One-Room School: A Devotional Study of the Bible Book of Luke

By Sue Simon

One Room School began as a daily blog to readers needing encouragement. The collection that comprises One Room School is inspired by Lukes compilation of eyewitness accounts of Jesus life and teachings. Each daily lesson was inspired by the idea of being alone in the classroom, one-on-one with Jesus. The Teachers desire for his students is that they not only listen, but respond with all their body, mind, soul and strength.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512749281

Sue Simon

The Author, Sue Simon, is a mother of three and a grandmother of seven, who writes about her own struggles with her faith and her response to Jesus teaching in the One Room School. Through the Teacher, she challenges each reader to become not just a follower, but a living example of Gods love every day.

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© 2016 Sue Simon.

Thank you to Joanne Zoodsma for allowing the use of her creation, the birdhouse, for the cover picture of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved.

WestBow Press

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-4929-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-4930-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-4928-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016911018

WestBow Press rev. date: 7/14/2016

Contents

The author’s personal devotions and stories relating to the Bible and the lessons taught by Jesus as written down in the book of Luke -- Luke, an apostle of Jesus.

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Bibliography

TO MY MOM

(1920–2015)

Mom was a prayer warrior. This book is a direct result of her faithful prayers for her children, her family, and her world. When I am asked about my Christian faith, I usually start by saying, I was brought to Christ while I was in my mother’s womb. I never questioned my faith until I was a young adult. Even then, I never questioned who Jesus was; I simply began to sample the grass in other pastures. For eight years, I nibbled and wandered. For eight years, Mom fought in prayer for me. Mom was a prayer warrior, and she gathered other prayer warriors to pray with her. God is faithful. He never gives up on us.

When we return to Him, He blesses us. He heals our wounds. He calls my name and places me on His lap. Then, as if I am the only one, He takes my face in His hands and looks deeply into my heart. His tears drop on my face and wash me, and my tears spring up as He fills this dry well with His love for me. When He teaches me to stand again, He says, What do you believe now, my child?

I stop for only a moment, tears washing down my cheeks. Then the words fill me … words repeated like a mantra as a child but now filled, somehow, with a different, newly vibrant life and depth of beauty.

These words:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, my Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilot. He was cruelly tortured and crucified. He died on the cross and was buried in a tomb that was covered by a huge stone and guarded by soldiers against robbery. On the third day, He conquered death and walked out of the tomb. Forty days later, after eating fish with His followers, encouraging them to touch the nail holes in His hands and the spear hole in His side, and then forgiving them for their wavering faith, He ascended into heaven. He is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty and will come back to judge the living and those who have preceded us in death.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the church, which is the gathering of the saints, the forgiveness of my sins, the resurrection, and life everlasting.

I believe that God heals hearts that are broken, brings orphans into families, and fills the hopeless with overwhelming joy in Him.

I believe that God’s love never failed for me, even when I was hopelessly confused. I believe that He is waiting for you to climb up on His lap so He can hold you and cry over your hurts and struggles too. And I believe that I would have been lost forever without the prayers of the saints. Thank you, Mom, for never giving up on me.

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

—Luke 1:1–4

PREFACE

One-Room School began as a daily blog to readers needing encouragement. The collection that comprises One-Room School is inspired by Luke’s compilation of eyewitness accounts of Jesus’s life and teachings. Each daily lesson was inspired by the idea of being alone—sometimes in the classroom, sometimes outdoors, one-on-one with Jesus, the Teacher. The Teacher’s desire for his students is that we not only listen but that we respond. The Teacher was asked which commandment is the most important. The most important one, answered Jesus, is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:29–31

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book would not have been written without the frequent encouragement of family and friends. My sister, Ruth, and brother-in-law, Ralph Nottingham, and my brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Elizabeth Coppock, read the Devotional Thoughts to our mom and dad when they could no longer see well enough to read for themselves. Heather Horst, our daughter, found encouragement to carry on when the mountains seemed too hard to face. Several e-mail friends read and commented on how meaningful particular lessons were on specific days. When I began compiling the daily devotions into what became One-Room School, they wrote to ask when I was going to start writing more.

Thank you to my friend, JoAnn Zoodsma, who made the school birdhouse shown on the cover photo. Thank you to my husband, Greg, who has been my personal editor. Without him, this book would still be gathering dust in my computer. He has been my encourager, my driver, and best of all, my priceless gem for over forty-eight years.

CHAPTER 1

Go to School? Me?

I remember watching my older brother and sister walk to school. I was four years old. I could see the school’s red bricks and windows that faced our house from the window in our living room, two blocks away. When I was finally old enough to go to school and my mother took me to kindergarten for the first time, I could not understand why one girl was crying that she just wanted to go home. Pulling on my mother’s arm, I whispered, Why is she crying?

My mother shook her head sadly and said, She just misses her mommy.

It made no sense to me. There were children my age, new books, and new toys. I could hardly wait to get started. I talked once when I was supposed to be resting quietly. I told the girl next to me to be quiet. My kindergarten teacher sent me to the corner. I do not know if the teacher realized it, but I could hear music and voices coming through the wall from the room next door. The music made my punishment more like a reward.

When I think about where I have gone to school over my years of learning about God, I am reminded of the foundation that was laid for me in my spiritual classroom. I have stumbled and fallen more often than I would like to admit, but God is always reaching out to me. His love is in my growing, learning, errors, and mistaken thinking that I already know everything I need to know to get by. No matter how often I read my Bible, I am amazed at the fresh spirit and clarity that I find each day. Come with me to the one-room school, and we will discover, possibly for the first time, the Teacher’s desire to see us grow in wisdom and strength in Him.

Journal Thought: What would I ask the Teacher if I were the only one in His classroom?

From the Beginning

Luke 1:1–10

Do you know anyone who reads the last several pages of a book before reading the beginning? I have heard people say that they cannot wait to find out what happens! I have never wanted to know the end before I read the beginning. Reading the ending last, however, does not make me better or worse than the person who wants to know the ending first.

Luke wrote, Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. Luke said that what he had written were the eyewitness accounts of those who knew Jesus personally. Those eyewitnesses were there when the events occurred. How can we argue with these accounts more than two thousand years later?

Luke began with the setting.

Time: Herod was the king.

Place: Judea

Person in charge of the temple: Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah. (Each division had a set time of the year during which its people served.) He was Elizabeth’s husband.

Wife: Elizabeth, a descendant of Aaron. She was barren, and they were both very old.¹

Today, more than two thousand years later, we can look at a map of the Middle East and point to most of the places Luke named. He described the proceedings briefly and then told what would normally happen when the priest went inside to burn incense. Why would this day be different? An angel of the Lord appeared to him [Zechariah]!²

This is an eyewitness account. Luke wrote it down so that we, more than two thousand years later, might listen and believe. Begin at the beginning. Be reminded of what has been written. It is an orderly account collected from eyewitnesses…so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.³

Journal Thought: If I am not convinced of the validity of the scripture, to what doubt do I still cling?

Chosen by Lot

Luke 1:11–20

Zechariah and Elizabeth were both very old.⁴ Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.⁵ They were both descendants of Aaron, which made them eligible to be chosen by lot to go into the temple and burn incense before God. Only one priest was chosen at a time for this solemn honor. Many of the priests lived their entire lives waiting to be chosen but were never given the opportunity. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, Zechariah was terrified. But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.⁶

Then the angel described John. He will be a joy and a delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.⁷ He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.⁸ He will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.⁹

The priest, who was appointed for one day’s passage into the Holy of Holies to set up the incense, wore a covering that had bells hanging from it, which made noise whenever he moved. He also had a special cord tied to his ankle in case the noise of the bells stopped. If it became suddenly quiet, the priests outside the Holy of Holies would not enter, but they would pull on the cord that was attached to the priest’s ankle to pull him out, assuming that the silence of the bells meant that the priest inside was dead. Zechariah was born into Aaron’s family line, raised to learn every nuance of the law and all the rules, regulations, and expectations of perfection. He was chosen by lot to prepare and place the incense outside the Holy of Holies, possibly only once in his lifetime. Simply going into the Holy of Holies could give a priest a heart attack. Zechariah seemed to doubt the angel when he said, How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.¹⁰

The angel said to him, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. And now 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.¹¹

Journal Thought: How many signs do I need to be given before I believe that God is able to do what He says He will do?

Meanwhile, the People Waited

Luke 1:21–25

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this, his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant, and for five months, she remained in seclusion. The Lord has done this for me, she said. In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.¹²

Have you ever waited for something for so long that you gave up believing it would ever happen? The Israelites had waited more than a thousand years to see the result of God’s promise to them. I am not talking about a promised birthday or Christmas gift; those are things that someone, usually a grown-up, has control over. I am talking about a promise that only God can control.

After Zechariah came out of the temple and after he had conversed with the angel who said, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and tell you this good news,¹³ Zechariah did not go home to his wife, who had been unable to conceive during their entire marriage, and say, We should try one more time. God, who had already created the earth and everything in it, created a child in Elizabeth’s womb who would announce the Savior to the world.

Journal Thought: Am I struggling to believe the unbelievable because it does not fit my rational parameters? Have I tried to stuff God into a box of limitations that I can carry around in my pocket?

Never Random

Luke 1:26–27

God is never random. He never says to himself, Let’s kill someone today. My eyes have just popped open a little wider. My eyebrows are raised, and my ears are trying to escape toward the back of my head. I glance to one side and then the other, and I lean a little closer to my computer, thinking, Where am I going with this? Follow my train of thought for a few moments. God does not perform random acts of violence, mayhem, or murder. God has a plan, and He carries it out. It is orderly. Every detail of His plan is created with wisdom and love and forethought. He knows the plan because He created it in the beginning, before He created night and day, heaven and earth, rainy season and dry, man and woman, and time. He was and is and forever will be the Creator.

God created people, not the other way around. People can only create gods who are fake impressions of what they think God might be. These fake gods never come close to the only living God—never have, never will. People are hardly a brief twinkle on the space/time continuum. God is! God is "I AM!" Do I feel like arguing with that idea? God created me to desire to know Him better. Why do I even bring this up? Most of us do not want to struggle with ideas that overwhelm us. If I think someone might disagree with me, my response likely will be that I clamp my teeth around my tongue and refuse to speak.

When the angel Gabriel confronted Zechariah, he struck Zechariah speechless, not just briefly but for nine whole months, simply to