Bridget A. Thomas

Read Luke 5 in your Bible. Or you can also read it here.

I love the story found in Luke 5:17-26.  Long story short, a paralyzed man and his friends came to see Jesus one day. But the place was so crowded they couldn’t get in. The man’s friends “went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.” (v. 19) And Jesus healed the paralyzed man that day.

“There are two things I want to point out in this story. First of all, this story is just one of numerous examples of how Jesus helped others. Jesus didn’t tell the paralyzed man that He was too busy to help him that day. He didn’t tell him that He was in the middle of teaching. He didn’t tell him to come back another day. Jesus always made those around Him a priority. Jesus was selfless and loving, always. When He walked the earth, Jesus looked out for others. He helped anyone He could, He healed all those who were sick, and He spread love everywhere He went. Jesus should be our role model and who we try to be more like in our earthly walk.

I also want to point out the friends of the paralyzed man. The place was too crowded for them to bring the man through the door. So they climbed on top of the roof to lower the man down! This just blows me away. How many people do you know who would do that? Most people today would just say something like, “Sorry, man, we can’t get in. We tried. Today is not your day. Maybe some other time.” But these men decided to do whatever it would take to help their friend and they didn’t allow anything to stop them.

This story really makes me reflect on my own behaviors. Would I be that tenacious to help a friend in need? Would I do whatever it took? I hope that we all would. Imagine how beautiful the world would be if we all remembered that we were working for the kingdom of God, if we all served the Lord with our whole heart, if we all were kind to those around us, and if we all spread the love of Jesus. I think we would see miracles take place.”¹

If you are also participating in the Gratitude Challenge, today is day 76 of 100. Keep going! You’re doing great!

© Bridget A. Thomas. ¹Excerpt from Giving God Your Whole Heart by Bridget A. Thomas.

Read Luke 4 in your Bible. Or you can also read it here.

When reading about the way the devil tried to tempt Jesus in the desert, I love how Jesus always came back with an answer. And not just any answer, but He used Scripture every time. This reminds me that studying the Bible helps us when we face battles in life.

“The truth is that we live in a fallen world, and as Christians we are going to see adversity. Much of it, I believe, comes from Satan. He is our enemy whose desire is to bring us down, which means we have to be prepared. When a young person joins the army, he goes through training. In the beginning he has to go through boot camp, which gets him into shape quickly. Even when boot camp is over, he doesn’t cease to keep his body fit. He doesn’t stop his target practice. He has to stay sharp and ready in case of battle. The same is true for Christians. We have to be ready every single day. Our enemy doesn’t stop. He doesn’t take a nap, and he doesn’t declare peace. So we too need to be on guard at all times, and the Bible is our weapon. Hebrews 4:12 says, ‘For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.’ This verse shows us how powerful the Bible is. When we are faced with any adversity, we can use Bible verses as our armor. This is precisely what Jesus did when the devil tried to tempt Him, in Luke 4:1-13.”¹

In this passage of Scripture, we see how Jesus stood on the truth found in the Word of God. And we can do the same. When we are facing a difficulty, we can use the truth found in the Bible as our defense. But I encourage you to start reading the Bible on a daily basis now. Don’t wait until you are in trouble. When you make reading the Bible a consistent and solid habit in your life, you are allowing the Word of God to flow through your heart and soul. Then you will be strong and ready for battle when you need to be.

The Bible is a precious gift that the Lord has given us. It is our guidebook and our love letter. We have so much to gain from reading it. And when we are consistent, it is amazing how we draw closer to God and find a new sense of peace in our lives.

If you are also participating in the Gratitude Challenge, today is day 75 of 100. You are three quarters of the way there. I hope you have seen how gratitude is helping improve your outlook!

© Bridget A. Thomas. ¹ Excerpt from Giving God Your Whole Heart by Bridget A. Thomas.

Read Luke 3 in your Bible. Or you can also read it here.

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” – Luke 3:21-22 NIV

There is something that we tend to forget, as children of God. In our day to day lives, we forget that we are already loved. We forget that we are already redeemed. We forget that we are already forgiven. We tend to subconsciously work for our salvation. We work to please God. Yes, it is true that our actions should be done for God’s glory. But we do them out of love, not to gain His approval. We already have His approval. Once we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we cannot become move loved than we already are.

A couple of years ago, pastor Louie Giglio released an exceptional book called Not Forsaken. It is an eye opening book, that helps us to see our relationship with our Heavenly Father in a new light. Around the time when he released this book, the morning show on my local radio station had him on the air (The Morning Cruise on the Joy FM). You can hear one of the clips here. It was two years ago, but something that Louie Giglio said stuck with me:

I think so many people are living FOR something, instead of living FROM something. When Jesus was baptized the Father didn’t say, “This is my beloved Son and we’ll see how He does. This is my beloved Son, and you know what? We’re gonna give Him three years.” He said, “This is my Son, in Him I am well pleased.” He hadn’t walked on water, He hadn’t fed five thousand, He had not raised the dead, nor healed the sick, or died for our sins. What had He done? Oh, He was a Loved Son. That’s who He was. So Jesus moves out into this public ministry FROM acceptance and FROM the blessing, not FOR acceptance and FOR the blessing. And so many people are confused about who they are. And they’re floundering looking FOR the acceptance, looking FOR the blessing. When God wants them to know they already HAVE the acceptance and they already HAVE the blessing. And that’s where they live FROM now, as they move out to do and be the people he’s created them to be. – Louie Giglio

How amazing it is to know that we are fully loved and fully accepted. I pray we can keep this in mind today and everyday. Let our words and actions be for God’s honor and glory. But let us remember that we are not working for approval. We already have it. Thanks to Jesus. God loves us beyond measure. It is not something we earned. His love is a precious gift that we received, as His children.

If you are also participating in the Gratitude Challenge, today is day 74 of 100. We are getting close to the finish line!

© 2021 Bridget A. Thomas

Read Luke 2 in your Bible. Or you can also read it here.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. – Luke 2:6-7

Mary was not married, yet she found herself expecting a baby. Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, felt blindsided and betrayed. He wanted to end the engagement. Mary was nearing her due date when there was a census being held. This meant they had to travel to Bethlehem, as that is where Joseph’s family line came from. Imagine Mary traveling on a donkey with a round belly. When they arrived, they were told there was no room at the inn, no place to lay their heads. They had to make due elsewhere. And this is where Mary had her baby. Not in the comfort and familiarity of her own home.

With all these obstacles, did Mary and Joseph wonder if God had deserted them? If this baby was from God, wouldn’t all their plans work out perfectly? Was God still there? Or did He forget about them? Was He going to let them figure this all out on their own?

Many things in this story appeared to be going “wrong.” There were many unexpected moments and events that occurred. Things were a bit unorthodox and messy. Perhaps some of us would have felt frustrated, or maybe even angry, if we had to face these issues. Yet out of this unusual and messy scenario came a Savior. A small baby named Jesus was born. The Messiah. The Prince of Peace. Emmanuel. God with us. In time, He would save us from our sins. Out of an unusual and messy situation came the perfect Lamb of God.

When I think about all the inconveniences that occurred around the first Christmas, it gives me peace. Why? Because our lives can be very messy too. There are many things in our lives that appear to be wrong or unconventional on the surface. We face many issues, big and small, day after day. There are a lot of things that come our way which we would rather not face, if we had a choice. At times we might get irritated with life. We might wonder if God forgot about us. We might think He deserted us. But just like with the events that occurred over 2,000 years ago, we can rest assured knowing that God is in control. God is working all things out for good. God is still on the throne.

If you are walking in His will and if you are seeking Him with all your heart, you can have peace when life hands you difficulties. God will be by your side, just like He was by Mary and Joseph’s sides. He is there, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Peace can be yours in any situation when you place your life in the Lord’s hands. Christmas is one day out of the year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior. But on the remaining 364 days in the year, we still have Jesus, we can still worship our Savior, and we can still have peace

If you are also participating in the Gratitude Challenge, today is day 73 of 100. Continue to write down ten things you are thankful for each day!

© Bridget A. Thomas. Originally posted on Christians Read entitled Peace on Earth by Bridget A. Thomas on December 12, 2019.

Read Luke 1 in your Bible. Or you can also read it here.

Luke 1 gives us a lot of details that lead up to Jesus’ birth, details which we do not see in the other gospels. It talks about the foretelling of two births – John the Baptist and Jesus.

First, we read about the foretelling of the birth of John the Baptist. John’s parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, were old and had no children. Zechariah was a priest. Both he and Elizabeth were “righteous in the sight of God” (Luke 1:6). One day Zechariah “was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.” (v 9)

This was a special day for Zechariah. Not only because of the duties he was to perform that day, but also because of something extraordinary that happened while he was in the temple. The angel, Gabriel, appeared to Zechariah while he was inside and told him that Elizabeth would soon bear a son.

What an amazing promise this must have been. Was hope bubbling up inside of Zechariah? We don’t have the answer. But as the story unfolds, it does appear that doubt had creeped in. “Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.’” (v. 18)

Due to Zechariah’s questioning, things take a slight turn. Gabriel tells him, “…you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” (v. 20) Yikes. How scary it must have been to not be able to speak for many months.

Later in this chapter we read about the foretelling of Jesus’ birth. The same angel, Gabriel, appeared to Mary and tells her that she too will have a son. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” (v 32)

I wonder what emotions ran through Mary when she heard this news. Was she fearful or hopeful? Was she in awe or confused? In verse 34, Mary does question Gabriel by asking how this can happen since she is a young, unmarried girl.

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. …For no word from God will ever fail.” (v 35,37)

How did Mary reply to that? I am amazed by her response. In verse 38 Mary says, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” Mary’s words are inspiring. Would any of us have been able to submit to the Lord in this situation? Do we submit to the Lord this easily in less consequential situations? How I wish I always had this attitude. In fact, this story makes me cringe at my reaction to much smaller circumstances, when something comes my way that I did not plan for.

And reading through this chapter in Luke, I am struck by the contrast in these two different stories. Zechariah who doubted versus Mary who surrendered. Reading this shows me the importance of speaking faith with our words. It is not always easy to speak faith, but it is possible because we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. It must start in our hearts. We must fully trust in the Lord first, and then our words will better reflect our faith. May the words that come out of our mouths be pleasing to the Lord. May our words show God, ourselves, and those around us that we have strong faith in our trustworthy Father.

If you are also participating in the Gratitude Challenge, today is day 72 of 100. Keep up the good work!

© Bridget A. Thomas. Adapted from original post on Christians Read entitled Speak Faith by Bridget A. Thomas on December 10, 2020.