Tuesday, June 3

Luke 10:1-17 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray, therefore, the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (v.2)

Where our family lives in northern Illinois, cornfields are being harvested with bulldozers and land movers, not tractors and combines. The fruit of those that labor is not eating-corn or seed-corn, but condominiums and townhouses. Farmland, once plentiful in middle America, is disappearing fast.

Likewise, we live in a nation where there is an unprecedented hunger for spiritual fulfillment. While some sow wild oats, others can be seen planting “faith.” The current fascination with the supernatural is evidence that the fields around us are ripe and ready to be harvested.

As I contemplate Jesus’ challenge to his followers embarking on a short-term mission trip, I think I can hear his heartbeat. It pulsates louder and louder. Jesus’ heart is beating faster and faster. His heart beats for those who long for a relationship with him. His desire is that our hearts would beat in sync with his. Not only does he call us to reach out to the spiritually hungry around us, we are to pray that God will sensitize other Christians to help us reap.

Just like the cornfields around my home, “the fields” now ripe won’t always be farmable. Ask the Lord to show you how to “work the fields.” Friendship? Letters? An invitation to a Bible study? Reading a Christian book as a group?

Ezekiel 7:10-15, 23b-27; Psalms 97, 99, 100; Hebrews 6:13-20

Wednesday, June 4

Luke 10:17-24 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” (v.17)

Be honest. Would you say that joy accompanies you to work as often as your cell phone does? Is joy even on the shelf where you shop? Do you long to have more joy in your life? I do!

Happiness is (by definition) an emotional response to what happens to us. In contrast, joy is a response of our spirits to the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. When Jesus’ colleagues returned from their outreach project, they were genuinely “pumped up.” Can’t you see their broad smiles? Can’t you picture them slapping each other on the back as each pair of disciples shared the remarkable things that God had done through them?

According to verse 21, even Jesus was filled with joy. I’ll bet as he prayed to the Father his words were punctuated with laughter and peaceful sighs. But there is another reference to joy in Luke’s account. In verse 20, Jesus helps us understand how we can be joyful more than we are. He says that whereas a Christian’s joy is connected to their ministry, it is based in their identity. Apart from the thrill that comes from letting the Holy Spirit flow through us, our hearts can be content and filled with praise just knowing that we belong to God. When we remember that the One who claims us will care for us, we can face whatever “happens” with a joyful heart!

Ezekiel 11:14-25; Psalms 101, 109:1-30; Hebrews 7:1-17

Thursday, June 5

Luke 10:25-37 “But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion.” (v.33)

Corrie ten Boom was a young Dutch woman imprisoned by the Nazis during World War II. Her heinous crime? Harboring Jews in her home. While in a concentration camp, she wondered if she could survive emotionally. Then she recalled something her father had told her when she was a child: “God never gives us our ticket until it’s time to get on the train.” She found that when she needed faith and courage, she received it in adequate supply.

I’m impressed by the phrase in Luke’s account of the Good Samaritan that says, “when he saw him he had compassion.” Not until the Samaritan traveler came upon the injured victim did he discover that compassion had been packed in his knapsack.

I’ve traveled that stretch between Jerusalem and Jericho. It’s a tricky series of switchbacks. Two thousand years later it remains a risky road. The path of Christian discipleship is dotted with risks and challenges, too. Taking our relationship with Jesus seriously includes circumstances which test our faith and our love. When we read about the hero in today’s lesson, it is fair to wonder if we would have had the courage to help (let alone have compassion—remember there was no love lost between a Samaritan and a Jew). I take comfort in taking one step at a time. Trying to guess what we’d do before we are faced with a test isn’t as accurate as looking for the ticket when we hear the train approaching.

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-32; Psalm 105:1-22; Hebrews 7:18-28

Friday, June 6

Luke 10:38-42 “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone.” (v.40)

Life isn’t fair! The sooner we accept that fact, the overcast of unrealistic expectations burns off. We live in an imperfect world that is infected with a virus first discovered in a Garden a long time ago. Injustice. Imperfection. Unfairness. Those are the triplet sisters of the sin-stained human family.

Martha was upset (and rightly so). It was unfair that she be left to do all the work in the kitchen to prepare for Jesus and his friends. Her sister Mary was fully capable of lending a hand. But Martha was probably the first born and Mary most likely the last born. Each with the tendencies associated with each. Even though it would have been loving and kind for Mary to have helped Martha, Jesus affirmed Mary’s decision to lounge at his feet and listen to his words. In fact, he calls Martha to quit keeping score and pull up a chair.

In other words, in the midst of life’s unfair situations we can take comfort in “time alone with God.” There will always be work to do in the kitchen. There will always be those who should help, but don’t. Being a Christian doesn’t mean we are as considerate as we might be. But being a Christian does mean we can find understanding and hope in the One who cherishes our attention and prayer.

Ezekiel 34:17-31; Psalm 102; Hebrews 8:1-13

Saturday, June 7

Luke 11:14-23 “When the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke and the people marveled.” (v.14)

The first time I heard the word “dumb” used in a sentence to refer to a person, I laughed. “What do you mean that man is dumb?” I asked. “I thought you weren’t supposed to call people names!” Little did I realize that “dumb” was the correct term for someone who could not speak. I was just a kid and had much to learn about vocabulary...and life.

I had much to learn about spiritual realities as well. Not until I was a teenager with a growing understanding of what it meant to have a “personal relationship with Jesus” did I understand the consequences of being a Christian. Being assured that my sin was forgiven and that my eternal destination was assured, I found my voice. I had reason to speak out and speak up about the Lord. I wasn’t tongue-tied anymore. My mouth found motion. My lips found language. In my daily quiet time and in Sunday worship and in conversations with friends and family I could praise God and witness to His love. The demon of fear was gone.

Ezekiel 43:1-12; Psalms 107:33-43, 108; Hebrews 9:1-14

Sunday, June 8

1 Corinthians 2:1-13 Who knows a person’s depths except their own spirit that lives in them? In the same way, no one has known the depths of God except God’s Spirit. We haven’t received the world’s spirit but God’s Spirit so that we can know the things given to us by God. (vv.11-12 CEB)

Today, the Day of Pentecost, commemorates when God gave His Holy Spirit to ordinary people—not only to kings and prophets as in ancient Israel—but also emboldening Jesus’ followers to spread the gospel, endure persecution and hardship, be discerning in prayer, and rejoice in all circumstances.

The Lord still gives His Spirit to all who believe in Christ. In the Anglican tradition, we believe that those being baptized—even if they are only infants—receive the Holy Spirit. I liken this to a pilot light that must be maintained, then gets turned up to a higher flame as faith increases.

As a new believer, I received the Holy Spirit at a charismatic church. Through that gift I became an intercessor; was called to a ministry of healing and deliverance; and eventually discerned God inviting me to serve Him as a priest. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is our GPS—God’s Purposes Shown. We just have to follow His directions!

Isaiah 11:1-9; Psalm 118; John 14:21-29

Monday, June 9

Luke 18:31-34 Jesus stopped and called for the man to be brought to him. When he was present Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, I want to see.” (vv.40-41)

Since Jesus is God in person, he certainly knew what the blind man wanted—and needed. So why did he ask him? I think it’s because our Lord knows that part of effective healing is a positive will. Many of us know people whose health improved—sometimes after a terrible diagnosis—because they wanted to heal. And we know others who could feel better but are too dependent on the sympathy and help they receive because of their ailment.

Even if we are well, “Lord, I want to see,” is a wonderful request. I love the old Sunday School prayer we taught our kids: “Good Morning, Lord, this is Your day. I am Your child, show me Your way.” Amen!

Deuteronomy 30:1-10; Psalms 56, 57, 58; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18

Tuesday, June 10

Deuteronomy 30:11-20 “This commandment that I’m giving you right now is definitely not too difficult for you. It isn’t unreachable. Look here! Today I’ve set before you life and what’s good versus death and what’s wrong.” (vv.11, 15)

This text is part of many chapters in which God lays out His covenant with the nation of Israel. If they observe it faithfully, all will go well for them. But when you read forward in the Old Testament, you find out they did not follow God’s laws and were eventually sent into exile to teach them a lesson. Yet the Lord tells us His commandments aren’t difficult or out of reach, and they all come down to life vs. death/good vs. evil. It doesn’t get any clearer than that.

Oh, but enter free will—along with money that leads to greed, politics that leads to division, animosity, and violence—and quickly we lose sight of God’s simple equation: Life or death? Good or evil? An old Buddhist adage says, “If it’s not true, kind, or necessary, don’t say it.” I would add, “or think, or do it.” Works for Christians, too.

Psalms 61, 62; 2 Corinthians 11:1-21a; Luke 19:1-10