Welcome to the Come to Jesus Daily Devotional, posted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, as we continue our Luke: Exploring Who Jesus Is series.
Please note this week, due to our week of prayer, I'll be posting every weekday.
From Luke 18:31-33, let’s reflect on how Jesus, as He did during His earthly ministry, continues to take His disciples aside to teach them important things.
You can listen to this devotional below (It’s available on YouTube and many other platforms)
‘Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day, he will rise again.” (Luke 18:31-33)
Our love for God, excitement, and faith can fade over time. Like the Israelites in the desert, we need daily “manna” from heaven to sustain us. Jesus, as He often did with His first disciples, longs to regularly take us aside to teach, guide, and envision us.
However, there is a danger in how we approach this. Sometimes, instead of allowing Jesus to lead us, we attempt to lead Him. In Matthew 16, when Jesus predicted His suffering and death, Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. Jesus’ sharp response was, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
This challenges us to reflect: Do we allow Jesus to truly take us aside as our Teacher, or do we, like Peter, try to impose our will and understanding on Him?
The beginning of The Sermon on the Mount begins with a ‘taking aside’ moment. In this phrase, we see that Jesus regularly wants us to get away from the crowds and choose to be with and learn from Him:
‘Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.’ (Matthew 5:1-2)
Prayer and reflection:
Am I regularly listening to Jesus and being fed by Him?
How do I deal with teaching and circumstances that I would prefer were different?
How consistently do I make time to go aside with Jesus?
Community Group Notes
Due to our week of prayer, there is no group study this week. We would love you to come along to as many of our prayer meetings as you can. If you want details of the Zoom link, please contact the church office or, if you are signed up, look at Church News in your emails.
Theme of the Week
Our week of prayer will follow the theme of our Luke series. Inspired by Luke 18:31-43, we’ll focus on “fresh vision from God that leads our community to praise Him.”
Each day, during our morning and evening Zoom gatherings, as well as our in-person meeting on Wednesday, we’ll explore these themes:
Monday: Luke 18:31-33. Fresh vision from Jesus.
Tuesday: Luke 18:31-33. Fresh vision of the gospel.
Wednesday: Luke 18:34. Fresh vision from the Spirit.
Thursday: Luke 18:35-39. Fresh vision results from and leads to prayer.
Friday: Luke 18:4—42. Fresh vision leads others to praise God.
Sunday: General prayer inspired by our week of praying together.
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