March 16 - Written

Overview of: Luke

Today's Reading:
Luke 23:1 – 24:53
"Crucified, Risen, Ascended"

Focus Verses: Luke 24:44-45
44 He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Insight:
When Jesus came alongside the two disciples traveling to Emmaus and began to speak with them, they did not recognize him. The two travelers shared their sense of lost hope and sadness over Jesus' crucifixion, not knowing it was Jesus they were talking to. Rather than immediately revealing his identity to them, Jesus pointed them to the Scriptures. He wanted them to first see that who he was and what they had experienced was utterly consistent with the law and the prophets and the poets.

When Jesus appeared to his disciples in Jerusalem, he once again pointed them to the Scriptures, opening their minds to understand them. Jesus wanted their belief to be rooted in more than personal events; he wanted their faith to be rooted in the truth and tradition of Scripture. He wanted them to see him not just through the lens of their own experience, but also through the broader and more comprehensive lens of Scripture.

Response and Action:
I want to see and experience the presence, truth, and power of Christ Jesus in my life. In order to truly see and understand him, I need to be a student of the Scriptures. In reading the Bible, I am deepening and broadening my understanding of who Jesus is. A greater grasp of God's written word will give me greater insight into the words of Jesus. This will give me a greater recognition of who he is to me, and help me understand he calling and promise for my life.

O God, thank you for the Bible. Thank you for the words of the law, the prophets, and the psalms. Thank you for the gospels, the acts of the early church, and the teaching of the apostles. Open my mind to understand the Scriptures. Help me to see Jesus for who he truly is. By the power and grace of your Holy Spirit, open my eyes to the truth and make it burn within my heart. Help me to delight in and live by your word. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.

Old Testament for Today: Psalm 119:15-16
15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. 16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.
In Context: Psalm 119

Proverb for Today: Prov. 16:16
"How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!"

Recommended Reading:
Can I Trust the Bible?
by Darrell Bock