Luke 13:18-21 Growing in God
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: September 19, 2018 Luke 13:18-21
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
(Understanding the Text / Revelation of God) Here, Jesus is saying that the kingdom of heaven is not a place, but a way of being. He told us that when it first enters a person it is tiny and hidden, but it begins growing and increasing, and you can see the growth. It spreads until it is in every part of a person. The end result is that the person becomes full of the Spirit and becomes a blessing for others. The kingdom of heaven is God’s power living in me and permeating every aspect of my life.
Pastor David Ascherick emphasizes the unexpected aspects of these sayings. When Jesus asked “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it,” the disciples were probably expecting something like the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation-streets of gold and pearly gates. They were expecting that Jesus was finally going to tell them about power and glory. Instead, Jesus begins with a mustard seed. They were probably waiting impatiently for Him to get to the glory after He said that it would grow and provide shade. However, Jesus then went back to leaven and said it was like making bread. The disciples never did get to hear Jesus focus in on the pearly gates.
Jesus was using common everyday occurrences to illustrate something almost impossible for us humans to comprehend. Seeds and leaven were part of each listener’s daily experience. It is interesting that Jesus uses living things to compare to the Kingdom of Heaven. We are dead in our sins, but when we accept the kingdom of God into our hearts, we start to revive. We become alive in a way that we were not before and ultimately that life will completely transform us into being fully alive first spiritually, then mentally/emotionally, and finally physically at Jesus’ second coming. It is about healing and growth and restoration.
(Application / Prayer) My application to myself is that even though I cannot see the leaven or the mustard growing in me, it is. By faith, I need to believe that God is working in me and transforming me. My job is to let the process continue and not interfere with my own selfish, deadly attitude. I need to let life come back into my deadened heart and limbs. I cannot make the process proceed but I can hinder it. I need to stop focusing on self and focus on Jesus. Then the kingdom can continue to grow connecting me to heaven. Jesus, connect me to You. I want to be a part of the kingdom of heaven always.