Tuesday's Together in the Word!

Welcome to Tuesday's in the Word... We are a group of women reading through the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs using the same reading plan and holding each other accountable. On Tuesdays we share what we gleaned from our time of study in the Word. To join us and to read what others have to share visit DeeDee, we would love for you to join us!



This past week several passages spoke to my heart, leading me to ask myself some questions and take a more in depth look at my faith and my walk with my Savior. Let me warn you, this post is a bit long, but I just couldn't pick only 1 passage! Let's start with a passage from Luke 17:11-19, it is about the 10 lepers that were healed...

1While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. 12As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; 13and they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14When He saw them, He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they were going, they were cleansed. 15Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, 16and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine--where are they? 18"Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?" 19And He said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:11-19

What struck me about this passage was that ALL 10 lepers "raised their voices", ALL 10 called Jesus their "Master", and ALL 10 asked Him to have mercy on them. Jesus healed ALL 10. Yet... after all 10 had been healed, only 1 came back to Jesus. Only 1 glorified God with a loud voice and fell at the feet of Jesus in gratitude... and he was a foreigner. My question... am I just as quick to glorify God and give Him thanks for answered prayers as I am to call out to Him for help? I do not want to be guilty of not having a thankful heart towards my Savior when He answers my prayers... I want to be one who thanks Him and who glorifies Him with a loud voice? How about you?


The next passage is Luke 18:1-8, parables on prayer...

1Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,2saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3"There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' 4"For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'" 6And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8"I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

The widow was persistent in her plea for help... she kept coming time and time again. Her continuous pleas for help probably were about to drive the judge crazy! And look what happens because of her persistence; The judge who did not fear God or respect man gave her the help she wanted! I found verses 7 and 8 interesting...God will bring about justice quickly for His elect who cry to Him day and night, yet, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth? This question, will He find faith on the earth, struck a cord with me. I found it interesting that the elect who receive this quick justice and who cry out to Him day and night, may not have faith? Do they just pray to pray? Do they pray out of selfishness and impure motives? Or did they pray in faith? What about my prayers... do I pray selfishly, with impure motives, or out of faith? This has given me some stuff to think about...


The next passage is Luke 18:9-14, the Pharisee and the Publican...

9And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11"The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' 13"But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' 14"I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Our Sunday school lesson on Sunday brought to my mind this passage. Our lesson was on the holiness of God. It stressed the fact that God's holiness places Him on a whole different plane than us... we are not and can not even be close to being as holy as God is. We really can not even comprehend the holiness of God. His holiness is awesome, magnificient, and unapproachable, were it not for the shed blood of Jesus. Once we get a glimpse of His holiness, just a glimpse, not a full view, our perceptions of ourselves and the way we pray and relate to God will change. May God allow me and you to see ourselves in light of His holiness... how that would transform our walk and our prayers!


The next passage is Luke 18:35-43, Bartimaeus receives sight...

35As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. 37They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38And he called out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 39Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 40And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him, 41"What do you want Me to do for you?" And he said, "Lord, I want to regain my sight!" 42And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." 43Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.

I found it interesting that in verse 39 Bartimaeus was sternly told to be quiet! Then in verse 40 Jesus commanded that he be brought to Him! I just wonder who brought him to Jesus? Was it those who sternly told him to be quiet, was it the other beggars, was it His disciples? I really would like to know... And then I wondered which one I would be. Would I be the one to tell him to be quiet, or would I be the one to bring him to Jesus? I would hope I would be the one to bring him to Jesus...


The last passage for today is Luke 19:1-10, about Zaccheus...

1He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. 3Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. 4So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. 5When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." 6And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. 7When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." 8Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." 9And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

In this passage we see that Zaccheus received Jesus gladly and was transformed - as evidenced by Zaccheus giving half of his possessions to the poor and by giving back 4 times as much to any one he had defrauded. That is definite proof that Jesus touched his heart and changed it! Is there evidence of the transforming power of Christ in my life? In yours?


Thank you for sticking in here with me and reading this long post! The Word of God is so good that I just did not want to leave out anything that had spoken to me this past week. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments. What is God saying to you through His Word?