Luke 1:1-4
1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a
narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those
who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered
them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of
all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most
excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in
which you were instructed.
Today as we are looking at the introduction to the Gospel
of Luke several things come to my mind. The first is I am amazed how God uses
ordinary people to do extra ordinary things. Of all the writers of the New
Testament, Luke is probably the least known. We know little or nothing about
where he was born, where he grew up, where he was educated, and when and how he
became a follower of Jesus. He is mentioned only three times by name in the New
Testament.
Most Bible scholars believe that Luke was of Greek descent
which means he was the only Gentile writer of a book in the Bible the rest
being Jewish writers. He never mentions himself or brings attention to himself
in either of the two books that he wrote. He appears to be a very humble man.
At the same time is it obvious from his two books that he is a very educated
and intelligent man. In Colossians 4:14, Paul calls him the “beloved physician”.
After he joins the Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey in Acts 16, he
spends the rest of his life serving him and the Lord.
So, here is a man we know very little about and yet God
used him to write almost one-third of the entire New Testament. It takes about
eighteen hours to read the entire New Testament. It takes almost five hours to
read the books of Luke and Acts which means that the books that Luke wrote
comprise almost a third of the content of the New Testament. Amazing!!!!
Today, I want to encourage you today to make yourself
available to be used of God. Luke probably had no idea that while he was
serving the Apostle Paul, taking notes on what he was seeing and hearing, and
then writing his two letters to his friend Theophilus, his letters would comprise
one-third of the New Testament.
You have no idea of how the Lord will use you to be a
blessing to the world around you as you humbly serve Him and those around you. Yes,
God uses ordinary and humble people to do extra ordinary things!
God bless!
