What Jesus Did : Luke 4:42-44 - Sticking with the Mission
by Phil Ware
Sticking with the Mission - Luke 4:42-44
The next day Jesus went to a place to be alone. The people looked for Jesus. When the people found Jesus, they tried to stop him from leaving. But Jesus said to them, "I must tell the Good News about God's kingdom to other towns, too. This is why I was sent." Then Jesus told {the Good News} in the synagogues in Judea. (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
The wilderness was the quiet place Jesus went to be alone with God; it was a place of renewal and relationship for Jesus. It was a place of renewal because this was where he reconnected with his Father and his Father's will. It was a place of relationship because Jesus would speak directly and privately with his Father. After being wildly successful blessing people and making things better, Jesus is now fully committed to going to other villages and sharing the Gospel because that was his mission. If Jesus took time to be alone with God in a special place, then we must follow his example and do the same. If we don't, then we will continue to be distracted by urgent things and lose our focus on the things most essential to our mission!
Today's Prayer
Father, forgive me for trying to do too much of my ministry on my own. I recognize that my wisdom is shallow and lacking, especially when there are so many pressing urgent demands. Please show me your will and help me to stay focused on your mission for my life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
Jesus went to Capernaum, a city in Galilee. On the Sabbath day Jesus taught the people. They were amazed at Jesus' teaching, because he spoke with authority (power). In the synagogue there was a man that had an evil spirit from the devil inside him. The man shouted with a loud voice, "Jesus of Nazareth! What do you want with us? Did you come here to destroy us? I know who you are—God's Holy One!" But Jesus warned the evil spirit to stop. Jesus said, "Be quiet! Come out of the man!" The evil spirit threw the man down on the ground before all the people. Then the evil spirit left the man and did not hurt him. The people were amazed. They said to each other, "What does this mean? With authority and power he (Jesus) commands evil spirits and they come out." And so the news about Jesus spread to every place in the whole area. Jesus left the synagogue. He went to Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was very sick. She had a high fever. They asked Jesus to do something to help her. Jesus stood very close to her and commanded the sickness to leave her. The sickness left her. Then she got up and began serving them. When the sun went down, the people brought their sick friends to Jesus. They had many different kinds of sickness. Jesus put his hands on each sick person and healed them. Demons came out of many people. The demons shouted, "You are the Son of God." But Jesus gave a strong command for the demons not to speak, because they knew Jesus was the Christ. The next day Jesus went to a place to be alone. The people looked for Jesus. When the people found Jesus, they tried to stop him from leaving. But Jesus said to them, "I must tell the Good News about God's kingdom to other towns, too. This is why I was sent." Then Jesus told {the Good News} in the synagogues in Judea.-- Luke 4:31-44 (ERV)
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