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Hello and welcome to giveattentiontoreading.com, where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Today’s reading is from Acts chapters 1 and 2. Today, I’d like to give attention to Acts 2:36-38:

“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

I fear that I’ve read this passage so much that I might gloss over the amazing exchange that takes place here. Peter had just accused these Jews of murdering the Messiah, the hope that they had been waiting generations for. And some of them had believed him. They cried out, “Brothers, what shall we do?” But I’m just reading that off the page. I don’t get to hear their tone of voice; I don’t get to see their body language. And if I’m not careful, I can just read it as someone matter-of-factly saying, “Alright then, what do we do?” I don’t think that’s what’s happening at all.

This is going to be a cry of despair. These folks believed Peter when he said they had murdered their only hope. This is a rhetorical cry of despair. They’re not expecting an answer. They don’t think there is anything they can do. They killed the Messiah. And so, I don’t even think I can act it out here for this camera.

“Brothers, what shall we do?!”

I bet there were tears, moaning, groaning, weeping, gnashing of teeth, tearing of clothes, beating of breasts, wailing…and there was no expectation of an answer. But Peter had one.

Imagine their shock when they heard there was something they could do, and Peter said, “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Do you see what that means for you and me? That means whatever we’ve done, we can be forgiven. If even slaughtering the Messiah could be removed in the watery grave of baptism, then whatever sin you’ve committed can also be washed away. It doesn’t matter how bad you’ve been, how far you’ve gone, how low you’ve gotten. When you’re down at the bottom in despair looking up and crying, thinking there will be no answer, “What can I do?”, there is. Repent, be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. As the next verse says, the promise is for you.

Have you done what Peter said? If not, I encourage you to spend more time in these chapters. Surrender to Jesus. Let Him wash your sins away.

Thanks again for checking out giveattentiontoreading.com. I’d love to hear what you thought of today’s post. I’d love to know what else you got out of today’s reading. So drop down to the comments section. Feel free to join in the discussion. And don’t forget to check back in tomorrow for another dose of the Great Physician’s medicine.

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Hello and welcome to giveattentiontoreading.com, where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Today’s reading is from Luke chapters 23 and 24. I’d like to give attention to Luke 23:46, where Jesus is on the cross and the text says:

Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

Why was Jesus able to face the brutal death on the cross? Because He had committed His spirit into His Father’s hands.

And this is where I have a problem. I’m not always willing to commit my spirit into the Father’s hands. Don’t get me wrong. On an intellectual level I realize that God’s plans for me are better for me than my own. But on that gut level, at an instinct level, where I act and react on a daily basis, I’m not always so sure. I mean, what if God’s plans aren’t as great as my plans are for me? What if God’s dreams for me are not as amazing as my dreams for me? What if God’s goals for me are not as cool as my goals for me? I mean, if I completely surrender my life to God, I might end up going to a cross or something instead of ending up as a famous blogger.

But, you see, Jesus was able to go to the cross because He committed His spirit to the Father. As He was in His life, so He was when He faced death. And even when God’s plans took Him to the cross, took Him to the mocking and beating and scourging and crucifixion, He knew that God’s plans were better–for Him and for the whole world, and He was willing to go wherever God led.

How do we accomplish that? Perhaps the psalm Jesus quoted will help us. He quoted Psalm 31:5. Let’s see what that same psalm says beginning in vs. 14.

But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love!

Then down in vs. 19. 

Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!

Vs. 21:

Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city.

And then the psalm concludes, beginning in vs. 23:

Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!

Love the Lord all you His saints! Take courage and wait for the Lord. I think that’s the key.

When God’s plan and God’s way leads us through the vale of tears and trials and turmoil, we can be assured that if we wait on the Lord, He will lead us through, and we will have the victory. He does love us. He will give us good things. His plans for us are better.

Today, I need to see Jesus on the cross. I need to see His faith, His commitment, and I need to follow in His footsteps. So do you.

Thanks again for checking at giveattentiontoreading.com. I’d love to hear what you thought about today’s post and what else you got out of today’s reading. So drop down to the comments section and join in the discussion. Once again, make sure you come back tomorrow for another dose of the Great Physician’s medicine.

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Hello and welcome to giveattentiontoreading.com where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Today’s reading is Luke chapters 21 and 22. I’d like to give attention to Luke 22:24-27.

A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.”

I’m amazed at how many times I’ve allowed myself to get sucked into this very kind of competition. But rarely have I ever argued or have I ever heard anyone argue by just saying, “Well, I’m better;” “Well, I’m greater;” “If you were more like me, you’d be better.” We know better than that.

Typically, this kind of competition takes the form of arguing about some kind of behavior or choice about which we differ. Now I’m not talking about behaviors and choices that God has either condemned or commanded. I’m talking about those kinds of choices that God hasn’t said anything about one way or the other. Now, I’m a parent with kids at home. So that’s where I hear this competition taking place the most among grown Christians.

I hear this competition come out in statements like: “Well, I bottle feed.” “Well, I nurse.”

Or “I use cloth diapers.” “I use disposable diapers.”

Or “I co-sleep.” “Well, I’m training my kids to be independent.”

Or “I use a sling.” “Well, I make my kids walk everywhere they go.”

Or, here’s a big one: “I sent my kids to private school so they’d get a better education.” “Well, I homeschool so they won’t be around all those bad, worldly influences.” Or “Well,  I sent my kids to public school so they can be an influence and evangelize those who are lost.”

How easy it is to get wrapped up in these kinds of competitions. But the fact is we don’t demonstrate our service by arguing about the choices we’ve made. When Jesus talked about service, what He demonstrated is we serve, by serving.

What this story tells us is that sometimes we just need to shut up and serve.  We don’t prove that we are a better servant of God by going around and arguing with everybody about the different choices that we’ve made. We prove that we are a servant of God by shutting our mouths and opening our hearts, by serving quietly. That’s tough, because sometimes people don’t notice it.

Today, I need to shut up and serve. How about you?

Thanks again for coming to giveattentiontoreading.com. I’d love to know what you thought about today’s post or what you thought about today’s reading. So make sure to drop down to the comments section and join the discussion. And don’t forget to check back in tomorrow so you can get another dose of the Great Physician’s medicine.

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Hello and welcome to giveattentiontoreading.com where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Today’s reading is Luke chapters 19 and 20. I’d like to give attention to Luke 19:26, where Jesus say:

“I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Jesus said this at the conclusion of the parable of the minas. He had given a mina to several of his servants. And one of them had used that mina and bought and traded and had produced ten more minas. Another one had been so afraid that he just hid the mina away and only brought the one mina back to his master. The master was upset about that.

Now from a pragmatic business sense, this story just makes common sense. A master doesn’t want to give his money away to someone who isn’t going to do anything with it. If he gives a mina to somebody, he wants it to produce more. So it just makes sense to take that mina and give it to the fellow who had been working hard.

But Jesus is not really talking about business. And He’s not really talking about money. He’s really talking about us as Christians and our abilities, resources, and opportunities. Basically, what He’s saying is, if you want more resources, opportunities, and abilities, you’ve got to use the ones you’ve got. Those who use what they have, God will give them more, no matter how much they already had. Those who don’t use what they have, God will take it away, no matter how little they already had.

So the question for me today is what am I going to do with the opportunities, abilities, and resources that God has given me. Am I going to use them? If want to grow, that is exactly what I’m going to have to do. If you want to grow, that is exactly what you’re going to have to do.

Thanks again for checking out giveattentiontoreading.com. I’d love to hear what you thought of today’s post or today’s reading. Feel free to drop down to the comments section and join the discussion. Don’t forget to come back on Monday so you can get another dose of the Great Physician’s medicine.

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Hello and welcome to giveattentiontoreading.com where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Today’s reading is Luke chapters 17 and 18. I’d like to give attention to Luke 18:9-14, where Jesus tells us the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Phariess and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his hosue justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

I get one amazing lesson from this parable. How on earth could I ever think that I could impress God with my power and my righteousness? But that’s exactly what the Pharisee was trying to do. It’s as if he was saying, “Look at me, God. Look at how wonderful I am. Look at how awesome I am. Look at how righteous and holy I am.” How could he possibly think that he could impress God with his holiness and his righteousness? The God who created light from nothing. The God in whom is light and there is no darkness. How could he impress Him with his holiness and power?

Could you imagine me saying, “Hey, God, look at me. I did 5 giveattentiontoreading posts in just one week”?

“Really? I created the universe in just one week. Come back when you can beat that.”

And yet, that’s exactly what I try to do sometimes. I try to impress God with my righteousness. I do that because sometimes I convince myself that the only way I can get to heaven is if I impress God with how good I am.

But then I remember the tax collector. He didn’t try to impress God. In fact, he understood completely and utterly that he couldn’t impress God. And so he simply threw himself on God’s mercy. “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”

I’m going to quit trying to impress God. I’m just going to put myself into His merciful hands, surrendering myself to Him. I’m going to do what He says because I love His mercy. I’m going to go where He sends because God’s Way Works. (“You know that’s right!”)

So, I’m not going to impress God today. I’m just going to surrender myself to His mercy. How about you?

Thanks again for checking in at giveattentiontoreading.com today. I’d love to hear what you think about today’s post and what you thought about today’s reading. So, feel free to drop down to the comments section and join the discussion. And make sure you come back tomorrow for another dose of the Great Physician’s medicine.

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Hello and welcome to giveattentiontoreading.com where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Today’s reading is from Luke chapters 15 and 16. I’d like to give attention to Luke 16:13, where Jesus says:

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Jesus makes this comment in the context of financial matters. But I think we need to think about it in other areas of our lives as well.

You cannot serve God and fame.

You cannot serve God and power.

You cannot serve God and pleasure.

You cannot serve God and food.

You cannot serve God and lust.

You cannot serve God and sex.

You cannot serve God and your family.

You cannot serve God and your friends.

You cannot serve God and your self.

No matter what is vying to be put up on the pedestal with God, we’re going to have problems. Because we’ll end up loving the one and hating the other. Now some of those things I mentioned aren’t bad in and of themselves. But when they are vying to be  god in our lives, then it becomes a problem.

Only when God is first in our lives can everything else be in its proper place, if it has one. So the question we need to ask today is who am I going to serve today? Who am I going to let tell me how to live my life today? Today, I want to serve God. I want to go where He sends me, do what He tells me? How about you?

Thanks again for checking out giveattentiontoreading.com where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. I’d love to hear what you thought about this post or what you thought about today’s reading. Drop down to the comments section and be a part of the discussion. Let’s hear what you have to say. And as always, come back tomorrow for another dose of the Great Physician’s medicine.

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Hello and welcome to giveattentiontoreading.com where you can check in for your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Today’s reading is Luke chapters 13 and 14. I’d like to give attention to Luke 14:12-14:

He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

First, we need to understand that Jesus is using a figure of speech. It’s called “ellipsis.” We’ve heard of ellipsis and usually it refers to those three dots on the written page that mean someone has left words out of a quote. When we talk about the figure of speech ellipsis, we mean that somebody has made a statement in which they’ve left out understood words. Often when an ellipsis is used it also creates another figure of speech called hyperbole, which is an exaggeration to drive home a point and demonstrate how important a principle is. When Jesus uses these figures of speech He’s not saying, “I don’t really mean what I say.” What He’s trying to do is produce a visual speed bump, something that will attract our attention and cause us to stop and think. We’re supposed to read this and when we get done with this passage be thinking, “Wait! What? Did Jesus say that? What did He mean by that?”

You see, Jesus did not mean that we are not allowed to show hospitality to people we know. After all, I Peter 4:9 clearly commands us to show hospitality to one another. So what did Jesus mean? Jesus left out the understood words “merely” or “only” and “more importantly.” If we add those words back in to get the true sense of Jesus’ statement, it would sound something like this: “When you give a banquet do not merely invite the people who can pay you back, but more importantly invite the people that can’t.”

The question that I have to ask, understanding this, is who do I invite?  Who do I have in to my home? For whom do I do favors? Who do I give things to? Who do I serve? Do I only serve those who can serve me back? Do I only give favors to those who can give me favors or even bigger favors?

What Jesus is pointing out is that I need to serve those who can’t serve me back. I need to serve those and demonstrate that I have absolutely no ulterior motives in serving them. And so, this week we need to make sure we are serving people who cannot serve us back. And when we do, then we will be truly blessed. Because our repayment won’t come from men, but from God. Let’s face it. Even the wealthiest among us, their repayment would not even compare to what God can give us.

So we need to ask, who am I going to serve today? Who are you going to serve today?

Thanks again for checking out giveattentiontoreading.com. I’d like for you to be involved in the conversation here. Drop down to the comments section. Let us know what you thought of this post or what you thought of the chapters we read today. Make sure you come back tomorrow so you can get another dose of the great physician’s medicine.

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Hello and welcome to Give Attention to Reading where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Today’s reading is Luke chapters 11 and 12. I’d like to give attention to Luke 11:24-26:

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

Jesus talked about this right after casting a demon out of a mute man. But since I believe that Zechariah 13:2 prophecies that in our day and age there will be no more prophets or possession by unclean spirits. I don’t think the take away for us is about demon possession. Rather, I think how this applies to me today is about my own spirit made unclean by sin, especially habitual, compulsive sin.

Let me see if I can explain it this way. Last week was New Years. How many times on January 1 have I resolved to get rid of some bad habit or add in some new good habit, and on January 1 I do well and on January 2 I do well, but by about January 15 I’m smack back in the middle of my bad habit or I’ve completely cut out the good habit?

What happened there?

What happened was I tried, by my own will and strength and power, to clean up my own spirit. I got inside my heart and soul and mind, and I swept up and tried to put things in order and put things where they were supposed to go. But the problem was, even though I had cleaned all that up, I hadn’t really changed on the inside. I was doing what I call white-knuckling, using my own strength trying to make that change. But inside, I hadn’t.

Jesus talked about that later in this chapter in Luke 11:39-40:

And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?

The inside needs to be changed. But how?

What Jesus pointed out is there needs to be a different spirit inside. He had actually already talked about that. We look in Luke 11:9-13:

“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

What spirit needs to be inside? The Holy Spirit. And this passage says if I ask the Father for the Holy Spirit, He’ll give Him to me. I have to admit I have some very definite opinions about the Holy Spirit. I have some significant ideas about how the Holy Spirit works. But sometimes I read Bible passages that challenge my thoughts and my ideas. And then I kind of throw my hands up thinking, “I don’t know. I’m not sure I know how the Holy Spirit works.” And because I’m not 100% convinced that I know how the Holy Spirit works, I’ve often bypassed this prayer, asking the Father for the Holy Spirit.

But then it dawned on me. I don’t know how my car works, but I still use it. I don’t know how my computer works, but I still use it. I don’t know how my iPhone works, but I still use it. I don’t know how my iPad works, but I still use it. And then it dawned on me. I don’t have to know exactly how the Holy Spirit works for me to still benefit.

So today, I’m going to pray this prayer. I want the Father to give me the Holy Spirit. And He can work however He’s going to work. I don’t have to know exactly how.

Now don’t misunderstand. This doesn’t mean I’m going to sit on my backside and do nothing. I don’t know how my car works, but I still have to put gas in it. I still have to change the oil. I don’t know how my computer works or how my iPad works. But I still have to plug it in to the wall and hook it together. And I still have to charge the iPad and download the apps or upload, whichever the correct term is (see I don’t even know how that works). But I still have to do something.

Today, I’m going to do what I know I’m supposed to do based on the Word of God. And I’m just going to ask the Father to give me the Holy Spirit so that my spirit can be cleansed.

What are you going to ask for today?

Once again, thanks for coming to giveattentiontoreading.com where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. I invite you to be back again tomorrow to get another dose. Also I’d love to hear what you got out of Luke 11-12 or any comments you have about the passage I wanted to give attention to. Feel free to drop down to the comments section and let’s have a discussion about these chapters.

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Hello and welcome to giveattentiontoreading.com, where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Today’s reading is Luke chapters 9 and 10. I’d like to give attention to Luke 9:23 today where Jesus said:

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

You’ve heard the phrase “we all have our cross to bear.” Folks typically say this when they want to talk about someone having some pain or burden or struggle that they  have to deal with. And that phrase comes from this passage. But that phrase doesn’t accurately represent what this passage was talking about. When Jesus told these first century listeners to pick up a cross and follow Him they didn’t hear about someone having some burden or pain or struggle. They had a definite picture in their mind and it involved three things.

When they saw someone bearing a cross, they knew three things about that person. 1) That person was guilty. 2) That person had given control of their lives to someone else. And 3) that person was going to die.

When Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him, He’s telling us to do those three things. 1) Recognize our guilt. 2) Surrender our lives to Him. And 3) die. No, not die physically. But die spiritually, giving up control of our lives and allowing Jesus to live through us as living sacrifices.

But it’s also important to me that this passage says that we’re to do this daily. That helps me to understand that if I had a great day yesterday, I don’t need to put the cross down today. I need to pick it up again today. But it also reminds me if I had a bad day yesterday, if  I set the cross down yesterday, I don’t have to give up. I’m not done.  I can simply pick that cross up again today.

And finally, it let’s me know that I don’t have to pick that cross up for a week, a month, a year, or a decade. I don’t have to pick my cross up for the rest of my life. I just need to pick it up for today. If I get to tomorrow, then I can make that decision again tomorrow. But today, I just need to pick it up for today. I don’t need to be overcome wondering if I can carry the cross for the rest of my life. I can just pick it up today.

Are you carrying your cross today? If not, why not go ahead and pick it up again?

Thanks again for tuning in to giveattentiontoreading.com. Check back in on Monday so you can get another dose of the Great Physician’s medicine.

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Hello and welcome to giveattentiontoreading.com where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Today’s reading is from Luke chapters 7 and 8. Today, I’d like to give attention to Luke 8:5-8, where Jesus tells the parable of the sower.

“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

This parable reminds us that someone has plans for us. First…the devil. He has plans for us.

He begins with Plan A. He’ll attempt to get you to stay out. He doesn’t want us to hear or understand the Word, so he’ll try to keep us from allowing it into our hearts. But if he fails with that plan, he has Plan B. He’ll attempt to get us to drop out. If we don’t allow our spiritual roots to dig deep into God and His grace and His Word, then when the turmoils come, we won’t be able to stand the heat, and we’ll fall away. But if Satan fails there, he isn’t finished yet. He has his Plan C. And perhaps this is the most dangerous because it is the most subtle. He’ll attempt to get us to fizzle out. Oh sure, we may still attend the assemblies of the church and we may go through some religious motions, but we’re not growing up and bearing any fruit that glorifies God in our lives. Satan has us in his clutches and his plan has succeeded when we’ve fizzled out.

But that fourth soil reminds us that Satan isn’t the only one that has plans for us. God has plans for us. You see what He wants to do is bring us in, keep us in, and grow us up so that we can bear fruit to His glory.

The real question that we have to ask…whose plans are we going to follow today?

Thanks again for tuning in to Give Attention to Reading, where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Check back in tomorrow so you can get another dose of that medicine.