their life. Where Jesus’ family tree differs is who was His father. Joseph wasn’t His bio dad, but His adopted dad. Meaning that line of sin never touched Jesus, making Him the only One able to save us from our sin. Don’t be like people in this passage who are thinking that someone or something in this world has the ability to make one holy enough to be with God. Only Jesus can do that for you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3532

As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” Luke 3:4-6 – How has God prepared the way for you to share His good news message? What mountains has He leveled and valleys has He filled in order for you to share His message like He’s called you to do? Has He removed fears? Has He blessed you with relationships? Has He given you access to His Word to learn? If so, let’s ask ourselves a question. If God has made our paths this straight to share His love and live for Him, why are we not much of the time? Look today at how God has made it possible for you to share His love and take advantage today of the paths He has made. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 608

And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” ¹¹And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” ¹²Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” ¹³And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” ¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” Luke 3:10-14 – So many were coming to John, and as we see here, they were coming for more than baptism. They were coming for direction now on how to properly live their lives for the Lord. Common people, tax collectors, and even soldiers were coming seeking to discover how to live faithfully for the Lord. Notice with each group John had a direction to give them and didn’t push away their seeking hearts. This reveals to us that whatever position we may find ourselves in there is a way to live holy and obedient to the Lord within it. You don’t have to be an overseas missionary or work in an orphanage to faithfully follow the Lord with your life (note both of those would be amazing places for you to serve in though!). If you are an accountant, teacher, stay-at-home mom, leader, or grandpa, God has made it clear not only is there way for us to live faithfully for Him in those roles, there is an expectation of it. Pray, read scripture, and discover how in your unique role and season of life you can live this blessing of life out best for Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2320