Good Morning Friends,
When we experience the true purpose of Lent, we need to keep focused on the goal and the hope of an astounding victory realizing that our supreme security is in God. We will be tested like Jesus was during His 40 days and nights in the desert in this regard. Here we will be tested to determine if our tree will produce spiritual fruit and our emotional understanding of the relationship of suffering and the faith. Here the testing of the cross will reveal our hearts. Friends, we are to press on to the end zone…we are to reach for the goal line. Believe this because you are not alone. So, Are People Telling You This Lent Not Lose Heart Because They Actually Believe In A Covenant Of Love?
Scripture: The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Mark 1:12-15 (NRSV)
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
Genesis 9: 8-15 (NRSV)
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
1 Peter 3: 18-22 (NRSV)
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord! Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
Psalm 25: 4-9 (NRSV)
Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. Only let us hold fast to what we have attained.
Philippians 3:12-16 (NRSV)
Message: Sometimes in sharing our faith we come off as less than Christian. There is a tacit communication of who we really are that is shared without words. The problem is that the context of the world today and the content of our lives do not always connect as an authentic message. We get into thinking that it is all about authority and power or all about reason and technology being the answer to everything. We think that if everybody were literate, everything would be fine. But we live in a world where reason and technology have created many problems. We are suspicious of hidden agendas. And rightfully so. We live in a world of cultural pluralism…a world that does not believe in absolute truth. And why is this? Well, I think it is because we are not completely honest with ourselves and with God. And sometimes we wake up and shake our head. It is hard to fathom, much less believe, all the things that are happening in the world. Perhaps you too find it hard to believe. There is a chasm between who we would like to be and who we really are down deep at this very moment. We live in a world of transition where people make surprising assumptions…sometimes there is grace in them and sometimes not. Sometimes the love in us is used by others in ways that do not honor God. So much of the world is shades of gray. Our own hearts really determine how dark. Therefor today more than ever it is clear that our faith can only be shared in relationships with honest conversations. Indeed, people want to see a process not an event when they come seeking what Christianity has to offer…what Christ abiding in us has to offer. We must not be a closed door to those seeking the good news…our hearts must be opened first to the possibility of love. We must be honest. We must have faith in action as a witness to our authenticity. We must realize that it is not about us at all, but about God.
And So, God made each one of us for a purpose and wants to use each one of us in the game authentically sharing the message of hope. God wishes to weave us into the plan of redemption because God wants us to live victorious lives. He wants us to have the heart of a champion. He wants us to be determined to win. But to gain the prize we must become dissatisfied when it comes to our own spiritual progress. We must submit to a life of being sanctified. We must not become satisfied and content nor debilitated with the past. We are not to compare ourselves to other Christians but be comforted by other Christians so we might even in suffering conform to God’s glorious image for us. This winning attitude requires devotion. It requires a clear, focused direction. It requires us to be determined. So do not quit. Do not turn back. Do not give in. Do not slow down. Press on to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Be disciplined this Lent…Do not lose heart and help others to not lose heart. Jesus survived the experience in the wilderness with that purposeful attitude. We, too, will have wilderness experiences throughout our journey of faith. So do not let these experiences throw you. Do not let them discourage you. Examine the experiences and identify the things that are causing the problem. Deliberately lift up your soul to the Lord and be willing to follow his ways, be taught by the Spirit to be consistent in your walk and choices. Press on to the goal of Christ realizing that humility and forgiveness is inextricably intertwined in our experience of God in the Spirit even as our Lord sits on the right hand of the Father. Friends, we are to believe in the resurrection but also in Jesus’ return and be encouraged by other who believe not in shame but in hope of the covenant of love. We must become authentic Christians.
Pray we have the courage to be authentic. Pray we actually open our hearts to scripture and the Spirit. Pray we show the power of living genuine lives that shine forth the light of Christ. Pray our identity is validated by the love and grace in our interactions and relationships with others. Pray that because we have seen God’s goodness in our lives, we give a witness that confirms our relationship with God. Pray that we not only focus on proving that the message of Christ is true but relevant and demonstrated in our lives. Pray that we realize that we must be real and transparent. Pray we realize that all our hidden agendas will be revealed. Pray that we therefore tell the message accurately. Pray that we tell the message positively. Pray that we share our faith trusting in the power of the good news…. that we see others with compassion. Pray we discover who we really are in a relationship with God. Pray we realize it is a sin to pretend to be someone we are not before God.
Pray that in the race we look to the goal with faith. Pray we have a winning attitude on God’s team. Pray we claim the prize of His promise to Communities of Love.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 