Monthly Study
December 2022

Peace on Earth

The Gospel of Luke

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.—Luke 2:14

What Christmas traditions do you enjoy? Our family reads Luke 1 and 2 every Christmas morning. Luke’s careful and detailed account of Jesus’ birth has always held a special place in my heart. This month in Today in the Word, we’re going to study the entire gospel. We will marvel at Jesus’ miracles and consider His teaching. We will experience Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection through the eyes of firsthand witnesses. We will be wooed by the Savior’s love, called to repentance, and blessed by the peace only the Prince of Peace can provide. It is my prayer that as we study this gospel, you will:

  • Appreciate Luke’s well-researched gospel account
  • Grow in your knowledge and understanding of Jesus
  • Respond to our Savior’s call to love and follow Him

Your devotional author,
Kelli Worrall

Volume 35Edition 12
Managing Editor: Jamie Janosz, Senior Editor: Elena Mafter, Contributing Editor: John Koessler, Writer: Kelli Worrall, Art Director: Lynn Gabalec, Graphic Designer: Rachel Hutcheson, Marketing & Production: Paul B. Currie

About the Author

Kelli Worrall

Kelli Worrall is Professor of Communications and Chair of the Division of Music and Media Arts at Moody Bible Institute.

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Devotional Calendar

Podcasts

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The Lord Has Done This
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The Gospel of Luke was crafted with great care. The author begins by explaining how and why he wrote. Luke had done careful research. Almost 30 percent of his content is unique, not presented in the other gospel accounts. You’ll also find that Luke documented Jesus’ life in an “orderly” way—not always chronologically, sometimes topically or logically.
December 1, 2022
When God Calls
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Sometimes God calls unlikely people to do an extraordinary work. In today’s passage, Luke records a second birth announcement by the angel Gabriel, But this announcement has distinct differences from the previous one. Again, Luke was the only Gospel writer to include this account.
December 2, 2022
A Monumental Meeting
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A friend of mine recently signed up for an overseas mission trip. During the training, she was excited to participate with her team. But as the departure date approached, her anxiety grew until she wondered if she could even make the trip. It’s one thing to accept God’s call on your life. It can be another thing to walk it out.
December 3, 2022
Share the Joy
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We are never too old to learn more about God, and never so mature in faith that we cannot grow. In Luke 1, we see how Zechariah, an older priest, emerged from nine months of silence even more deeply devoted to God.
December 4, 2022
Peace on Earth
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Traditionally, when a new royal is born in England, the House Secretary and the Archbishop of Canterbury attend the birth. A framed birth announcement is placed on a golden easel outside of Buckingham Palace, and the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery sound a 41-gun salute. Around the globe, noble births have been celebrated with great ceremony. The birth of Jesus in Luke 2 presents a fascinating contradiction between the lowly and the lavish.
December 5, 2022
A Light for All
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Our children both came to our family through arduous adoption journeys. The Sunday when we finally stood before our church family and dedicated them to the Lord was a most joyous day!
December 6, 2022
A Baptism of Repentance
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Too often when we wrong another person, we offer an easy “I’m sorry” with no intent to change. True repentance, however, involves a complete 180-degree change in thought, attitude, and action. Truly repentant people turn their backs on sin and turn toward God’s forgiveness.
December 7, 2022
Tempted, Yet Without Sin
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While temptation comes in many forms, it always has one thing in common. Temptation appeals to our fallen desires—for comfort, pleasure, power, love. And Satan (the “roaring lion” mentioned in 1 Peter 5:8) knows exactly when to pounce.
December 8, 2022
With Authority and Power
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In today’s social media obsessed world, “viral” videos attract millions of viewers in a short time. If smart phones were available during Jesus’ time, videos of His miracles would have certainly gone viral. After the temptation in the wilderness (Luke 4:1–13), Jesus began his public ministry in Galilee. He traveled to Capernaum, which became a ministry base. The city, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, was a major Jewish trade center of fishing, as well as agriculture.
December 9, 2022
Follow Me
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Jesus gathered around Him unlikely disciples from various vocations: fishermen, tax collectors, and even political zealots. The first of these, recorded by Luke, was Simon Peter. We know that Jesus already knew Peter since He had healed his mother- in-law not long before. One day, Jesus stood on the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee). Because His teaching had become so popular, a crowd of people had gathered.
December 10, 2022