Learning from Luke to do what seems good and see the amazing result

By Dean Collins

“It seemed good to me also. . . . “

Luke opened his Gospel telling the reader that lots of others had written the story of God and what he had accomplished, but he felt compelled to join in because he had been observing and studying the work of God for some time. The others he had in mind would have included both known Gospel writers like Mark who most scholars believe was the first to write a Gospel record. And Luke may well be referencing Matthew, too. John was likely written after Luke’s Gospel.

Luke was not one of the apostles. He was not a religious leader. Most scholars agree that Luke was a physician and a friend of the apostle Paul. And while his training was not as a theologian or historian, Luke is a beautiful example of how God uses people in significant ways to accomplish his purposes. Growing up, Luke would have never imagined playing such a significant role in the story of God. Yet Luke is known for telling both the story of Jesus and the story of the early church by giving us the detailed account called Acts of the Apostles.

Unexpected

We will find many wonderful insights about Jesus and how he fulfilled Jewish history as we read his Gospel. But maybe the first thing for us to learn from Luke is that God can and will use us in unexpected ways when we give ourselves to him. He may well lead us to serve in ways far beyond our training or our expectations. In fact God specializes in doing just that!

Luke is the only Gospel writer who tells of the birth of John the Baptist. In the opening few verses we read of a priest named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. And just as Luke would have never imagined his role in the spread of the gospel, Zechariah and Elizabeth would have said the same. They were getting older, were childless, and simply going about their duties when God stepped into their lives with unexpected favor.

Can you relate? All of us are getting older. And most days we probably think our job is just to do the tasks we have been assigned. That is a good objective for any day; do the job in front of you. But maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that as we surrender ourselves to God and are faithful in doing what is in front of us, God may very well choose to do something extraordinary with our lives.

What if we, like Luke, simply shared with someone what we know and understand about Jesus? What if we explained what Jesus has done for us? What if we decided to read and study the Scriptures more so that we could teach or help someone along in their understanding of God?

Answered

As Luke tells the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, we also learn that even those who are trained in the things of God are sometimes surprised when God answers their prayers! Zechariah had been a priest for years and apparently had long prayed that God would give him and his wife a son. Zechariah was chosen by lot to enter the temple and light the incense. As he fulfilled his assignment, an angel of God appeared, frightened him, and announced that his prayers had been answered.

Like Zechariah, we may have prayed for years about something and not seen a clear answer. It is easy to get discouraged when we don’t see God move at the speed or in the way we desire. We never know when or how God will step into our story with an answer that is more than we could have ever imagined. Not only did God answer Zechariah’s prayer for a son, but his son would be the very one God used to prepare the way for Jesus. I am confident Zechariah never prayed for or imagined that outcome.

Prompted

I am not trying to write anything as profound as Luke. But maybe what I can do and we can both do is to approach life with Luke’s attitude when he said, “It seemed good to me also.” I wonder what God might reveal to us today that would prompt us to do what seems good for someone else. Maybe it is to share with them the good news of Jesus. And when we do share, maybe we can expect God to do something extraordinary.

Lord, forgive us when we forget you are the God who can do the impossible! Today as we go about our daily tasks, remind us of your presence. We pray that today you will prompt us to share your love with someone. Prompt us to do whatever seems good to do as your Holy Spirit leads us. Take our humble offering and do your amazing work as you always do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your time with God’s Word
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Photo by Comeback Images at istockphotos.com
 To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.