Week 2 Wednesday
Abram puts aside his grievance and rescues Lot, Psalm 8 lifts our eyes to the majesty of God and our place in His creation, and Jesus faces the devil head-on in the wilderness before returning to His hometown with a bombshell announcement.
Genesis 14-15
📖 What are we reading? Abram puts aside any grudge with Lot and rescues him from his captors. He then honours God and gives generously of his blessings. In chapter 15 we read the famous covenant God makes with Abram - a deeply moving moment in which God binds Himself to His promises in an extraordinary way.
✞ What does this passage say about God? Chapter 15 verse 6 is one of the most important verses in the entire Bible - Abram believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. This sets the pattern for God's salvation by faith, not by works. The same grace that saved Abram saves us.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live? Abram's generosity and his refusal to take credit or profit from his victory are a wonderful example. He gives God the glory, and he gives generously to others. How readily do we do the same when God gives us a win?
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: Genesis, meaning "beginnings", was written by Moses around 1400 BC, and covers the story of creation, the fall, and the origins of God's chosen people, Israel.
🎤 A sermon by Luke on Abram giving rather than taking.
🎤 A sermon by Luke on Abram's humanness from Genesis 15.
Psalm 8
📖 What are we reading? A breathtaking psalm of praise in which David marvels at the majesty of God's name across all the earth, and then wonders, in humble astonishment, why a God so great would care about human beings at all.
✞ What does this passage say about God? His majesty is set above the heavens - and yet He is mindful of us. He has crowned us with glory and honour and given us responsibility over His creation. That combination of His greatness and His care for us is staggering.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live? This psalm both humbles us and dignifies us at the same time. We are small - yet God has entrusted His creation to our care. May verse 9 linger with you today: "Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: The Psalms is a collection of 150 poems and songs, written by David and others, expressing the full range of human emotion in response to God and to life.
Luke 4:1-30
📖 What are we reading? Freshly baptised, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness where He is tested by the devil for forty days. He returns to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and then preaches His first sermon in His hometown of Nazareth - a stunning declaration of who He is and what He has come to do. The crowd's reaction is deeply revealing.
✞ What does this passage say about God? Jesus' testing in the wilderness shows us that He faced every temptation we face - and overcame it by the Word of God. His sermon in Nazareth is a clear and bold statement of His mission: good news for the poor, freedom for the prisoner, sight for the blind. This is our God - One who comes to set people free.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live? Jesus fought every temptation with Scripture - that is a powerful model for us. His sermon in Nazareth also reminds us that familiarity can be one of the greatest enemies of faith. The hometown crowd thought they knew Him, and that knowledge closed their hearts. Ask yourself: has familiarity ever dulled your response to Jesus?
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: Luke's Gospel was written by Luke, a Greek physician and companion of Paul, around AD 60-62. It is the most detailed account of Jesus' life, and is especially attentive to the poor, to women, and to outcasts.
A Prayer for the Day
🙏 Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! Thank You that You are a God who saves by grace and not by works. Help us to fight temptation with Your Word, to give You the glory in every victory, and to come to You today with open, receptive hearts. Amen.
If you’re enjoying this programme, please consider supporting Luke with a prayer, or a donation, here.
