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Luke 11:14-28

Hang on

The end of the year for me proves often to be the most difficult. I guess with Christmas preparations and extra events to attend I get tired and sometimes feel  like it is all getting too much. I have a tendency to get irritable, the fuse on my temper becomes very short. 

One of the lessons I’ve been learning is that sometimes the best I can do is not make a situation or relationship worse than it already is. My aim then is to keep my emotional gun in its holster despite how much I’d like to fire a few shots at someone. This is particularly hard to do in the middle of an argument or when one of my kids is misbehaving.

Loving Christ and loving my neighbour can look like me NOT giving voice to my feelings of betrayal, anger, resentment and unforgiveness. Even better is not even telling them how upset they have made me feel. This has given me space to pray, calm down and then speak with the person or my misbehaving child. It may be the next day that I’m able to have a conversation which is moving towards reconciliation rather than revenge.

Christ comforts me by knowing how I feel. He has been hurt, betrayed, let down, falsely accused and discouraged. Christ helps me by giving me the ability to keep quiet when I feel like exploding. Christ protects me by filling my heart with himself and by teaching me to both hear and obey his word. As a church family I’m hoping that we will continue to turn to Christ for the comfort, help and protection we need to hang on.  the Rev

Luke 11:14-28 Fight Back

Exercises

• Discuss the significance of the accusations made against Jesus v14-16. Share how you might have felt if you were in Christ’s place.

• Discuss what you find to be encouraging about what Jesus says about himself in v17-22. Share in what way you would like God’s finger to touch you.

• Discuss why it is important to choose Christ in v23-26. Share in what way you are fighting back in v27-28.