Category: Scripture

Friday

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.

 

 

 

 

Amy Renae LaBruzza Lewis Lobre

April 01, 1973 – December 12, 2019

Amy Renae LaBruzza Lewis Lobre crossed into eternal peace December 12, 2019. Amy was born April 1, 1973, in Hammond. She was 46. Her family and loved ones will always remember her infectious laughter that filled every room she entered. Her positive outlook persevered through a lifelong illness which she never stopped fighting to overcome. She maintained a healthy and active lifestyle, loved traveling, and she became a successful and dedicated nurse. Amy loved her family deeply, sharing a special bond with her nieces Mallory Lewis and Brooke Stilley. Amy is preceded in death by her “Paw Paw”, Ralph E. Lewis, Sr. of Kentwood; and paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Louis LaBruzza of Amite. Amy is survived by her husband, Richard “MY Ricky” Lobre of Mereaux, Louisiana; her mother, Rebecca Raborn Davidson and stepfather, Paul D. Davidson, Sr. of Tickfaw; her father, Larry LaBruzza of Amite; her “Stepdaddy”, Gene Lewis of Kentwood; and little sister, Amanda Lewis of Tickfaw. Amy was also survived by two children: son, William Aaron Chambliss of Kentwood and his sons,  Laythen and Zayne; and daughter, Megan Sydney Stephens of Channelview, Texas and her son, Mason. She is also survived by her maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Raborn of Kentwood; and Mrs. Ralph Eugene Lewis, Sr. of Kentwood. Friends and family are invited to attend the memorial service on Friday, December 20, from 4-6 pm at McKneely Funeral Home in Amite.

 

 

 

Nettie Jean Russell

March 11, 1947 – December 15, 2019

A resident of Hammond, LA, passed away on Sunday, December 15, 2019 at North Oaks Medical Center in Hammond, LA. She was born March 11, 1947 in Independence, LA and was 72 years of age. She is survived by her daughter, Dawn Raiford and husband, Chris; her children, Halie, Sayer and Sammy Raiford; son, Karl Warner, III; his children, Larissa and Brodie Warner; son, Joshua Warner and wife, Jennifer; his children, Jayden and Jayce Warner; 1 brother, Charles “Sonny” Russell and wife, Ann; 2 sister, Becky Davis and husband, Charles and Bonnie Hardy and husband, Bill; 1 aunt, Jerry King. Preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Nettie Russell; twin sister, June Graves; sister, Jackie Ricks. Visitation at McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, from 11:00AM until services at 2:00PM on Friday, December 20, 2019. Following services a Celebration of Life gathering will be held at Chris and Dawn Raiford’s Home, 295 Pinecrest Dr., Hammond, LA 70401. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing for Dec. 20 – Luke 1: 46-50

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering –

Clean Water for Rural Villages

https://www.imb.org/give/project/clean-water-for-rural-villages/

Most of us have had to boil our water periodically, but have never had the awful water conditions some people in other places face on a daily basis.  Do you or your group need a new project?  Here is a great opportunity for you.

 

 

 

Opportunities in the coming week:

Sunday morning – 8 A.M. – Breakfast benefit at Pine Ridge

Sunday – Christmas programs in many churches (FBC, Kentwood – 6 P.M.)

Tuesday – Christmas Eve services in many churches (FBC, Kentwood – 6 P.M.)

Check your local church schedule carefully.

 

 

 

 

Luke 20

Jesus talks about his authority

1 One day, Jesus was teaching people in the yard of God’s Great House. He was telling people the good news about God. Then the leaders of the priests and the teachers of God’s Law came to him. With them were some other important Jews. 2 They asked him, ‘Tell us what authority you have to do these things? Who gave you the authority to do them?’

3 Jesus replied, ‘I also will ask you a question. Tell me the answer. 4 John baptized people. Did God give him the authority to do this? Or did men tell him to do it?’

5 The Jewish leaders talked to each other about Jesus’ question. ‘We could say that God gave John his authority. But if we say that, Jesus will say to us, “Then you should have believed John.” 6 But we do not want to say that only men gave John his authority. Then all the people would throw stones at us to kill us. They are sure that John really was a prophet from God.’ 7 So the Jewish leaders answered Jesus, ‘We do not know who gave John his authority.’

8 Jesus said to them, ‘You will not answer my question. So I will not tell you what authority I have to do these things.’

Jesus tells a story about farmers

9 Then Jesus began to tell this story to the people. He said, ‘A man planted vines in his garden to grow grapes there. He found some farmers to work in the garden for him. Then he went away to another country and he stayed there for a long time.

10 The time to cut the grapes arrived. The man sent a servant to speak to the farmers. He wanted them to give him some fruit from the garden.

But the farmers hit the servant with sticks and they sent him away with nothing.

11 The master sent another servant to go to the farmers. They hit him with sticks too, and they did other bad things to him. They also sent him away with nothing. 12 The master then sent a third servant to the farmers. They hurt him badly too, and they threw him out of the garden.

13 Then the master of the garden said to himself, “I know what I will do. I will send my own son to go to them. I love him very much. Perhaps they will respect him.” 14 But the farmers saw him coming. They said to each other, “This is the son of our master. When our master dies, his son will receive the garden. So, we should kill the son and then the garden will be ours.”

15 So they threw the son out of the garden and they killed him.’

Jesus went on to ask, ‘Then what will the master of the garden do to those farmers? 16 I tell you, he will come to those farmers and he will kill them. Then he will give the garden to other people to work in.’

When the people heard this, they replied, ‘That must never happen!’

17 Jesus then looked at the people and he said, ‘You say that this must not happen. But you have read this in the Bible and you should know what it means:

“The builders refused to use a certain stone.

They thought that it had no value.

But now that stone has become the most important stone at the corner of the building.

18 When a person falls on to that stone, it will break his body into pieces. When that stone falls on top of someone, it will destroy him completely.” ’

The leaders ask Jesus a question

19 The teachers of God’s Law and the leaders of the priests knew that Jesus had told this story about them. They were the bad farmers in the story. So they wanted to take hold of Jesus immediately. But they did not do it, because they were afraid of the people.

20 So this is what they did to catch Jesus. They gave money to people to ask him difficult questions. These people seemed to be good, but really they were not honest. Instead, they wanted to make Jesus say something wrong. Then they would take him to the ruler of the city to punish him. 21 So these people went and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, everything that you say and everything that you teach is right. We know that. You do not say something different to an important person to make him happy. Instead, you teach everyone the same true message. You really teach us what God wants us to do. 22 So, tell us your answer to this question: Should we pay our taxes to the Roman ruler, Caesar? Is it right to give that money to him, or not?’

23 Jesus knew that those men were not really honest. They wanted to make him say the wrong thing. 24 So he said to them, ‘Show me a coin. Tell me, whose picture is on this coin? Whose name is on it?’ 25 The men replied, ‘It is Caesar’s picture and Caesar’s name.’ Jesus then said to them, ‘So you should give to Caesar the things that are for him. And give to God the things that are for God.’

26 So the Jewish leaders could not make Jesus say anything wrong. They were very surprised at his answer to their question. They could not say anything more against him. All the people who were there saw this.

The Sadducees ask Jesus a question

27 Then some of the Sadducees came to see Jesus. The Sadducees do not believe that anyone becomes alive again after they die.

28 They wanted to ask Jesus a question. ‘Teacher,’ they said to him, ‘Moses wrote this in the Bible for us: “A man may die and leave a wife but no children. Then that man’s brother must marry the woman. Then their children will be called the children of the brother who died.” 29 But once there were seven brothers. The oldest brother married a wife. Then he died before they had any children. 30 So the second brother married this woman. But he also died without children. 31 Then the third brother married the woman. The same thing happened to all seven brothers. They all died but they had no children. 32 After all this, the woman also died. 33 You teach that one day dead people will become alive again. So, on that day, whose wife will the woman be? She had married all seven of those brothers.’

34 Jesus answered them, ‘Men and women who are alive on earth are the ones who get married. 35 But God has chosen some people to live again with him. He will raise them up after they have died. Those people will not marry. They will not have husbands or wives, 36 and they cannot die any more. This is because they will live as the angels live in heaven. They are children of God. He has made them alive again to live with him. 37 It is true that God makes dead people become alive again. Moses showed us this in his report about the bush in the wilderness. He told us that our Lord God is the God of Abraham. He is the God of Isaac. And he is the God of Jacob. 38 But God is not the God of people who are dead. He is the God of people who are alive. For God, all people continue to be alive.’

39 Some of the teachers of God’s Law agreed with Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘that was a very good answer.’ 40 After that, they were all afraid to ask Jesus any more questions.

The Messiah is someone that King David calls his Lord

41 Jesus said to them, ‘Why do people say that the Messiah will be King David’s son? 42 David himself said this in the book called Psalms:

“The Lord God said to my Lord,

Sit at my right side until I beat your enemies completely.

43 You will even be able to put your feet on them.”

44 You see here that David calls the Messiah his Lord. So can you really say that he is just David’s son?’

Jesus speaks against the teachers of God’s Law

45 All the people were listening to Jesus. Jesus then said to his disciples, 46 ‘Be careful not to do the same as the teachers of God’s Law. They want people to think that they are important. So they walk about in beautiful long clothes. They like people to praise them in the market place. They choose to sit in the best seats in the meeting place. They like to sit in the most important places at special meals. 47 They take things away from women after their husbands have died, even their houses. Then they pray for a long time so that other people will praise them. Because they do these things, God will punish those men much more than other people.’

 

 

 

Spread some love in God’s name today.

Anna Lee

Thursday

“The vision will still happen at the appointed time.

It hurries toward its goal.

It won’t be a lie.

If it’s delayed, wait for it.

It will certainly happen.

It won’t be late” 

~Habakkuk 2:3 GW~

God is always right on time!

 

 

 

Eli Neyland‘s ear surgery has been postponed because the doctor had a family emergency on the day he was scheduled to do Eli’s surgery.  Eli is now scheduled for December 26h.

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly will be going back to learn more from his doctor on the 27th.  Keep Smiley in your prayers.

 

 

 

Buddy Morris had his nuclear stress test yesterday and is waiting gor the results to be read and shared.

 

 

 

Donald Alford is waiting for lung biopsy results at St. Tammany.  He and his family will appreciate your prayers.

 

 

 

Reese Birch who grew up in the New Zion area needs our continued prayers.

 

 

 

Amanda shared Amy’s obituary.

I’ve dreaded writing these words for a week now… my beautiful sister, Amy Lewis Lobre, passed away on Thursday, December 12, 2019. this has been the hardest week of my entire life. thank you to everyone who has called, messaged me and reached out to me to offer their condolences and sympathy. i appreciate each and every one of you and i’m sorry i haven’t responded to any messages but I just haven’t been able to talk, please understand. the stories you all have shared with me about Amy have given me the strength and courage I’ve needed to get through this past week. please keep them coming, we’ve still got a long road ahead of us. i’m asking each and every one of you to keep my family in your prayers, especially our sweet Mama, Becky Raborn Davidson.

Amy’s services will be held at McKneely Funeral Home in Amite, Louisiana on Friday, December 20th from 4pm until 6pm. I welcome everyone to come celebrate my sister’s life with us and remember all the amazing things about “Nurse Amy”! she was one of a kind and to know her was to love her and to love her was nothing shy of a wild and crazy rollercoaster ride… that’s my big seesterrr. ♥️ #rollonrollercoaster #NurseAmy 😇

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – Luke 1: 35-38

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering – For those who choose to give via using a card, here is a link.

https://www.imb.org/give-now/?projectid=f9lmco

 

 

 

Luke 19

Zacchaeus meets Jesus

1 Jesus went into Jericho and he was walking through the city. 2 There was a man there called Zacchaeus. He was a leader of the men who took taxes on behalf of the government. He had become very rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was. There was a big crowd there and he was a small man. So he could not see Jesus. 4 He ran on in front of the crowd and he climbed up a tree. He could see Jesus more easily from the tree, because Jesus would walk along that way. 5 When Jesus came to the tree, he looked up at Zacchaeus. He said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down quickly. Today I must stay in your home.’

6 So Zacchaeus came down immediately and took Jesus into his home. He was very happy about this. 7 The people saw what had happened. They were not happy, and they were saying, ‘Jesus has gone to stay in the home of a man that does bad things.’

8 Later, Zacchaeus stood up in front of everyone. He said to the Lord Jesus, ‘Listen, Master! I will give half of all the things that I have to poor people. I may have taken too much money from some people. I will give back to them four times as much as I took from them wrongly.’

9 Jesus said to him, ‘Today God has saved people in this home. Now Zacchaeus also belongs to the family of Abraham. 10 I, the Son of Man, came to look for people who are far away from God. They are in danger and I have come to save them.’

Jesus tells a story about 10 servants

11 While the people were still listening, Jesus told them a story. He did this because the people had wrong thoughts. He was now getting near to Jerusalem. So the people with him were thinking that God would begin to rule his people immediately.

12 Jesus said to them, ‘An important man left his home and he travelled a long way to another country. There he would receive authority to rule his own country. After that, he would return home and he would be king. 13 Before he left, he asked 10 of his servants to come to him. He gave each of them 10 pounds of silver. “Use this money to get more money for me while I am away,” he said.

14 But the people who were living in his country did not like the man. So, they sent some of their people to the foreign country with a message. They said, “We do not want this man to rule over us.”

15 Then the man returned home and he was now their king. He asked those 10 servants to come to him. He had given them each some money. Now he wanted to know how much more money they had now. They should have bought things with it and then they should have sold those things again for more money.

16 The first servant came to him and said, “Master, your money has made 10 more pounds for you.” 17 The king was happy and said to his servant, “You have done well. You are a good servant that I can trust. You have used a small amount of money well. So now you will rule over 10 cities.”

18 The second servant came and said, “Master, your money has made five more pounds.” 19 The king replied, “You will rule over five cities.”

20 Then another servant came. He said, “Master, here is your money. I put it away in a piece of cloth to keep it safe. 21 I did this because I was afraid of you. You tell people what they should do all the time. You take things that you did not work for. You take food from fields where you did not plant any seed.”

22 The king replied, “You are a very bad servant! I will use your own words to show you that you have done the wrong thing. You say that I tell people what they should do all the time. That I take things that I did not work for. That I take food from fields where I did not plant any seed. Did you know all that about me? 23 Then you should have put my money into the bank. When I came home, I would have received my money back, with extra money.”

24 Some other servants were standing near to their master. He said to them, “Take the money from this bad servant. Give it to the servant that has 10 pounds.” 25 “But, master,” they replied, “that servant has 10 pounds already.”

26 “Let me tell you this,” the king said. “Some people have received good things. They will all receive more. Some other people have nothing. Those people will lose even the little bit that they do have. 27 Now I must punish these other people that did not want me to rule over them. Bring them here and kill them in front of me.” ’

Jesus goes into Jerusalem

28 When Jesus had said all this, he went on in front of them. He was going towards Jerusalem. 29 He was getting near to two villages called Bethphage and Bethany. They were on the hill called the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus sent two of his disciples to go on. 30 He told them, ‘Go into the village that is in front of you. When you arrive there, you will find a young donkey. Someone has tied it there. Nobody has yet ridden on it. Undo the rope and bring the donkey here to me. 31 Someone may ask you, “Why are you taking the donkey?” If they do, tell them, “The Master needs it.” ’

32 The two men went into the village. They saw everything there that Jesus had told them about. 33 While they were taking the young donkey, some men spoke to them. It was their own donkey. They asked, ‘Why are you taking the donkey?’ 34 ‘The Master needs it,’ the disciples replied.

35 They brought the donkey to Jesus. They put their coats on its back. Then they helped Jesus to sit on it. 36 While he was riding along, the people were putting their coats down on the road in front of him.

37 Jesus got near to the lowest part of the hill called the Mount of Olives. The whole crowd of his disciples were very happy. They began to praise God with loud voices. They thanked him for all the great things that they had seen. 38 They said:

‘Great is the king that comes with the authority of the Lord God!

We want all to be well in heaven. We praise our powerful God above!’

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, stop your disciples from saying these things.’

40 ‘Let me tell you this,’ Jesus replied. ‘If these people were quiet, the stones of the city would shout out instead!’

41 When Jesus got near to the city, he looked at it. He cried because he felt very sorry for the people in it. 42 He said, ‘You need to know what would really help you. Then you could have lived without trouble. But now, you are unable to understand properly. 43 As a result, days of trouble will come to you. Your enemies will build a wall round you. They will shut you in completely, and they will not let you leave. 44 So your enemies will kill you without pity. They will completely destroy your city and all the people who live in it. They will not leave even one stone on top of another stone. You did not understand that God had come to save you at this time. That is why these bad things will happen to you.’

Jesus teaches in God’s Great House

45 Jesus went into the yard of God’s Great House. Some people were selling things there. He began to make them all leave that place. 46 He said to them, ‘The Bible says, “God’s house will be a place where people come to pray.” But you have changed it into a place where robbers meet.’

47 Jesus was teaching every day in God’s Great House. The leaders of the priests and teachers of God’s Law wanted to kill him. Some other important people also wanted to kill him. 48 But all the people were listening to him very well. They wanted to hear everything that he was saying. So, those leaders did not know how they could kill him.

 

 

 

Spread some Christmas cheer today.  Help someone to learn about the reason we are celebrating Christmas.

Anna Lee

Wednesday

“Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they were married, she found out that she was going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit.

Joseph was a man who always did what was right, but he did not want to disgrace Mary publicly; so he made plans to break the engagement quietly.” 

~Matthew 1:18-19 GNT~

 

 

 

The bad weather that can through earlier this week left a lot of damage in some areas.  I thankful for all the people who survived the devastation.  The clean-up process has already begun.  Thank-you to the Baptist Disaster Relief that will provide physical clean up and other help, especially spiritual help for people in a time of great need.  Please pray for them as they reach out to help others.  Your financial help is also appreciated.

https://louisianabaptists.org/disasterrelief

 

 

Macy Lee‘s gall bladder surgery went well.  She is home and resting.  Thank-you for praying for her.  Please continue to do so.

 

 

 

Donald Alford will be having a lung biopsy today in Covington.  Please pray.

 

 

 

David and I were blessed with Christmas carolers last night.  They came last year.  It was with great joy I shared that David was much better than he was when they sang for him last year.  Thanks, New Zion!  Prayers have made such a difference for him!

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 18 – Luke 1: 30-34

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering – Missionary Kids are provided with $75/year to help with fees for international school when that is the best option for the MK’s.  Thanks for helping to provide that for four of my grandchildren at one time or another.  The opportunity to attend there has greatly enriched the lives of my grandchildren.  I’m thankful.

 

 

 

Luke 18

Jesus talks about how to pray

1 Then Jesus told his disciples a story. He wanted to teach them that they must go on praying always. They must not get tired. 2 He said to them, ‘In a certain city, there was a judge. He was not afraid of God. He did not respect people.

3 A woman lived in that same city. Her husband had died. She came to the judge many times with a problem. “Somebody is doing bad things against me. Please keep me safe from that person,” she was saying. 4 For a long time, the judge would not do anything to help her. Later, he thought, “I am not afraid of God. Nor do I respect people. 5 But this woman causes me trouble. If I do not do anything for her, she will continue to come to me again and again. She will make me ill. So, I will help her to be safe. I will say that she is right.” ’

6 Jesus went on to say, ‘This judge was not a good man. But you should think about what he said. He helped the woman because she caused him trouble. 7 But as for God, he always helps those that he has chosen to be his children. When they continue to ask him for help, in the day and in the night, he will answer them. He will not wait. 8 I tell you this. He will show that they are right. He will help them quickly. I, the Son of Man, will return to earth. But will I find many people that still believe in me then, or not?’

Jesus tells a story about two men who were praying

9 Jesus told a story to teach other people. These people thought that they were very good in front of God. They thought that they were much better than other people.

10 Jesus said, ‘One day, two men went into God’s Great House to pray. One man was a Pharisee. The other man took taxes on behalf of the government. 11 The Pharisee stood there by himself. He prayed like this: “Thank you, God, that I am different from all these other people. They are bad people. They rob other people. They have sex with women that are not their wife. Thank you, God, that I am not like this man who takes taxes on behalf of the government. 12 I stop eating on two days of each week. I give to you one tenth of all the things and money that I receive.”

13 But the other man stood far away. He would not even look up towards heaven. He was hitting his body with his hands to show how sorry he was. He prayed like this: “Please, God, be kind to me. I have done many bad things.” ’

14 Jesus went on to say, ‘Let me tell you about these men when they left there. The man that took taxes on behalf of the government was now right with God. But the Pharisee had not made anything right with God. Some people lift themselves up to be important. They say that they are better than other people. But God will bring all of them down low. Other people know that they are not better than others. God will lift those people up to a good place.’

Little children come to Jesus

15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus. They wanted him to put his hands on each child’s head. But Jesus’ disciples did not like this. They told the people that they should not do it.

16 Then Jesus told the children to come to him. He said to his disciples, ‘Let the children come to me. Do not try to stop them. People must become like these children so that God can rule their lives. That is what the kingdom of God is like. 17 What I say is true. A person must become like a little child for God to rule in his life. If he does not become like a child, he will not come into the kingdom of God.’

Jesus meets a rich ruler

18 A Jewish ruler came to Jesus and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do so that I can live with God for ever?’

19 Jesus asked him, ‘Why do you say that I am good? Only God is good. Nobody else. 20 You know God’s rules: “Do not have sex with anyone who is not your wife. Do not kill anyone. Do not rob anyone. Do not say things that are not true about people. Love your father and your mother, and obey them.” ’

21 The man replied, ‘I have obeyed all these laws since I was a young man.’

22 Jesus heard what he said and he replied, ‘There is still just one thing that you must do. You must sell everything that you have. Then give the money to poor people. If you do that, you will have many valuable things in heaven. Then come back and be my disciple.’

23 When the ruler heard this, he became very sad. This was because he was a very rich man.

24 Jesus saw that the ruler had become sad. He said, ‘It is very difficult for rich people to let God rule in their lives. 25 The hole in a needle is very small. A big animal cannot go through it! But it is even more difficult than that for a rich person to let God rule in their life.’

26 The people who were listening to Jesus said, ‘So perhaps God will not save anyone!’ 27 Jesus replied, ‘God can do things that are impossible for people to do.’

28 Peter then said to Jesus, ‘Look! We have left everything that we had. Now we are your disciples.’

29 Jesus said to them, ‘What I say is true. Some people have left their home. Or they may have left their wife or their brothers. Or they may have left their parents or their children. They have done this to work for the kingdom of God. 30 Now, in this world, God will give these people many more things than they have left behind. And in the future world they will live for ever with God.’

31 Jesus took the 12 disciples away from the other people. ‘Listen!’ he said to them. ‘We are going to Jerusalem. There, many bad things will happen to me. All the things that God’s prophets wrote down long ago about the Son of Man will now happen to me. 32 The Jewish leaders will deliver me to people that are not Jews. They will laugh at me. They will say bad things against me. They will spit at me. 33 They will hit me with whips and then they will kill me. But after three days, I will become alive again.’

34 The 12 disciples did not understand any of these things. What Jesus said did not mean anything to them. So they did not know what Jesus was talking about.

Jesus makes a blind man well

35 When Jesus was getting near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the side of the road. He was asking people to give him money. 36 Then he heard a large crowd of people as they went along the road. So, he asked the people near him what was happening. 37 They told him, ‘Jesus from Nazareth is walking past.’

38 The man began to shout out. ‘Jesus! Son of David! Please be kind to me and help me.’ 39 The people who were walking at the front of the crowd were angry with him. They told him that he should be quiet. But he started to shout even louder, ‘Son of David! Please help me!’

40 Then Jesus stopped. He said to the people, ‘Bring that man to me.’ When the man came near, Jesus asked him, 41 ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Sir,’ the blind man replied, ‘I want to see again.’

42 Jesus said to him, ‘See again! You are well now because you believed in me.’ 43 Immediately, the man could see again. He started to follow Jesus along the road. He was praising God.

Many people saw what had happened. They also praised God.

 

 

 

I hope you are enjoying these readings from Luke.

Anna Lee

Tuesday

“Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.”

~Galatians 6:9 TLB~

 

 

 

Please pray for my friend Elaine Smith who was admitted to OLOL yesterday.  It seems she needs a heart procedure.  Please for for the medical staff caring for her and for her family as they await final results.

 

 

Please pray for David’s brother, Donald “Red” Alford.  He was admitted to the hospital Saturday night and had two liters of fluid drained from around his heart.  He is now undergoing tests to see what caused his problem.  Donald is in St. Tammany Hospital in Covington.

 

 

 

David was blessed with another blood level of 10 yesterday.  He did not need/get procrit.  He will return next week for another blood test to determine the need for procrit.

 

 

 

Macy Lee, daughter of Tim and Becky, will be having gall bladder surgery at North Oaks at 9:30 this morning.  Macy has lost 50 pounds in the last few months without trying to lose weight.  She has been a sick young lady.  Pray for her to feel much better soon.  Doctors have found some other issues which are also being addressed.  May they discover all the answers and have Macy feeling better soon.

 

 

 

Rev. David Luce is one of the many people who had to deal with a tornado yesterday in Mississippi.  He was home alone at the time.  His wife is fine.  The house is standing, but heavily damaged.  The last report I had from his daughter, Debbie Clark, is that he was in the emergency room. (I’m assuming that to be in McComb.) . They lived in Amite County.

 

 

 

The Dallas Operation Christmas Child processing center has processed 1,004,788 shoeboxes!  Yeah!  Praise the Lord!  Thank-you to all the packers!

 

 

 

Today I want to share three obituaries.

GLENDA BATTLES BOOTH

2nd Timothy 4: 7-9

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day; and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing. Personal Concerns 9 Make every effort to come to me soon;

On December 15, 2019, Glenda Battles Booth passed at her home in Pumpkin Center. Glenda was surrounded by her loves- George Booth; Matthew, Samantha and Kaydance. Glenda knew it was time to go to her eternal home with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Glenda was born on March 9, 1957 in Magnolia, Mississippi, along with her sister Linda. As twins, they had a special bond throughout their life. Glenda graduated from Amite High School and SLU. She retired from the Department of Health and Hospitals.

She married her love George Booth on October 26, 1985. They shared love and passion throughout their married life. Glenda often said there was never a dull moment with George. He even kept her laughing throughout the many treatments! George was her Rock! They were blessed with children Matthew Booth and Samantha B. Verneuil, and granddaughter Kaydance Grace Verneuil.

Glenda is survived by her husband George Booth; children, Matthew Booth and Samantha B. Verneuil; granddaughter, Kaydance Grace; siblings, Judy Smith (Larry), June Doughty (Jerry), Robert Battles (Mary), Margie Davis (Gerald) and Linda Reynolds (Jerry); and brother in law and sister in law, Olen Booth and Kathryn Booth.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Clifford and Geraldine Battles; grandparents Nathan and Lucile Battles and Merritt and Berta Allen; and her father in law and mother in law, George Sr. and Bobbie Booth.

The family gives special thanks to Dr. Greg Allen and UAMS Myeloma Institute, Little Rock Arkansas.

Visitation for Family and Friends will be on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm at Harry McKneely and Son Funeral Home, 2000 N. Morrison Blvd, Hammond, Louisiana, 70401. Visitation will resume on Thursday, December 19, 2019 from 12:00 pm until the Funeral Service begins at 1:30 pm, at Harry McKneely and Son Funeral Home, 2000 N. Morrison Blvd., Hammond, Louisiana, 70401.

Interment will follow at Fendelson Cemetery in Folsom, Louisiana.

(Glenda was one of my students when I did student teaching many years ago.)

 

 

 

Daniel Hardy “DH” Goldsby Jr.

Friday, December 13th, 2019
Daniel Hardy Goldsby, Jr. “DH”, 79, a resident of Jackson, LA, died on Friday, December 13, 2019. He was a barber for almost 60 years in Jackson, Louisiana.  He sincerely enjoyed visiting with each of his customers, and on occasion would sit outside of the barbershop waving to those passing by on the street. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserve. D.H.,as he was known by everyone, was an avid outdoorsman and loved dancing and cooking. There will be a visitation at the Jackson United Methodist Church on Thursday, December 19, 2019, from 10am until funeral services at 1pm, conducted by Rev. Chris Curry and Pastor Mike Clark. There will be a 3pm graveside service at the Amite Memorial Gardens. He is survived by his son, Daniel Hugh Goldsby and his wife Mary Ann Goldsby, of Amite, LA; sister, Barbara Labatut of Gretna, LA; brother Noel Goldsby and wife Lena of Baton Rouge, LA; two grandchildren, Hardy Goldsby and Mallory Crouch. Also survived by stepchildren Patrick Herring and wife Kristi, Stephen Herring, and Dana Dileo. He was preceded in death by his wife of 19 years, Adele Goldsby, granddaughter Caroline Crouch, and parents, Daniel Hardy Goldsby Sr. and Eunice Goldsby. Pallbearers will be William Sherman, Jr., Jeffrey Boudreaux, Charles Wall, Jr., Jason Johnston, C. Kenneth Sherman, Patrick Herring, Keith Cox, and honorary pallbearer Billy Allen. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Tunica Methodist Church or the Jackson Methodist Church.

Joseph Anthony Pepitone

Hammond, Louisiana

Feb 7, 1938 – Dec 15, 2019 (Age 81)

Joseph Anthony Pepitone, age 81 of Hammond, Louisiana, passed away on Sunday, December 15, 2019, at his residence. He was born on Monday, February 7, 1938, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Joseph is survived by his daughter & son-in-law, Jackie Pepitone Mitchell and Randy Mitchell, daughter & son-in-law, Stacey Pepitone Schroeder and Mike Schroeder, daughter & son-in-law, Dawn Pepitone Ekker and Curtis Ekker, daughter & son-in-law, Keli Pepitone Pisciotta and Greg Pisciotta, son & daughter-in-law, Terry Michael Pepitone and Diane Pepitone, grandchildren, Stephen, Brent, Shanna, Ashley, Chad, Sara, Shelby, Zachary, Christopher, Nicholas, Stephanie, Jeremy, Ryan, Jake and Rahael, great-grandchildren, Jude, Harvey, Harper, Manning, Hudson, Logan, Landry, Wesley, Anna, Alexis, Lily, Grayson and Mayson. Siblings,
Albert Pepitone, Rita Charbonnet, Danny Pepitone, Brenda Lipscomb, Wayne Pepitone, and Cathy Dugas.

He was preceded in death by parents, Joseph and Josephine Nuccio Pepitone, brother, William “Buck” Pepitone, his sisters Eugenia “Sis” Ritter and Dot Lemoine; nieces Danita Pepitone and Kim Robillard; his nephews, Ronny and Billy Pepitone.

Family and friends will be received at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 255 North 8th Street Ponchatoula, Louisiana 70454, on Thursday, December 19, 2019 from 9:00 am until 11:00 am.

Services will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church, on Thursday, at 11:00 am, with Fr. Cayet Mangriacina officiating.

Interment will follow at Wetmore Cemetery.

The family request donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, https://www.stjude.org/

(His son’s family members are special friends to us from our “Ponchatoula shop” days.)
Lottie Moon – Giving $350 is enough for a translation of one Bible story into sign language
Scripture writing for today – Like 1: 25-29
Luke 17 

1 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Some bad things in this world will make other people do wrong things. You can be sure about that. But God will punish anyone who makes these bad things happen. 2 These other people may not seem to be important. But you must not make them do wrong things. Do not do that! It would be better if someone tied a big stone round your neck, and then he threw you into the sea.

3 Be careful how you live. If your Christian brother does something wrong, speak to him. Tell him that he has done a bad thing. He may say, “I am sorry for what I did. I will not do it again.” If he says that, you must forgive him. 4 Your brother may do a bad thing to you seven times in one day. He may turn to you each time and say, “I am sorry for what I did. I will not do it again.” If he does that, you must forgive him every time.’

5 The apostles said to the Lord Jesus, ‘Help us to believe more and more in God.’

6 The Lord replied, ‘You may believe in God only a very little bit, like a very small seed. Even if you only believe that little bit, you could say to this tree, “Pull yourself out of the ground and plant yourself in the sea.” Then the tree would obey you.

7 Think about this. You may have a servant that is ploughing your land. Or you may have a servant that is taking care of your sheep. When he comes in from his work in the evening, you would not say to him, “Sit down and eat.” 8 No, you would not say that. You would say to your servant, “Prepare my meal for me. Dress yourself properly and bring the food to me. I will eat and drink first. You can eat when I have finished.” 9 Servants should do what their masters tell them to do. When they do that, their masters do not need to thank them. 10 It is the same with you. The Master tells you what you should do. So when you have done all of it, you should say, “We are not special servants. We have only done what we should do.” ’

Ten men that had a bad illness of the skin

11 On his journey to Jerusalem, Jesus was travelling along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 When he was going into a village, 10 men came towards him. These men had a bad illness of the skin. They stopped and stood a long way away from Jesus. 13 They shouted, ‘Jesus, Master, please be kind to us.’

14 Jesus saw them and said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’

While they were going on their way, they became well again. 15 One of these 10 men saw that Jesus had made him well. He turned back and he praised God in a loud voice. 16 He went down on his knees in front of Jesus and thanked him. This man was from Samaria.

17 Then Jesus said, ‘I made 10 men well again, didn’t I? There should be another nine men somewhere! 18 But only this one man came back to thank God. And he is a foreign man from Samaria!’

19 Then Jesus spoke to the man. ‘Stand up and go on your way. You believed in me, so now you are really well.’

Jesus talks about the time when God will rule

20 Then some Pharisees asked Jesus a question. ‘When will the kingdom of God begin here?’

Jesus replied, ‘When God begins to rule here, people will not see it with their eyes. 21 Nobody will say, “Look everyone! God is ruling here,” or “Look! God is ruling over there.” No, it is not like that. God is already ruling in the lives of his people.’

22 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The time will come when you will very much want to see me, the Son of Man, return to the earth. But you will not see that day. 23 People may say to you, “Look, there he is!” or “Here he is!” But do not go out with them to look. 24 When lightning shines, it quickly makes the whole of the sky light from one side to the other. It will be like that on the day when the Son of Man returns. 25 But before this happens, the people of today will refuse to accept me. And I will feel much pain.

26 Remember what happened when Noah was alive. It will be like that at the time when the Son of Man returns to the earth. 27 In Noah’s time, people were eating their meals every day. Men and women continued to marry. They continued to do all this until the day when Noah went into his boat. Then it rained for a long time and there was deep water everywhere. The water killed all the people.

28 The same kind of thing happened when Lot was alive. People in the city called Sodom were eating their meals every day. They were buying and selling things. They were planting their seeds and they were building their houses. 29 But one day Lot went away from Sodom. On that same day, God caused it to rain fire and burning stones from the sky. This killed all the people in Sodom.

30 It will happen quickly like that, on the day when I, the Son of Man, show myself clearly. 31 On that day, a person who is up on the roof of his house must not go back down into the house. He must not get his things that are inside the house to take with him. In the same way, people that are working outside in their fields must not go back to their homes. 32 Remember what happened to Lot’s wife.

33 Whoever wants to keep his own life safe will lose it. But whoever gives his life to serve me will have true life. 34 I tell you this. At that time, two men will be sleeping in one bed. God will take one of them away but he will leave the other man behind. 35-36 Two women will be preparing food together in the same place. God will take one of them away but he will leave the other one behind.’

37 Jesus’ disciples asked him, ‘Where will this happen?’ Jesus replied, ‘If a dead body is lying somewhere, vultures will come together in that place.’

 

 

 

Today, the is the “Young” Ladies Birthday Party at The Cafe at 11:00 A.M.

 

 

 

Remember the reason for the holiday we are celebrating this month.

Anna Lee

Monday

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

~Isaiah 9:6~

 

 

 

Please continue to pray for Macy Lee.  She’s seeing more doctors to learn more before having the gall bladder surgery.

 

 

 

Buddy Morris‘ cardiologist did not give an okay for surgery, so he will be having a nuclear stress test this week.  Keep praying for him and his family.

 

 

 

Amy Raborn Davidson, granddaughter of Mr. Bobby and “Miss” Fay Raborn passed away as a result of a traffic accident.  Please be in prayer for her family.

 

 

 

Baptist Press – http://www.bpnews.net/

 

 

 

Lottie Moon – $55 given to the offering can provide two weeks’ training for one house church leader!  What a great opportunity for an investment with eternal rewards!

 

 

 

Scripture Reading for December 16 – Matthew 2: 7-12

 

 

 

Luke 16

A story about a man who thought carefully

1 Jesus told another story to his disciples: ‘A rich man had a servant who worked for him. The servant took care of the money and things that belonged to the man. Then some people told the rich man that his servant was wasting his master’s things. 2 So the master sent someone to bring his servant to him. He said to his servant, “I am hearing bad stories about you. So write down everything that you have done with my money and my things. Then you must stop working for me.”

3 “I must think about what I can do,” the servant said to himself. “My master will not let me work for him any longer. I am not strong enough to dig in the ground. I would be ashamed to ask other people for money. 4 I must stop working for my master. But I know what I can do so that people will then accept me into their homes.”

5 Many people had a debt that they had not paid back to the master. So the servant told those people to come to him. He asked the first man, “How big is your debt to my master?” 6 The man replied, “I have to give him 100 barrels of oil.” The servant said to him, “Here is the paper with your debt written down on it. Take the paper. Sit down now and write 50 barrels there.”

7 He asked the next man, “How big is your debt to my master?” The man replied, “I have to give him 100 baskets of wheat.” The servant replied, “Here is the paper with your debt written down on it. Take the paper and write 80 baskets.” ’

8 Jesus went on to say, ‘The servant in the story was not honest. But his master spoke well about what he had done. It would help the servant later in his life. People that do not obey God think carefully. They know how to do well with people who are like themselves. But people who live in God’s light often think less carefully. 9 So I tell you this. People may get money in wrong ways. But you should use it to do good to those who need help. Then they will be your friends. You will die, one day. Then those people will be happy to see you in that place where people live for all time.

10 If you can trust a person with a very small thing, you can also trust him with bigger things. And if you cannot trust a person with a very small thing, you cannot trust him with big things. 11 So if people cannot trust you with money in this world, nobody will trust you with really valuable things. 12 And if people cannot trust you with other people’s things, nobody will give you things for yourself.

13 A slave cannot work for two masters at the same time. Maybe he will hate one of the masters, but he will love the other one. Or he will work well for one master, but he will think bad things about the other one. God and money are like different masters. You cannot work for both of them.’

14 The Pharisees heard all this. They loved money very much, so they laughed at Jesus. They said to him, ‘You are wrong.’ 15 Jesus replied, ‘You are happy when people like you. You want them to think that you are good people. But God sees inside you. He knows what you are thinking. The things that many people think are valuable are not valuable to God. He hates those things’

16 Jesus went on to say, ‘The books of God’s Law and God’s prophets spoke God’s message until John the Baptist came. Since then, God’s servants tell people the good news about the kingdom of God. Everyone is now trying very much to get into that kingdom. 17 But this does not mean that anyone can destroy God’s Law. One day, the earth and the sky will finish. But until that time, nobody can remove even a small thing from God’s Law.

18 A man must not send away his wife and then marry another woman. If he does this, he has done something wrong. It is the same as if he had sex with another man’s wife. Also, if a woman has left her husband, another man must not marry her. That is the same as if he had sex with another man’s wife.’

Jesus tells a story about a rich man and a poor man

19 Jesus then said, ‘At one time, there was a rich man who had very expensive clothes. Some of the clothes were purple, and some of them were soft and white. This rich man ate big meals every day. 20 There was also a poor man called Lazarus. He had sores all over his body. He lay outside the gate of the rich man. 21 He was very hungry. He even wanted to eat the bits of food that the rich man threw away. Even the dogs came and they tasted the sores on his body. 22 Then Lazarus died and God’s angels carried him away. They put him at the side of Abraham in heaven. The rich man then also died and his family buried him in the ground. 23 He went to the dead people’s place called Hades. He was in a lot of pain there. He saw Abraham far away in heaven. He also saw Lazarus at Abraham’s side. 24 So he shouted out, “Father Abraham, please be kind to me. Please send Lazarus here to help me. I am in great pain because I am in a fire that burns me. Let him put his finger into some water. Then he can use the water to make my mouth cool.”

25 Abraham replied, “My child, remember the time when you were alive on earth. Remember what happened then. You had many good things, and Lazarus had many bad things. Now I am taking care of Lazarus, and you are in pain. 26 But that is not everything. Between you and us, there is a big hole. It is wide and long and deep. There is a reason why that hole is there. Nobody can cross from here to where you are. And nobody can cross from where you are to come here.”

27 The rich man said, “If that is true, father Abraham, please send Lazarus to my family. 28 I have five brothers that are still alive. He can tell them not to do the same things as I did. Then they will not also come here when they die. They will not be in great pain, as I am.”

29 Abraham replied, “They have the books that Moses and God’s prophets wrote. Your family should read them and do what they say.”

30 The rich man said, “That is not enough, father Abraham. But if someone goes to them from among the dead people, they will listen. Then they will turn away from the wrong things that they do.”

31 But Abraham said to him, “They do not listen to what Moses and God’s prophets have said. So they will not believe God’s message even if someone comes back from among the dead people.” ’

 

 

 

“As you go” today, tell someone why we have the Christmas season each year.

Anna Lee

 

 

 

The Lord’s Day

“And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation.” 

~1 Peter 1:5 NLT~

 

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly is at home and quickly improving.  Please continue to pray for Smiley and Carol Jean.

 

 

 

Bryan Tate is at home again.  Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

 

 

 

 

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary had graduation yesterday.  Rev. Don Meadows and Rev. Brock Burch both got their master’s degree.  Thanks to all who encouraged and supported them, especially their families and their churches.

 

 

 

Matt Williams got his PhD yesterday.   I’m thankful for him and his growing family.  His life has impacted my family is a positive way!

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 15 – Matthew 2: 1-6

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering – Support the 3,656 missionaries serving internationally for us.  They GO, we SUPPORT!

 

 

 

The Operation Christmas Child room at FBC has been totally rearranged and reorganized.  We now have three sets of storage shelving in there.  Soon there will be opportunities in 2020 to help with projects and prepare for packing later in the year.  Stay tuned.  Let me know if you would like to see the newly organized room and/or to volunteer to help in 2020.  I think we will have smaller packing sessions next year, not one big one.  Join in and be blessed!

 

 

 

Luke 15

1 One day, many bad people and men who took taxes on behalf of the government were coming round Jesus. They all wanted to hear what Jesus was saying. 2 The Pharisees and teachers of God’s Law did not like this. ‘This man is friendly with people that do not obey God,’ they said. ‘He even eats with them in their homes.’

A story about a sheep that a man has lost

3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 ‘Think about a man who has 100 sheep. He may lose one of them. What does he do then? He leaves all his other sheep in the fields. Then he goes. He looks for the sheep that he has lost. He looks until he finds it. 5 When he finds the sheep, he is very happy. He lifts it up and he puts it across his shoulders. 6 Then he carries it back home. He speaks to all his friends and to the people that live near him. He says, “I have found the sheep that I lost. So come to my house and we can all be happy together.” 7 When one person stops doing wrong things, it is like that. It makes those that live with God in heaven very happy. They will be happier about that one person, than about 99 people who already obey God.’

A story about a coin that a woman has lost

8 Jesus told them another story: ‘Now think about a woman who has ten valuable coins. She may lose one of them. What does she do then? She lights a lamp and she sweeps inside her house. She looks carefully until she finds the coin. 9 Then she speaks to all her friends and to those that live near to her. She says to them, “I have found the coin that I lost. So come to my house and we can all be happy together.”

10 When one person stops doing wrong things, it is like that. It makes God’s angels and everyone in heaven very happy.’

A story about two sons

11 Jesus then told another story: ‘There was a man that had two sons. 12 The younger son went to his father and said to him, “Father, please give me now my part of your things.” So, the father gave both sons the part of his things that each of them should have. 13 After a few days, the younger son sold what his father had given to him. Then he took all the money and left home. He went on a long journey to a country far away. There, he did whatever he wanted to do and wasted all his money. 14 After he had spent everything, there was no rain in that country. There was almost no food anywhere. So the young man had nothing to eat. 15 He went to a man who lived in that country. He asked to work for him. So the man sent him into his fields to give food to his pigs. 16 Nobody gave him anything to eat. He even wanted to eat the food that the pigs were eating. But he had nothing.

17 Then the son began to think about what he had done. He said to himself, “My father has many servants, and they have plenty of food to eat. They even have more food than they need. But I will die here because I do not have any food. 18 So I will go to my father and tell him, ‘I have done bad things against God, and I have done bad things against you. 19 So I am not good enough for you to call me your son any longer. Instead, please accept me as one of your servants.’ ”

20 So he went off to return to his father. But he was still a long way from the house when his father saw him. He felt very sorry for his son and he ran towards him. Then he put his arms round his son and he kissed him. 21 “Father,” the son said, “I have done bad things against God and against you. So I am not good enough for you to call me your son.” 22 But the father shouted to his servants. “Hurry!” he said. “Fetch the most beautiful coat that we have. Put it on him and also put a ring on his finger. Put shoes on his feet. 23 Fetch the young cow that we keep ready to eat on a special day. It is already fat. Kill it and prepare it. We will eat a big meal and we will be happy together. 24 I thought that my son here was dead. But now he has returned to me and he is alive! I thought that he had left me for all time. But now he has come home.” Then they all began to be happy together.

25 While these things were happening, the older son was working in the field. On his way back to the house, he heard music. People were dancing. 26 So he asked one of the servants, “What is happening?” 27 The servant replied, “Your brother has returned home. Your father has killed the fat young cow for him. He did this because your brother is alive and he is well.” 28 When the older brother heard this, he was very angry. He would not go into the house. So his father came out. “Please come in to be happy with us,” he said. 29 “Listen,” the older son replied, “I have worked a lot for you for many years. I have always obeyed you. But you never even killed a young goat for me so that I could be happy with my friends. We could have had a meal together. 30 But now this other son of yours has returned. He has wasted all the money that you gave to him. He has spent it on prostitutes. But you have even killed the fat young cow for him.” 31 “My son,” his father said, “you are always with me. All the things that I have are yours. 32 We thought that your brother was dead. But now he has returned to us alive. We thought that he had left us for all time. But now he has come home. So we must all be happy together.” ’

 

 

 

I hope you are reading along in Luke this month.  If not, it is not too late to get started.

Anna Lee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday

“Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.”

~Peter 1:3-4 NLT~

 

 

 

Bryan Tate is better and has been moved to the oncology unit at St. Tammany.  Please continue to pray for Bryan and Rita.

 

 

 

Kathy Smith knee replacement is doing well.  She has been released to go home.  Keep her in your prayers as she continue to heal and improves in using her new knee.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing for December 14 – Matthew 1: 21-25

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering – Pure Water, Pure Love – http://wmu.com/?q=article/support/national-wmu/pure-water-pure-love

 

 

 

Baptist Press – http://www.bpnews.net/

 

 

 

Luke 14

Jesus goes to the house of a Pharisee

1 One Jewish day for rest, Jesus went into the house of a leader of the Pharisees. This man had asked him to come and to eat a meal with him. The people there were all watching him carefully. 2 A sick man came up to Jesus. His arms and legs had grown fat, because they were full of water. 3 So Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and to the teachers of God’s Law. He asked them, ‘Is it right for us to make someone well on our day for rest, or not?’ 4 But they would not say anything. So Jesus took the sick man and he made him well again. Then he let him go away.

5 Then Jesus asked the people, ‘Maybe one of you has a son or an animal that falls into a well on our day for rest. What will you do? You will pull the child or the animal out of the well immediately.’ 6 When Jesus said this, they could not say anything else.

7 Jesus watched how people chose the best places to sit at the meal. So he told this story to those who were sitting there:

8 ‘When someone asks you to come to a special meal, do not sit in the best place. A man that is more important than you may come later. 9 Then the man that asked you to the meal might say to you, “Give the best place to this man.” Then you will feel ashamed that you sat there. You will have to move to the lowest place and sit there. 10 Instead, when someone asks you to a meal, you should do this. Go and sit in the least important place. Then the man that asked you to the meal will see you there. And he may say to you, “My friend, move up here to a better place.” Everyone who is there at the meal will see this. So they will know that you are an important person. 11 It will be the same in the kingdom of God. Some people lift themselves up to be important. They say that they are better than other people. God will bring all of them down low. Other people know that they are not better than other people. God will lift those people up to a good place.’

12 Then Jesus said to the man who had asked him to the meal, ‘When you give a meal at midday or in the evening, do not ask your friends to come. Do not ask your brothers or your family. And do not ask the rich people that live near you to come. If you do, they will later ask you to eat at their house. This will pay you for the meal that you gave to them. 13 Instead, when you prepare a big meal, you should ask the poor people to come. Ask people that have lost an arm or a leg. Ask people that cannot walk very well, and people that cannot see. 14 Then God will make you happy. Those people cannot pay you for the meal you have given to them. Instead, God will pay you, on the day when he makes good people become alive again.’

A story about a big meal

15 The people who were sitting at the meal heard what Jesus said. One of them said to Jesus, ‘One day, there will be a big meal in the kingdom of God. How happy are those people who will eat together at that big meal.’

16 Jesus told this story to him: ‘One day an important man prepared a big meal. He asked many people to come to eat in his house. 17 When the meal was ready, he sent his servant out to tell those people, “Come now, the meal is ready for you.” 18 But then each person gave a reason why he could not come to the meal. The first man said, “I have bought a field, so I must go out and see it. Please say that I am sorry. Tell your master that I cannot come to his meal.” 19 The next man said, “I have bought five pairs of oxen. So I am just going out to see if they work well together. Please say that I am sorry. Tell your master that I cannot come to his meal.” 20 The third man said, “I have just married a wife. That is why I cannot come to the meal.” ’

21 ‘The servant went back to his master. He told him what everyone had said. Then the master of the house was very angry. “Go out quickly to every street in the town,” he said to his servant. “Bring the poor people here. Bring those that have lost an arm or a leg. And bring those that cannot walk well, and those that cannot see.” 22 The servant did that. Then he came back to his master. “Sir,” he said, “I have asked all those people to come to your meal. But there are still some places at the table.” 23 The master spoke to his servant again. “Go to the roads and fields outside the town, and look for people there. Order them all to come here, so that my house will be full. 24 But I tell you this. None of the people that I asked at the beginning will eat any of my food.” ’

What it will be like to obey Jesus

25 Crowds of many people were travelling with Jesus on his journey. So he turned and said to them, 26 ‘If someone wants to obey me, he must live like this: He must love me more than he loves his own father and mother. He must love me more than he loves his wife and his children. He must love me more than he loves his brothers and his sisters. He must even love me more than he loves himself. If he does not do that, he cannot be one of my disciples. 27 He must live like a person that carries his own cross to go and die. If he is not ready to die for me, he cannot be one of my disciples.

28 Here is an example. Perhaps one of you wants to build a tall building. Before you start to build, you will sit down. You will decide how much it will cost. Then you need to know if you have enough money to finish the work. 29 If you do not do this, you may not have enough money. You may put the first stones in the ground, but then you cannot finish the building. If you have to stop, other people will laugh at you. They will say to each other, 30 “That man is a fool. He started to build, but he could not finish the work.” ’

31 Then Jesus gave them another example. ‘Perhaps a king wants to fight a war against another king. But before he goes to fight, he sits down. He thinks to himself. “Can I win this war? My army is large, with 10,000 men. But the other king has twice as many soldiers in his army. 32 No, I cannot do it. I know I cannot beat the other king.” So, while the stronger king is far away, he will send a man to him with a message. He will tell the other king that he does not want to fight. He will ask him what he can do so that they become friends together.’

33 Jesus then said, ‘It is like that for all of you, if you want to be my disciples. You must leave everything that you have behind you.

34 Remember this. Salt is good. But if it is not salty any more, it is no longer any good. You cannot make it salty again. 35 You would not even put it on your field. It cannot make the soil good. You would just throw it away.

You have ears. So, listen well to what I say.’

 

 

 

Have a great day of preparation for the Lord’s Day.  Worship with other believers, even if you have to do it using your television, computer, or phone.  Of course, worshiping in person with other believers is the best option.

Anna Lee

Friday

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

                                                                                ~Isaiah 7:14~

 

 

 

 

Eli Neyland will be having ear surgery on the 20th.  Please begin praying for him.

 

 

 

Bryan Tate is in St. Tammany hospital with pneumonia and dehydration.  Say some special prayers for him.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 12 – Matthew 1: 18-20

 

 

 

2019 LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING GOAL

The goal for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for 2019 is $165,000,000.

LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING THEME

I saw a great multitude from every nation and all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne. Revelation 7:9

Generous giving to the 2019 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® makes a difference among the multitudes. Men, women, children, and entire communities are transformed as a result of this offering. Your gifts enable thousands of missionaries to live among, serve, and share the gospel with people who have never heard it until now.

Every December since 1888, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering has empowered Southern Baptist’s international missions work. At the beginning of this giving season, we start with a week of prayer dedicated to international missions, taking place December 1-8.

 

 

 

Luke 13

Stop doing wrong things or die

1 At that time, some people were with Jesus. They told him what happened to some people from Galilee. They had been burning animals as a gift for God. Pilate sent some soldiers to kill them.

2 Jesus replied, ‘Think about those people from Galilee. Perhaps you think that they had done more bad things than other people from Galilee. Do you think that is why they had to die? 3 No! But I tell you this. All of you have done many bad things. So you must change how you live and you must turn to God. If you do not, you will also die as they did.

4 And you remember what happened to those 18 people in Siloam. A high building fell down and it killed them. Perhaps you think that they had done more bad things than the other people in Jerusalem. 5 But I tell you, no, they had not. All of you have also done many bad things. So you must change how you live and you must turn to God. If you do not, you will also die as they did.’

A story about a fig tree

6 Then Jesus told this story. ‘A man had a garden where he grew fruit. He had planted a fig tree there. But when he came to look for fruit on it, he could not find any. 7 So he said to his gardener, “Look, for three years, I have come to look for fruit on this tree. But I have never found any. So cut the tree down! I do not think that it should be here. It is wasting the ground.”

8 “Master,” the gardener replied, “please leave the tree in the ground for one more year. Let me dig round it and let me put some good soil there. 9 If I do that, next year, the fig tree may have some fruit on it. If it does not, I will cut it down for you.” ’

Jesus makes a sick woman well again

10 One day, Jesus was teaching in a Jewish meeting place. It was the Jewish day for rest.

11 There was a woman there that had a bad spirit inside her. It had lived in her for 18 years and it had made her ill. Her back was bent. She could not stand up straight. 12 Jesus saw her and he called her to come to him. He said, ‘Woman, you are now better from your illness.’ 13 He put his hands on her and immediately she could stand up straight. She praised God.

14 But the leader of the meeting place was angry because Jesus had made a sick person well on their day for rest. He said to the people there, ‘There are six days each week when we should work. Come on any of those days and get well. But you should not come on our rest day to get well.’

15 ‘You are wrong,’ the Lord Jesus said to him. ‘You teach one thing but you do something different yourselves. On the day for rest you will undo the rope on your ox or your donkey and take it outside. You then give it water to drink. Is that not true? 16 Now look at this woman. She belongs to the family of Abraham. But a bad spirit from the Devil has made her ill for 18 years. It is like he has tied her up. So it must be right to make her free on our day for rest.’

17 These words made the leaders of the meeting place feel ashamed. But the other people there were very happy. They were happy because they had seen Jesus do many good and powerful things.

Jesus tells stories about seeds and yeast

18 Then Jesus said to them, ‘I will tell you a story about the kingdom of God and what it is like. 19 It is like a very small seed of the plant called mustard. A man took this seed and he planted it in his garden. The seed grew and it became a tree. It was so big that birds came and made their homes among its branches.’

20 Jesus went on to say, ‘Here is another example of what the kingdom of God is like. 21 It is like how yeast works. A woman took some of it and she mixed it into three large bowls of flour. Then the yeast went through all the flour so that it grew big.’

A story about a narrow door

22 Jesus was continuing his journey towards Jerusalem. On the way, he went through towns and villages. In each one, he taught the people. 23 One day, somebody asked him, ‘Sir, will God only save a small number of people?’

24 Jesus said to the people there, ‘Do your best to go in through the narrow door. I tell you that many people will want to get in there. But they will not be able to go through it. 25 Soon the master of the house will get up and he will shut the door. And then you may still be standing outside the door. You will knock and you will say, “Master, please open the door for us to come in.”

But the master will reply, “I do not know you. I do not know where you come from.” 26 Then you will begin to say, “But Master, we had meals with you. You taught us in the streets of our villages.”

27 But he will tell you, “No! I really do not know you. I do not know where you come from. You have done very bad things, so go away from me, all of you!”

28 Then you will cry very much because you are standing outside. You will bite your teeth together. You will see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the place where God rules. You will also see all God’s prophets there. But God will shut you outside. 29 At that time, people will come from everywhere in the world, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. They will all come to take their place in the kingdom of God. There they will sit down together to eat a great meal. 30 Listen! At that time, some people that are not important now will become the most important. And some people that are now the most important will not be important then.’

31 At that moment, some Pharisees came to Jesus. ‘Go away from here,’ they said to him. ‘Go somewhere else, because Herod wants to kill you.’

32 ‘Herod is a bad man,’ Jesus replied. ‘Tell him this: “I am still causing bad spirits to come out of people. I am still making sick people well again. I will continue to do all these things for some more days. On the third day I will have finished my work.” 33 Anyway, I need to continue my journey for some more days. If they are going to kill a prophet from God, it has to be in Jerusalem.

34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Your people have killed God’s prophets. And they have thrown stones to kill other people that God has sent to you. Many times, I have wanted to bring all of your people near to me. A female bird covers her babies with her body to make them safe. But you would not let me keep you from danger like that. 35 So listen! Your great house will now become like a wilderness with nobody in it. I tell you this. You will not see me again until the day when you say, “Great is the man who comes with the authority of the Lord God.” ’

 

 

 

“Shoeboxes” are being shipped from all the processing stations to places all around the world now.  I’m so thankful to have had a part in this great effort to tell others about Jesus again.

Anna Lee

Thursday

“You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit.”

 ~1 Peter 1:2 GNT~

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly continued to progress well yesterday,  There is a possibility the pathology report will be ready today.  Please continue to pray for Smiley and Carol Jean.

 

 

 

Beverly Blackwell is now living close to her son, John.  Her sister, Debbie said this was a good change for Beverly.

 

 

 

Buddy Morris will be having surgery on his carotid artery Tuesday in Hammond.  Please begin to pray for Buddy and Eleanor as he faces this surgery.

 

 

 

Ferrie Gene Blackmon will also be having surgery.  Hers is scheduled for January 6th.

 

 

 

Scripture writing for December 12 – Malachi 3: 1–3

 

 

 

The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering always brings to mind the tea cakes she made and served in China.  You may want to use this recipe at home or at church.

PLAIN TEA CAKE

(As made by Lottie Moon)

3 teacups of sugar
1 teacup of butter
1 teacup of sour milk
4 pints of flour
3 eggs, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon of soda

Flavor to taste. Roll thin.
Bake in a quick oven.

PLAIN TEA CAKE

(Adapted recipe for today’s cooks)

2 cups of flour
1/2 cup butter
1 heaping cup of sugar
1 well-beaten egg
1 tablespoon cream

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix well. Add the flour and cream. Dust a board with flour. Roll the dough very thin. Cut cookies with a round cookie cutter. Place on a buttered or nonstick cookie sheet. Bake at 475 degrees for about 5 minutes.

 

 

Luke 12

Jesus tells the people to be careful how they live

1 While all this was happening, many thousands of people had come together near that place. The crowd was so big that people were almost walking over each other. Jesus began to talk first to his disciples. He said, ‘Be careful! Do not let the yeast of the Pharisees spoil you. Do not be hypocrites like they are.

2 Some people hide the things that they do. But there will be a time when other people will see those things clearly. Everyone will know all their secrets. 3 You may have said things secretly, in the dark of the night. But one day people will hear those things in the light of day. You may have said things quietly into someone’s ear, behind a door that you have shut. But one day people will shout out those secrets loudly from the tops of the houses.

4 You are my friends, so I tell you this. Do not be afraid of those people who can kill only your body. After that, they can do nothing worse to you. 5 But I tell you, it is God that you should be afraid of. He has the power to kill people and then to throw them into hell. Yes, I am telling you, be very afraid of him.

6 Think about this. People sell five birds for two small coins, don’t they? But each little bird is valuable to God. He knows about them all and takes care of them. 7 God even knows how many hairs there are on your head. So, do not be afraid of those people who are against you. You are more valuable to God than many little birds.

8 I tell you this. You should say clearly to other people, “I believe in Jesus.” If you do this, I, the Son of Man, will say to the angels of God, “This is someone who is my disciple.” 9 But if you say to other people, “I do not believe in Jesus,” I will say to the angels of God, “I do not know this person. He is not one of my disciples.”

10 Somebody may speak against me, the Son of Man, and God will forgive him. But if somebody says bad things against the Holy Spirit, God will not forgive that person.

11 People will take you into their meeting places. They will make you stand in front of rulers and other people that have authority. They will want to show that you have done bad things. But do not be afraid of them. Do not be troubled about what you should say. 12 At that time, the Holy Spirit will teach you. He will tell you what words you should say.’

A story about a rich fool

13 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, I have a problem with my brother. Our father has died. Tell my brother to give me my part of the things that our father left us.’

14 Jesus replied, ‘It is not my job to say which of you is right or wrong. And it is not my job to say how much each of you should have.’ 15 Then he said to all the people, ‘Be very careful! Do not want more things than you really need. The life of a person is worth more than just the things that he has. Even if he is very rich, that is still true.’

16 Jesus then told them a story: ‘A man had some very good ground, where he planted seeds. The plants grew very well. When they became ripe, he had much more than he planted. 17 He thought about how much he would soon have. “I have nowhere to store all the food from my plants,” he said to himself. 18 But then he decided what to do. He thought, “I will pull down the building where I now store my food. Then I will build a bigger place to store it all, as well as everything else that is mine. 19 Then I will say to myself, ‘You have plenty of things stored safely. These will be enough for you for many years. Now you can live an easy life. Eat and drink as much as you want. Enjoy yourself.’ ”

20 But then God said to the man, “You are a fool. Tonight you will die. You will have to leave everything behind. Think about all your things that you have stored. Think about what will happen to them. Think about who will have them after you die.” ’

21 Jesus went on to say, ‘Some people think only about having many things for themselves. That story shows how those people live. But God says about them, “They have nothing of value at all.” ’

Do not have troubles in your mind

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you this. You should not be thinking all the time about how to stay alive. Do not be always thinking about the food that you need to stay alive. Do not be always thinking about the clothes that you need to wear. 23 Your life is more important than the food that you eat. Your body is more important than your clothes.

24 Think about the birds. They do not plant seeds in the ground. They do not cut down plants to eat. They have no buildings to store food. But God gives them food to eat. You are much more valuable than the birds. 25 Even if you are always thinking about your life, you cannot make it go on any longer, not even by one hour! 26 No, you cannot even do a small thing like that. So, if you are always thinking about the things that you need, will that really help you?

27 Think about how the wild flowers grow. They do not do work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you this about them. Even one wild flower is more beautiful than King Solomon was. And King Solomon wore the most beautiful clothes. 28 It is God that gives beautiful clothes even to the grass. One day the grass is growing in the field, but the next day people will cut it and burn it. God will certainly take care of you, much more than he takes care of the grass. You should trust him more than you do!

29 Do not always be thinking about the food and drink that you need. Do not have trouble in your mind about them. 30 People that do not know God are always thinking about these things. But as for you, your Father God knows that you need them. 31 Instead, always think about the things that are important in the kingdom of God. Then he will also give you the things that you need each day.

32 You are only a small group of people, but do not be afraid. Your Father God has given his kingdom to you. He is happy to do that. 33 So, sell what you have and give the money to poor people. Then you will have valuable things in heaven. That is like keeping your money in a bag that will never have a hole in it. There, the value of your things will never decrease. Nobody can take them from you. Insects can not destroy them there. 34 Then you will be thinking a lot about heaven, because that is where you keep your valuable things.’

Be ready for Jesus to return

35 Jesus said, ‘Always be ready for my return. Be like people that are ready to start work at any time. They have put on their clothes so that they are ready for work. And they have lit their lamps. 36 You must be like servants that are waiting for their master to arrive. When he returns home from the marriage party, he will knock on the door. His servants should be ready to open it for him immediately. 37 Those servants will be very happy if their master finds them awake. Then the master will dress himself to give them food. He will say to them, “Sit at the table. I will come to serve you.”

38 The master may arrive in the middle of the night. He may even arrive just before the sun rises. But, if the master finds them awake and ready, the servants will be happy.

39 You can be sure about this. The master of a house does not know when a man might come to rob him. If he knew the time, he would keep awake. He would not let the robber come into his house and take away his things.

40 You also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at a time when you are not thinking about it.’

Be a good servant

41 Peter asked Jesus, ‘Master, are you only telling this story to us, your disciples? Or is this story for everyone to hear?’

42 Jesus replied, ‘Be a wise servant. Be someone that the master can trust. The master will choose a man like that. He will say to him, “I want you to rule my house and the other servants. Give them the food that they need at the right time.” 43 That servant will be very happy when his master comes home. His master will see that he has done everything well. 44 Let me tell you what will happen. The master will give that servant authority to rule over everything in his house. 45 But another servant might say to himself, “My master is very late. He will not come yet.” Then he begins to hit the other servants, both the men and the women. He eats too much, and he drinks too much. He even becomes drunk. 46 Then the master of that servant will come home and he will surprise the servant. He did not think that his master would come home on that day or at that time. Then the master will punish that servant a lot. He will put the servant with those people that do not obey him.

47 A servant may know what his master wants him to do. Then he should prepare himself and do that. If he does not, his master will punish him very much. He will hit him a lot. 48 But another servant perhaps does not know what his master wants him to do. So he does wrong things. The master will punish him because he did those wrong things. But he will not hit him as much. If God gives a lot to somebody, he will want a lot back in return. And God will want much more from the person to whom he has given authority over much more.

49 I came to start a fire on earth. I would be happy if that fire were already burning. 50 I have a baptism of pain to receive. I cannot rest until this has happened.

51 I did not come into the world so that everyone will agree with each other. No, I tell you. I came to put people against one another. 52 From now on, because of me, five people in a family will be against each other. Two people will be against the other three. Three of them will be against the other two. 53 They will not agree together. The father will be against his son and the son will be against his father. The mother will be against her daughter and the daughter will be against her mother. The mother will be against her son’s wife. And the son’s wife will be against her husband’s mother.’

54 Then Jesus said to the crowd, ‘If you see a cloud that is rising in the west, immediately you say, “It will rain.” And the rain does come. 55 Sometimes you see that the south wind is blowing. So you say, “It will be very hot weather.” And the hot weather does come. 56 You are hypocrites! You look at the earth and the sky, and you know what weather will come. So look at the special things that are happening near you now. They show you what will soon happen. But you do not understand what they are showing you. Why not?

57 You should know what is right. And you should do it. 58 This may happen to you: Someone says, “You have done something wrong against me.” So he takes hold of you to go to the judge. Before you arrive at the office of the judge, try to agree with this man how to make things right again. If you do not agree together about the problem, it may be bad for you. The judge will give you to his officer. The officer will put you in prison. 59 I tell you. You will remain in prison until you have paid all the money, even the last small coin.’

 

 

Thanks for reading TPL today.  Please take time now to pray for the needs I have listed here and other needs you may be aware of.  If you want me so share a need, please send it to me by using the “contact” link on this page.  Thanks!

Anna Lee

 

Wednesday

“It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger.

He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” 

~Hebrews 11:27 NLT~

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly called yesterday morning from the hospital.  He was doing well and looking forward to a regular room and possibly coming home tomorrow.  Keep praying for him.

 

 

 

Kathy Smith, Bro. Danny’s wife, had knee surgery yesterday.  Pray for a good recovery for her.

 

 

 

Hudson Hobgood, the baby we have been praying for and who recently had heart surgery, got to go home yesterday after 96 days in the hospital.  This family needs more prayers as the family makes adjustments to changes for him.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 11 – Psalm 95: 1-7

 

 

 

The SBC reported these statistics.

MISSION BOARD REPORTS

The International Mission Board (IMB) and North American Mission Board (NAMB) assist churches in evangelizing, discipling, and planting reproducing churches in our nation and around the world in fulllment of the Great Commission.

Overseas missionaries
reported by IMB, 8/30/2019		 3,714
Unengaged Unreached People Groups
reported by IMB, 9/4/2019		 3,176
Domestic missionaries
reported by NAMB in the 2019 Book of Reports		 5,097
New churches planted
reported by NAMB in the 2019 Book of Reports		 624
Existing churches joining with the SBC
reported by NAMB in the 2019 Book of Reports		 254
These numbers help us to realize the importance of the Lottie Moon offering to support the IMB missionaries.

Luke 11

Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray

1 One day, Jesus was praying in a certain place. He finished praying. Then, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Master, John taught his disciples how to pray. Please teach us as he did.’

2 Jesus replied, ‘When you pray, you should say this:

“God, our Father, you are great. We want people to praise your name.

We want the day when you rule everyone to come soon.

3 Please give to us the food that we need each day.

4 Forgive us for our sins,

because we also forgive everyone who has done wrong things against us.

And do not let us agree to do wrong things.” ’

5 Jesus then told a story to teach them how to pray. He said, ‘Let me tell you about someone who goes to a friend’s home at midnight. “My friend,” he says, “please give me three loaves of bread. 6 A friend of mine is on a journey and he has arrived at my house. But I have no food to give him.” 7 But his friend answers from inside his house. He says, “Do not cause problems for me! I have locked my door. My children and I have gone to bed. So I cannot get up and give you any bread.” ’

8 Jesus went on to say, ‘I will tell you what will happen. Perhaps your friend will not give you anything just because you are good friends. But if you continue to knock and ask for bread, your friend will get up. He will give you bread, as much as you need.

9 So I tell you this. Continue to ask God for what you need. Then God will give it to you. Continue to look for what you need. Then you will find it. Continue to knock at the door and God will open it for you. 10 Everyone that asks for something will receive it. Everyone that looks for something will find it. God will open the door for everyone that knocks on it. 11 Some of you are fathers. If your son asks you for a fish, you would not give him a snake instead. 12 If he asks you for an egg, you would not give him something dangerous. 13 You are bad. But even you know how to give good things to your children. Your Father in heaven knows much better than you do how to give good things to his children. So he will give the Holy Spirit to everyone who asks him.’

Jesus teaches about the Devil

14 One day, Jesus was telling a bad spirit to go out of a man. Because of the bad spirit, the man could not speak. But after it had gone out of him, the man could speak again. All the people that were watching were surprised at this. 15 But some people in the crowd were not happy with Jesus and they said, ‘This man can send bad spirits out of people because Beelzebul gives him authority. That is Satan, the one who rules all the bad spirits.’

16 Some other people wanted to see if God had really sent Jesus. So they asked him, ‘Do something powerful for us to see. Then we will know that God has really sent you.’

17 But Jesus knew what those people were thinking. He said to them, ‘If armies in a country start to fight each other, they will destroy their own country. If people in one family fight against each other, they will destroy their own family. 18 So Satan would not fight against himself. If he did that, it would be the end of his kingdom. But you say that Satan helps me to destroy bad spirits. 19 If that is true, what do you say about your own disciples? They also send bad spirits out of people. You would not say that it is Satan’s power that helps them. So your own people show that you are wrong about this. 20 When I send bad spirits out of people, I use the power of God. This shows that God has come to rule among you.

21 When a strong man has all the weapons he needs to fight with, he can take care of his own house. Nobody will be able to rob him of the things inside his house. 22 But someone may come who is stronger than he is. The stronger man will attack him and beat him. The strong man believed his weapons would keep him safe. But the stronger man will take his weapons away. He will take the strong man’s things and give them to other people.

23 If someone does not agree to help me, he is really against me. You should work with me to bring people to me for help. If you do not do that, you are really making people run away from me.’

24 Jesus went on to say, ‘When a bad spirit goes out of a person, it travels through dry places. It looks for a new place to live. But maybe it does not find anywhere. So, it says to itself, “I will return to the place where I lived before.” 25 It goes back to that person. It finds that the place is empty. Everything there is now good and clean. 26 So the bad spirit goes out and it brings back seven other spirits. They are even worse than itself. They all go into the person and they live there. Now the person’s life is even worse than it was before.’

27 While Jesus was saying this, a woman in the crowd shouted out. ‘How happy is the woman that gave birth to you! How happy is the woman that fed you from her breasts!’

28 Jesus replied, ‘How happy, rather, are the people that hear the message from God. That is if they obey it.’

Jesus talks about Jonah

29 The crowd round Jesus was growing very large, so he began to speak to them. ‘The people that are alive today are very bad,’ he said. ‘They want God to show them something powerful. But God will not do this for them. They will only see the same powerful thing that God did for Jonah. 30 Jonah showed God’s power to the people who lived in Nineveh. They knew that God had sent him. In the same way the Son of Man will show God’s power to the people that are living today. Then they will know that God has sent me.

31 Also, the queen of Sheba travelled a long way to see King Solomon. She wanted to hear his wise words. When God judges everyone, she will stand up. She will speak against you who are alive today. She will show that you are bad people. She listened to King Solomon. But look! There is someone here now who is greater than Solomon was.

32 When God judges everyone, the people who lived in Nineveh will be there. They will stand up and they will speak against you. They will show that the people who are alive today are bad. When Jonah spoke to the people in Nineveh long ago, they stopped doing bad things. But look! There is someone here now who is greater than Jonah was.’

Jesus talks about being full of light

33 Jesus went on to say, ‘When someone lights a lamp, he does not hide it. Nor does he put it under a pot. Instead, he puts it in a high place. Then other people who come into the room can see the light from the lamp. 34 Your eyes are like lamps, and your body is like a room. Make sure that your eyes are like a clean lamp, then your whole body will have light. But if your eyes are dirty, your whole body will be completely in the dark. 35 So, you must be careful. Be sure that you really have light in you. Be sure that you are not still in the dark. 36 Your whole body needs to have lots of light. Nothing dark should be there. It will be as if a lamp is shining its bright light on you.’

37 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to eat a meal with him. So, Jesus went to the Pharisee’s house and he sat down at the table. 38 Jesus did not wash his hands before he ate the meal. This surprised the Pharisee. 39 So the Lord Jesus said to him, ‘You Pharisees are like someone who only cleans the outside of his cup and his plate. You only clean the part that people can see. But inside, your mind is full of bad thoughts. You like to take things from other people. 40 What fools you are! God made the inside of you as well as the outside. He knows all about you. 41 So be ready to give things to poor people. Then you will be really clean, on the inside as well as the outside.

42 It will be bad for you Pharisees! When you grow little plants to cook with food, you give a part to God. One tenth belongs to God. You are right to obey this rule. But you do not do the most important things. You do not help people in a good way. You do not really love God. You should have done the important things as well as the other little things.

43 Yes, it will be bad for you Pharisees! You like to sit in the best seats in the meeting place. And you like people to praise you in the market place like an important person.

44 It will be very bad for you. You want to seem good to other people, but you are bad on the inside. You are like a place where they have buried a dead person. People walk on that place because they do not know that there is a dead person there.’

45 Then a teacher of God’s Law spoke out. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘when you say these things, you are also saying bad things about us.’

46 Jesus replied, ‘It will be bad for you teachers of God’s Law as well. You give rules to people to obey. Those rules are like things that are too heavy for people to carry. You do not even help people to carry them. Not even with one finger do you help them!

47 Yes, it will be bad for you! A long time ago, your ancestors killed God’s prophets. Now, you build up beautiful stones to show the place where they buried them. 48 You know that your ancestors killed the prophets. Now you build up the places where they buried them. So you show that you agree with your ancestors. You agree with what they did. 49 God is wise. Because you do not obey what is true, he said, “I will send my prophets and apostles to go to them. But they will kill some of my servants. They will hurt others of them.” 50 Since the beginning of the world, people have killed God’s prophets. But God will punish the people who are alive today for all those murders. 51 Abel was the first to die like this and Zechariah was the last. They even killed Zechariah in the yard of God’s Great House, near the altar. Yes, God will punish the people who are alive today for all those murders.

52 It will be bad for you teachers of God’s Law! You have studied God’s message. But you do not then accept it. You have also stopped people who really wanted to know God’s message. Then they could not go on to accept it and go into God’s kingdom.’

53 Then Jesus left that place. The Pharisees and the teachers of God’s Law were angry against Jesus. They were asking him many difficult questions. 54 They wanted to make him say something wrong. Then they could take hold of him.

 

 

 

I hope you are keeping up with the readings from Luke.  If not, it is never too late to go to Luke 1 and to begin reading.

Anna Lee