Author: Kristen Kansiewicz, LMHC

Take a moment to read Luke 11:1-13 before reading the devotional below.

When I do something, my children imitate it. (I learned a long time ago that if I eat vegetables as if I do not want to share with my children they beg me for vegetables… Shh, don’t tell…) Jesus’ disciples — who were on the immature side since Jesus handpicked those who needed to learn from him most — see him praying and they want to know how to do it too.

Many of us have heard and recited the Lord’s Prayer a lot. What strikes me most about it right now is that Jesus focused first on God, then on the collective “we.” God, we love you and honor you. We want to live in your kingdom — bring it soon! Meet our needs, forgive us and help us to forgive each other, keep us away from temptation. Those words are not, “meet my needs” or “keep me away from temptation.” It’s “us.” We’re all in this together. In Matthew 22, Jesus says that the greatest commandments are to love God and to love others. His prayer here really reflects that and gives us a template for how to pray and how to think about what our priorities are.

Jesus follows up his prayer lesson by sharing a story about how friends as well as parents/children would naturally relate and says that God wants to show us that same kind friendship and loving parenting. Here’s your freedom for today: God is eager to love you, care for you, parent you and befriend you. Even if you have already known those truths, let them sink in again in this moment. Maybe your friends have harmed you in the past or your parents did not want to give you good things. Those earthly experiences are the complete opposite of God’s nature and kingdom. Let your images and assumptions of God break as you breathe in the reality that he is for you today.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Luke 10 before watching today’s special video post!

Watch today’s Freedom For Today devotional and leave a comment here or on YouTube! Let me know what you think of the video format.

Have you Liked the Freedom For Today Facebook page? Do it and stay connected with others on the journey.

If you are enjoying Freedom For Today, share it with your friends! You can use it as a Bible reading guide to discuss together. Click on the Facebook and Twitter buttons above this post to easily share.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Luke 9 before reading the devotional below.

The theme that jumped off the page as I read this chapter was, “Take nothing with you.” Jesus shows off in a bunch of ways by using nothing to make something. Cast out demons and heal every disease? Sure, I have nothing but the clothes on my back! 5,000 people suddenly over for dinner? No problem, I have nothing to give them! Want to live a life full of everything? Great, just lose everything important to you! Are you up for a huge promotion in the kingdom of God? Super, be sure to be the last one in line!

If you cling to nothing then Satan’s power is extremely limited in your life. When we live like we have nothing to lose, we stop protecting our own interests and instead think of others first. No one can steal from you if you freely give whatever you have away.

Here’s your freedom for today: live a life holding on to nothing but faith, hope and love. We know these eternal things will be with us forever. Everything else Satan can try to rob, but he cannot steal your faith. He cannot take your hope. And he cannot snatch you away from God’s love. Against these things he is utterly powerless.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Luke 8 before reading the devotional below.

We’ve been talking about how Jesus was a rule-breaker who was willing to offend those who thought they knew God well (see yesterday’s post). As we journey on into chapter 8, we continue to see the confrontational nature of Jesus. His authoritative claims force us all to confront ourselves and our beliefs. What do we do with Jesus? Everyone must answer this question at some point in life.

In verses 4-15, Jesus tells and then explains a parable in which seeds are scattered on four types of soil. If you’ve been around church for any length of time, you’ve heard this one in a variety of forms. What strikes me most is that it emphasizes this confrontation with Jesus: you will either never believe, believe enthusiastically but never grow, believe but love all your other stuff more, or believe and grow. That’s it. Everyone will be in one of those categories. Jesus’ life, unquestionably historic even by those who do not follow him, confronts us still today.

The rest of the chapter is more mind-bending supernatural stuff. Story after story of healings and exorcisms and weather control. We like to talk about Jesus calming the “storms of life,” but that is a lame, watered-down retelling. He literally changed the weather. He threw a legion of demons into a bunch of pigs who then jumped off a cliff. These are not cute children’s Bible stories. These are confrontations with the supernatural. And this is the space in our minds where faith can exist.

Here’s your freedom for today: faith is not about you feeling better. Sometimes we feel like we don’t have enough faith if we struggle with depression or anxiety or other emotional issues. But faith is the position you take with the supernatural confrontation of Jesus. Are you willing to wrap your mind around who he is and what he did while on earth? Are you willing to wrestle with tough questions about the supernatural realm? Don’t weaken the definition of faith by making it about your feelings. Wrestle with the genuine spiritual questions Jesus forces us to answer.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Luke 7 before reading the devotional below.

Jesus was socially inappropriate. Politically incorrect. Rule breaker in sometimes horrifying ways. This chapter is full of cultural faux pas as Jesus offers healing and kindness to a solider of the regime oppressing the Jewish people, disrupts a funeral procession, publicly calls out the religious elites, praises a well-known prostitute after she won’t stop kissing his feet, and asserts the power to forgive sins (which only God could claim to do). It’s like he’s looking for ways to offend people. And I think he was.

Contrast that with today’s churches. Many churches are making their services flashier, their flyers cooler, and their sermons snazzier to appeal to the masses and give them more of what they want. Now, let’s not swing in the other direction (which many Christians have been known to do) and take Jesus’ ministry as a license to be obnoxious people. Don’t needlessly offend people, and when you do offend people make sure it’s the right people.

Those who were most offended by Jesus were those who thought they were closest to God. He was calling out the ones who would consider themselves to be the most devout. He was offering hope to people who thought they were counted out of society. There was no way they could ever claim to be religious, that’s for sure. Here’s your freedom for today: offend people with your kindness to those who least expect it. Show mercy to those who don’t deserve it. Offend people’s religious propriety by moving with the Spirit and displaying the heart of God for all to see. You just might get to see some people’s lives changed.