Today's reading is Luke Chapter 5.
Luke Chapter 5 World English Bible
Now while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. 2 He saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered him, “Master, we worked all night and caught nothing; but at your word I will let down the net.” 6 When they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 They beckoned to their partners in the other boat, that they should come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.” 9 For he was amazed, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had caught; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will be catching people alive.”
11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything, and followed him.
12 While he was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full of leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, saying, “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.”
13 He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.”
Immediately the leprosy left him. 14 He commanded him to tell no one, “But go your way and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing according to what Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”
15 But the report concerning him spread much more, and great multitudes came together to hear and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 16 But he withdrew himself into the desert and prayed.
17 On one of those days, he was teaching; and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by who had come out of every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal them. 18 Behold, men brought a paralyzed man on a cot, and they sought to bring him in to lay before Jesus. 19 Not finding a way to bring him in because of the multitude, they went up to the housetop and let him down through the tiles with his cot into the middle before Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, he said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”
22 But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered them, “Why are you reasoning so in your hearts? 23 Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, arise, take up your cot, and go to your house.”
25 Immediately he rose up before them, and took up that which he was laying on, and departed to his house, glorifying God. 26 Amazement took hold on all, and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”
27 After these things he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and said to him, “Follow me!”
28 He left everything, and rose up and followed him. 29 Levi made a great feast for him in his house. There was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them. 30 Their scribes and the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
33 They said to him, “Why do John’s disciples often fast and pray, likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink?”
34 He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast in those days.”
36 He also told a parable to them. “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old garment, or else he will tear the new, and also the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 No one puts new wine into old wine skins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved. 39 No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”
I pray everyone learns from reading God's Word . Feel free to share anything that you learned or that stood out to you while reading. Also ask any questions you may have as well.
What stands out to me reading this today is the leper and Jesus . The leper would have never known Jesus was willing to heal him, if he never conversed with Jesus. Sometimes we don’t know what the Lord wants, simply because we do not take the time to speak with Him, nor take the time to listen. God speaks , but He is not one to waste His breath. He may not answer someone simply because He knows a person isn’t seeking Him for the relationship, instead He knows when we seek Him purely because of what we are trying to gain or get.
I think what stands out to me in this chapter, is the opportunity/ the commands Jesus gives. So many testimonies of miracles in this chapter and every situation was different. But Jesus commanded them to do something, some obeyed , others didn’t .
Maybe we dismiss the disobedience of the one person told not to tell what happened, because well he’s telling about Jesus. But Jesus told him not to tell, and there is always a reason he tells us something. Other miracles the reports spread so much when they were told to stay quiet, that Jesus couldn’t enter cities or towns without tons of people around Him. It made it harder to find a place to withdraw to renew His strength in prayer and fellowship with the Father.
We may not know why He commanded such obedience through the different commands, but if we don’t obey in the simple everyday commands written in His Word , what makes us expect to hear a different command, if we didn’t obey the last thing He told us?
There are some commands in scripture that are mentioned as God’s Will, hold onto what is good, repent of sin. Pray continually, and be thankful in everything , not for everything. There is always something to be thankful each day even if it’s the air you breathe or the food you eat. Rejoice always… the list could go on. Read His Word and get to know Him that way better, so you can have wisdom and discernment concerning the voices you hear and the choices that are more personal that you must make that aren’t found in the pages of the Bible.