WEEK 4
Monday – 03/16
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Watching the news can be depressing; most of it is bad. Wars, earthquakes, and political strife to name a few. It gives one the incentive not to watch. However, as the above scripture states, Jesus has overcome the world.
We can be hard on ourselves for momentarily forgetting Who is in control. Yet, when we are living amid this world and its troubles; it is easy to forget Jesus’ words, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.” The people in the Bible were no different. In their desert wandering, the Israelites repeatedly forgot what God had done and was continuing to do for them, even to the point when they complained it would have been better for them to have stayed in Egypt. Stayed in Egypt where they were in bondage! Peace during this time eluded the Israelites. The desert wanderers focused on their circumstances and not on Who was in control.
Forgetting Who is in control is normal. Just because it is normal does not mean we need to live there. God has more for us, just as He had more (the Promised Land) for the Israelites. The question is where is our focus? Is it on our circumstances? Is it the current state of our world? If so, we need to stop and remind ourselves…Jesus is in control. Put on repeat “…Take heart! I have overcome the world.”
During this Lenten season, make time to focus on the promises of God. Remember, THE ONE, who has overcome the world.
Dear Lord, may we remember You have overcome the world. May our hearts be filled with peace that only You can provide.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Tuesday – 03/17
“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So, God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.” Exodus 13:17
I have read the story of how the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt countless times, only recently this verse became highlighted for me. There was a shorter way to the promised land, but God did not want his people to lose heart. The shorter way was not the best way.
As I thought about this verse, I realized how often I would much rather take the short cut than go the long way. I can become disappointed when God does not answer prayers on my timetable. I have sometimes had the audacity to question why God is not doing things my way. But while reading this verse I was struck by the kindness of our God. God knew what the Israelites could handle and He always had the Israelite’s best interest at heart. The same is true for us here and now.
The long way was the better way. Oftentimes we get so caught up in trying to get to the destination that we forget about the importance of the journey. Lent is all about the journey, the journey to Easter Sunday. The journey is about learning to walk in complete trust with our Heavenly Father, believing that he always, ALWAYS, has our absolute best interest at heart.
Lord God, I am so grateful that You desire to walk in relationship with us. You love us more than we could ever imagine. Father, help us to trust you. Help us to slow down and delight ourselves in You no matter how long the journey may be. Help us to believe with every fiber of our being that You are unimaginably good, and You always want the absolute best for us. Thank You for how You love us, Lord. Help us to be better at loving You. In Jesus name, Amen.
Wednesday – 03/18
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it in their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD, ’because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the LORD.’ For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Jeremiah 31:33-34
When I first met my husband, I had so many questions while we were dating. He probably felt interrogated, but I was sincerely interested and wanted to know. We would spend hours talking on the phone and going out as often as we could. Each time, I learned something new about this unknown man. I soon fell in love with him because I got to know him and enjoyed the man I discovered. With the power of God in our lives, we still enjoy each other thirty years later.
If we want to get to know someone, it requires time and energy. Time is one of our most valuable assets, once spent it is gone. You cannot add time to a 24-hour day. One of the biggest challenges we face is how to spend these 24 hours, how to be present in the precious moments we have, and how to plan for an unknown future? It requires a lot of self-directed energy. This is difficult to do on a consistent basis over the long haul. Regardless of the difficulty, we still get to decide how, and on what we are going to spend our time.
Lent is a time to focus our time and energy in knowing Jesus more deeply. It is truly amazing to understand that we can know the ONE that knows all! Wherever find yourself this Lent season, you can get to know Him better. He waits for us, and if we are breathing, we have the time. Let us choose to turn our energy towards Him. He is here; the time is right now.
Dear Heavenly Father, I desire to get to know You better. Thank You for filling my heart with Your Word. During Lent, lead me into a deeper relationship with You. Guide me in the path You have for my life, so that I may be able to say, “I know You!” and to experience Your love that goes beyond understanding. Thank You for the miracle of Easter. I look forward to knowing You better. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Thursday – 03/19
“Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” John 20:29
So many in our world equate seeing with believing. If they can see it, touch it, or experience it firsthand then they will believe it. People in Jesus’ time had the same perspective. Though they heard that Jesus said he would die and be resurrected, they would only believe it when they saw it. Many saw it and still did not believe.
Dictionary.com defines believe “to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so”. What constitutes proof? The Jewish leaders had the scriptures and did not believe. Many people heard Jesus teach on the kingdom of God and witnessed His miracles and still did not believe. Today, Jesus is evident in the lives of those who follow Him, and still many people do not believe.
Belief takes trust and confidence. Belief takes what we often refer to as ‘a leap of faith’. At some point we have to trade relying on what we see with our senses for relying on what we believe in our heart. That does not mean we throw out evidence; the evidence exists in the historical accounts of Jesus life and death, in the evidence of lives restored and healed, and, hopefully, in the daily actions of His followers.
Helen Keller said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Easter, the resurrection of Jesus, is the most beautiful thing to happen to this world. We may not be able to see Jesus with our eyes or touch Him with our hands, but we feel Him in our hearts. We believe in Him. We believe without seeing.
Father God, thank You that Jesus came to this world to redeem it. Strengthen our faith that we may always believe even when we cannot see, especially when our circumstances might challenge our belief. This Lent season, let us feel the beauty and wonder of Easter.
In His name, Amen.
Friday – 03/20
"But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been established on better promises.” Hebrews 6:8 (CSB)
A covenant is a two-way promise, the conditions of which are set by God. When we enter into a covenant with God, we promise to keep those conditions. God promises to give “us everything required for life and godliness” by His “very great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:3-4).
Like a marriage covenant, the bride and groom promise to be faithful, devoted, and honoring to one another. The promises are mutual. Promises are the foundation of the marriage relationship. In the same manner, our relationship with God is built on promises of faithfulness, devotion, and mutual honoring of one another. But in our covenant with God, His faithfulness and devotion to us never wavers or fails, even if we mess up.
Lent is a good time to think on the conditions we are expected to keep in our covenant relationship with God. “But He’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously—take God seriously”. Take your relationship with God seriously, heart, mind, and strength (Micah 6:8 Message). On our way to Easter Sunday, are we taking our relationship with God through Christ seriously – heart, mind and strength?
Dear God, thank You for the covenant relationship that I am privileged to have with You. During this season of Lent, help me strengthen my part of the covenant by loving You fully and being fair, just and compassionate toward others. In Jesus name, Amen.
Saturday – 03/21
“A voice is wailing, ‘In the wilderness, get it ready! Prepare the way; make it a straight shot. The Eternal would have it so. Straighten the way in the wandering desert to make the crooked road wide and straight for our God.” Isaiah 40:3
The wilderness is a place of spiritual, mental, and emotional challenge. We often experience isolation, fatigue and self-doubt. We feel far from God, spiritually dry, and ineffectual in our prayers. It can also be a place of increased spiritual awareness and depth. Lent, as the last days of Jesus, including his journey to the cross, can be a wilderness experience for many Christians.
God often uses these wilderness times to get our undivided attention so He can speak to us. God spoke to Abraham while he was in the wilderness. God spoke to the Israelites at Mount Sinai while they were in the wilderness. God met a ready-to-give-up Elijah in the wilderness.
In our Western cultures, we are very used to our comforts. Even as followers of Jesus, we try to avoid the wilderness. We don’t like when life is hard, and barren, and dry. The wilderness makes us feel isolated, so we do what we can to escape it. But what if we asked God what is His lesson for me during this season of Lent? What does He want me to experience on my way to Easter Sunday.
Marlena Graves (MDiv) an author and adjunct professor at Winebrenner Theological Seminary states in her book A Beautiful Disaster that “The wilderness has a way of curing our illusions about ourselves and teaching us to depend more and more on God. When we first enter, we’re convinced we’ve entered the bowels of hell. But on our pilgrimage, we discover the [wilderness] drips with the divine. We discover that desert land is fertile ground for spiritual activity, transformation, and renewal”.
Dear Lord, in my wilderness place, let me hear what You are saying to me. Let my time in the wilderness be fertile ground for spiritual transformation and renewal. Remind me that You are the Resurrection and the Life, even in the wilderness. In Jesus name, Amen.
Sunday – 03/22
“Keeping your faith [leaning completely on God with absolute trust and confidence in His guidance] and having a good conscience; for some have rejected [their moral compass] and have made a shipwreck of their faith.” 1 Timothy 1:19 Amplified
Our conscience is a bit like a GPS for life. Like our car’s GPS, it has to be activated, it has to be loaded with the correct information, and it must be properly maintained. Our conscience is activated the moment we repent; when we turn from our sin and our natural selfishness and turn to God’s loving remedy for sin – Jesus Christ. Our conscience is loaded with the correct information through God’s Word and is properly maintained by prayer.
Our conscience is where we evaluate our thoughts and desires, how we discern between what is right and wrong or even between what is good and what is best. A good conscience is powered by the Holy Spirit. A Spirit-powered conscience becomes our GPS, our God Positioning System.
My husband does not always trust our car’s GPS. He will try to circumvent the system. It usually does not end well. When we try to circumvent our spiritual GPS, we end up somewhere we did not intend to be. Lent is a good time to evaluate how well our GPS – God Positioning System – is working. Has it been activated through our relationship with Jesus? Is it being regularly loaded with the correct information, the Scriptures, and maintained by daily prayer?
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that my conscience, when powered by the Holy Spirit, helps me to evaluate, discern, and distinguish between right and wrong. Help me to train and maintain my spiritual GPS with daily time in the word and prayer. In Jesus name, Amen.
Monday – 03/16
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Watching the news can be depressing; most of it is bad. Wars, earthquakes, and political strife to name a few. It gives one the incentive not to watch. However, as the above scripture states, Jesus has overcome the world.
We can be hard on ourselves for momentarily forgetting Who is in control. Yet, when we are living amid this world and its troubles; it is easy to forget Jesus’ words, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.” The people in the Bible were no different. In their desert wandering, the Israelites repeatedly forgot what God had done and was continuing to do for them, even to the point when they complained it would have been better for them to have stayed in Egypt. Stayed in Egypt where they were in bondage! Peace during this time eluded the Israelites. The desert wanderers focused on their circumstances and not on Who was in control.
Forgetting Who is in control is normal. Just because it is normal does not mean we need to live there. God has more for us, just as He had more (the Promised Land) for the Israelites. The question is where is our focus? Is it on our circumstances? Is it the current state of our world? If so, we need to stop and remind ourselves…Jesus is in control. Put on repeat “…Take heart! I have overcome the world.”
During this Lenten season, make time to focus on the promises of God. Remember, THE ONE, who has overcome the world.
Dear Lord, may we remember You have overcome the world. May our hearts be filled with peace that only You can provide.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Tuesday – 03/17
“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So, God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.” Exodus 13:17
I have read the story of how the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt countless times, only recently this verse became highlighted for me. There was a shorter way to the promised land, but God did not want his people to lose heart. The shorter way was not the best way.
As I thought about this verse, I realized how often I would much rather take the short cut than go the long way. I can become disappointed when God does not answer prayers on my timetable. I have sometimes had the audacity to question why God is not doing things my way. But while reading this verse I was struck by the kindness of our God. God knew what the Israelites could handle and He always had the Israelite’s best interest at heart. The same is true for us here and now.
The long way was the better way. Oftentimes we get so caught up in trying to get to the destination that we forget about the importance of the journey. Lent is all about the journey, the journey to Easter Sunday. The journey is about learning to walk in complete trust with our Heavenly Father, believing that he always, ALWAYS, has our absolute best interest at heart.
Lord God, I am so grateful that You desire to walk in relationship with us. You love us more than we could ever imagine. Father, help us to trust you. Help us to slow down and delight ourselves in You no matter how long the journey may be. Help us to believe with every fiber of our being that You are unimaginably good, and You always want the absolute best for us. Thank You for how You love us, Lord. Help us to be better at loving You. In Jesus name, Amen.
Wednesday – 03/18
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it in their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD, ’because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the LORD.’ For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Jeremiah 31:33-34
When I first met my husband, I had so many questions while we were dating. He probably felt interrogated, but I was sincerely interested and wanted to know. We would spend hours talking on the phone and going out as often as we could. Each time, I learned something new about this unknown man. I soon fell in love with him because I got to know him and enjoyed the man I discovered. With the power of God in our lives, we still enjoy each other thirty years later.
If we want to get to know someone, it requires time and energy. Time is one of our most valuable assets, once spent it is gone. You cannot add time to a 24-hour day. One of the biggest challenges we face is how to spend these 24 hours, how to be present in the precious moments we have, and how to plan for an unknown future? It requires a lot of self-directed energy. This is difficult to do on a consistent basis over the long haul. Regardless of the difficulty, we still get to decide how, and on what we are going to spend our time.
Lent is a time to focus our time and energy in knowing Jesus more deeply. It is truly amazing to understand that we can know the ONE that knows all! Wherever find yourself this Lent season, you can get to know Him better. He waits for us, and if we are breathing, we have the time. Let us choose to turn our energy towards Him. He is here; the time is right now.
Dear Heavenly Father, I desire to get to know You better. Thank You for filling my heart with Your Word. During Lent, lead me into a deeper relationship with You. Guide me in the path You have for my life, so that I may be able to say, “I know You!” and to experience Your love that goes beyond understanding. Thank You for the miracle of Easter. I look forward to knowing You better. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Thursday – 03/19
“Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” John 20:29
So many in our world equate seeing with believing. If they can see it, touch it, or experience it firsthand then they will believe it. People in Jesus’ time had the same perspective. Though they heard that Jesus said he would die and be resurrected, they would only believe it when they saw it. Many saw it and still did not believe.
Dictionary.com defines believe “to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so”. What constitutes proof? The Jewish leaders had the scriptures and did not believe. Many people heard Jesus teach on the kingdom of God and witnessed His miracles and still did not believe. Today, Jesus is evident in the lives of those who follow Him, and still many people do not believe.
Belief takes trust and confidence. Belief takes what we often refer to as ‘a leap of faith’. At some point we have to trade relying on what we see with our senses for relying on what we believe in our heart. That does not mean we throw out evidence; the evidence exists in the historical accounts of Jesus life and death, in the evidence of lives restored and healed, and, hopefully, in the daily actions of His followers.
Helen Keller said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Easter, the resurrection of Jesus, is the most beautiful thing to happen to this world. We may not be able to see Jesus with our eyes or touch Him with our hands, but we feel Him in our hearts. We believe in Him. We believe without seeing.
Father God, thank You that Jesus came to this world to redeem it. Strengthen our faith that we may always believe even when we cannot see, especially when our circumstances might challenge our belief. This Lent season, let us feel the beauty and wonder of Easter.
In His name, Amen.
Friday – 03/20
"But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been established on better promises.” Hebrews 6:8 (CSB)
A covenant is a two-way promise, the conditions of which are set by God. When we enter into a covenant with God, we promise to keep those conditions. God promises to give “us everything required for life and godliness” by His “very great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:3-4).
Like a marriage covenant, the bride and groom promise to be faithful, devoted, and honoring to one another. The promises are mutual. Promises are the foundation of the marriage relationship. In the same manner, our relationship with God is built on promises of faithfulness, devotion, and mutual honoring of one another. But in our covenant with God, His faithfulness and devotion to us never wavers or fails, even if we mess up.
Lent is a good time to think on the conditions we are expected to keep in our covenant relationship with God. “But He’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously—take God seriously”. Take your relationship with God seriously, heart, mind, and strength (Micah 6:8 Message). On our way to Easter Sunday, are we taking our relationship with God through Christ seriously – heart, mind and strength?
Dear God, thank You for the covenant relationship that I am privileged to have with You. During this season of Lent, help me strengthen my part of the covenant by loving You fully and being fair, just and compassionate toward others. In Jesus name, Amen.
Saturday – 03/21
“A voice is wailing, ‘In the wilderness, get it ready! Prepare the way; make it a straight shot. The Eternal would have it so. Straighten the way in the wandering desert to make the crooked road wide and straight for our God.” Isaiah 40:3
The wilderness is a place of spiritual, mental, and emotional challenge. We often experience isolation, fatigue and self-doubt. We feel far from God, spiritually dry, and ineffectual in our prayers. It can also be a place of increased spiritual awareness and depth. Lent, as the last days of Jesus, including his journey to the cross, can be a wilderness experience for many Christians.
God often uses these wilderness times to get our undivided attention so He can speak to us. God spoke to Abraham while he was in the wilderness. God spoke to the Israelites at Mount Sinai while they were in the wilderness. God met a ready-to-give-up Elijah in the wilderness.
In our Western cultures, we are very used to our comforts. Even as followers of Jesus, we try to avoid the wilderness. We don’t like when life is hard, and barren, and dry. The wilderness makes us feel isolated, so we do what we can to escape it. But what if we asked God what is His lesson for me during this season of Lent? What does He want me to experience on my way to Easter Sunday.
Marlena Graves (MDiv) an author and adjunct professor at Winebrenner Theological Seminary states in her book A Beautiful Disaster that “The wilderness has a way of curing our illusions about ourselves and teaching us to depend more and more on God. When we first enter, we’re convinced we’ve entered the bowels of hell. But on our pilgrimage, we discover the [wilderness] drips with the divine. We discover that desert land is fertile ground for spiritual activity, transformation, and renewal”.
Dear Lord, in my wilderness place, let me hear what You are saying to me. Let my time in the wilderness be fertile ground for spiritual transformation and renewal. Remind me that You are the Resurrection and the Life, even in the wilderness. In Jesus name, Amen.
Sunday – 03/22
“Keeping your faith [leaning completely on God with absolute trust and confidence in His guidance] and having a good conscience; for some have rejected [their moral compass] and have made a shipwreck of their faith.” 1 Timothy 1:19 Amplified
Our conscience is a bit like a GPS for life. Like our car’s GPS, it has to be activated, it has to be loaded with the correct information, and it must be properly maintained. Our conscience is activated the moment we repent; when we turn from our sin and our natural selfishness and turn to God’s loving remedy for sin – Jesus Christ. Our conscience is loaded with the correct information through God’s Word and is properly maintained by prayer.
Our conscience is where we evaluate our thoughts and desires, how we discern between what is right and wrong or even between what is good and what is best. A good conscience is powered by the Holy Spirit. A Spirit-powered conscience becomes our GPS, our God Positioning System.
My husband does not always trust our car’s GPS. He will try to circumvent the system. It usually does not end well. When we try to circumvent our spiritual GPS, we end up somewhere we did not intend to be. Lent is a good time to evaluate how well our GPS – God Positioning System – is working. Has it been activated through our relationship with Jesus? Is it being regularly loaded with the correct information, the Scriptures, and maintained by daily prayer?
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that my conscience, when powered by the Holy Spirit, helps me to evaluate, discern, and distinguish between right and wrong. Help me to train and maintain my spiritual GPS with daily time in the word and prayer. In Jesus name, Amen.