Remembering God 30th Day in Lent (Tuesday) Read: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-6 “We remember before our God an
d Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV) “A teenager was sitting in the pastor’s office saying, ‘Sometimes I don’t think I am a Christian. I don’t seem to have the same interest and excitement, or enthusiasm I once did. It isn’t easy for me to remember God, to come to church, and to pray. It is too easy to find excuses to stay away from church and then to make those excuses into reasons why I should stay away. Pastor, I know God hasn’t left me, but boy I sure feel as if I have left Him.’ The pastor said, ‘Remember the time your father was away from home on those long business trips? Was it difficult for you to remember him?’ ‘Not a bit,’ the boy said, ‘I had letters from him, and I kept thinking about him, and he sent me gifts in the mail so I would remember him.’
‘Suppose’ said the pastor, ‘There were no letters, no gifts and you never mentioned his name in conversation around the house. What then???’ ‘Then, maybe, I would have forgotten about him. That would have made a difference,’ said the boy. ‘Well,’ said the pastor, ‘that is the way it is with God. Sure, it is tough to remember God, it is tough to stay a Christian in this world. But God has given us His Word, like your father’s letters, to remember Him. God has given us His gifts of Holy Communion & Baptism as a physical reminder of His love for us, like the gifts your father sent you.
God also wants us to include Him in our conversations, not just on Sunday, but throughout the week, so that we will remember Him. It is tough to stay a Christian, it is tough to remember God doesn’t leave you, it is tough to keep a relationship with God alive, exciting and fresh. God is working on His end, and He wants you to continue to work on your end. He has given you all the tools, necessary, only, you have to decide if you will use them.’” [by Tim Zingale] Try this: Work produced by faith, labour prompted by love and endurance inspired by hope!
Prayer: Thank you, God, for the work you do to help me grow in faith and in knowledge of your love. Gude me as I grow in faith, love and hope. I believe that you are my God and I want to know you better. Amen.
A Believing Heart 29th Day in Lent (Monday) Read: Colossians 1:3-6 “…the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel…” Colossians 1:5 (NIV)
I have eaten a Toblerone chocolate quite a few times. It is the chocolate nougat bar shaped in a triangle and has a mountain picture on the packet. It was only last year when my son took us to the Matterhorn in Switzerland and we took a Toblerone chocolate with us that I saw the correlation between the chocolate and the mountain. I had been told that the mountain looked the shape of the chocolate, seen pictures and even drawings (on the box). But it was only when having the mountain and the chocolate together and right in front of me that I finally saw it.
A Toblerone chocolate piece really is the shape of the Matterhorn (one of the highest mountains in the Alps and Europe). I was told about this fact. I saw pictures. I had people tell me about it. But it took a personal experience to finally believe it. We have heard about God’s love for us, we have read about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection just for us in the Bible, we have seen movies and pictures, but do you really believe all that God has told us. Paul wrote to the people in Colossae encouraging them and praying that they would understand the Gospel of Jesus and take it to their hearts.
It is so important to pray for each other now as well. We have been told about it so many times and how He has an eternal life prepared for us. I believe this and have this hope. Do you? Our belief and faith will show itself in bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit and also by wanting to make sure everyone knows about Jesus. God wants all people to be saved and for them all to be a part of His family. Just having faith in a god is not good enough. Christianity is all about Jesus and what Christ has done for us through the cross. Universalism will not get us to heaven – only through Jesus can we be saved! The love of Jesus is for all – share this love and maybe a Toblerone!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to know and experience your love and take it into my heart and life. You have given me a mission to spread the Gospel. Guide my words and actions that others will know this love. Amen.
Our Hope is Assured 5th Sunday during Lent Read: Philippians 1:3-11 “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
“Jesus is coming back someday. Could be tomorrow, could be today! Jesus is coming back I know for the Holy Spirit told me so” This was a song I learned while on a Lutheran Youth Encounter Team in the USA. It was a fun song where the leader would choose someone to tell a story (fact or f iction) and then just at the crunch line, the song would start. I remember thinking, wow, Jesus really could come back while I am brushing my teeth or writing a devotion or spending time with family. We just don’t know, and in the Bible, it tells us that not even Jesus knows, only our Heavenly Father.
That means we need to be ready! When Jesus comes back, is He really going to take me with Him, or is He going to change His mind at the last minute? That can be a really scary thought, but Paul in the Bible verse tells us that we have this hope of eternal life given to us by the Holy Spirit and so we can be confident that God will be with us always. Thinking about the day of Christ’s return should be a joyous thought. But for many it can be scary.
Have they done enough? Have they told enough people about Jesus? “What about my family – they won’t listen to me!” Paul assures us that our hope with Jesus is assured, “all of you share in God’s grace with me.” (verse 7b) God sent His son Jesus to be a substitute for us and take all our sins and wrongdoings on Himself. He took all our burdens, uncertainties and failures to the cross with Him and washed them away with His precious blood. With Jesus doing that for us, we can have the hope of a future life in the presence of a loving Father. God wants this for you and me. Trust and believe in God and that He has your life in His arms. Be assured, God will take you to be with Him on the day of Christ Jesus!
Prayer: My dear Jesus, you have saved me through your death and rising from the dead. I know and believe in you and trust that you also have my eternal life in your hands. Amen.
You Have Been Called 28th Day in Lent (Saturday) Read: Ephesians 4:1-6 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:4-6 (NIV)
Have you ever felt that God has called you to something? Was it a feeling of foreboding, or was it a feeling of excitement? The church uses the ‘calling’ process for congregations to ask a Pastor to come and be their pastor. When I was in LTC (Lutheran Teachers College) back in the 1980’s, the church also used this ‘calling’ process for teachers. I know that when people were sent to Papua New Guinea as missionaries – they were also ‘called’. Is it only ‘super-Christians’ that can be ‘called’ to serve God? No, I don’t believe that is the case. Each one of us is ‘called’ by God to work in His kingdom.
Four years ago, I felt an urging by the Spirit to start a young children’s ministry. Mainly Music started in our church, just through having a feeling that God wanted me to do something for families and children. God is calling each of us, all the time to do something special for Him. Maybe to talk to that group at work who sit off by themselves.
Maybe it is to begin a new initiative within the church. Maybe it is to put your hand up to usher, play an instrument, lead a small group, participate in a small group. Jesus called the disciples to be His followers; He is also calling you to be His follower. What is God calling you to do? In the Bible reading from Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul talks about us all to live a life worthy of being called by God. What does that look like?
We are to be humble, patient, forgiving, loving and bring peace. Sometimes this can seem like a big ask when life is just turning us all upside down with demands pulling us everywhere. But I have always found it interesting that when God wants us to do something He always makes a way for it to happen. Each of us are called to serve God where we are and He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us. It is so good to know where our hope and help come from. You have been called by God – what does this look like?
Prayer: Loving Saviour, thank you for calling me into your service. I don’t yet know how you want me to serve but open my eyes and ears to hear and see what you have in store for me. Amen
Being Enlightened 27th Day in Lent (Friday) Read: Ephesians 1:15-23 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19a (NIV)
The Pixar movie ‘Inside Out’ was released in 2015. My children were teenagers, and I could really relate to the plot and the workings of a teenage mind. Pete Docter conceived this movie after observing changes in his own daughter’s personality as she grew older. The storyline is as follows and for those who haven’t seen it and have teenagers, it can be an eye-opener. ‘Inside Out follows the personified emotions – Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust – inside the mind of 11-year-old Riley, who is forced to move from Minnesota to San Francisco. When a struggle between Joy and Sadness leads to core memories being lost and personality islands crumbling, Joy and Sadness embark on a dangerous journey to return to Headquarters, ultimately realising that all emotions especially Sadness, are vital for Riley’s well-being and growth.’
[Wikipedia] Read through the Bible reading for today again (Ephesians 1:15–23). All that God has done in sending Jesus to pay the debt of my sin brings so many emotions within me. I am grateful, thankful, filled with joy, but also with sadness as I know the pain that it cost both Jesus and God. In the above passage, Paul prays that God may open the eyes of the people of Ephesus to the extreme love God has for them and the workings of the Holy Spirit as he brings wisdom and knowledge to their lives about how much God has done and will do in each of their lives. Paul is telling us that too! God loves you so much love that He sent His only Son to the cross as a willing sinless Saviour. God then raised Jesus from the dead after a gruesome death and is seated with God and now rules for eternity.
God has given Jesus all power and authority. But, even with this incredible reign and dominion, you and I were chosen to live with Him. Celebrate with joy and thanksgiving! You have been chosen to enter Heaven – live like that matters!
Prayer: Help me Lord Jesus to understand all that you are saying to me through your Word, the Bible. So often I take things for granted and don’t try to get it. You are always patient with me, thank you. Amen.
Working of God’s Spirit 26th Day in Lent (Thursday) Read: Galatians 5:22-25 “As for us, our hope is that God will put us right with him; and this is what we wait for by the power of God’s Spirit working through our faith.” Galatians 5:5 (GNT)
sin like everyone else, I ask for God’s forgiveness and then I get to begin each day with a clean slate. That is basically what this quote is telling us. God’s Spirit works through each of us, that in itself makes us different – the Holy Spirit produces the fruits of the Spirit to impact our lives – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Showing these qualities in themselves makes us different in a world that is selfish and self-serving, each of these qualities show how we act and react to others. In our Mainly Music Team meetings, before our sessions, we talk and pray that we will be different so that the families and caregivers can wonder what makes us different to then open the door to sharing about Jesus.
Jesus was different. In the society back in 30 AD, he showed uncompromising love and acceptance for all. He stood up for those who were outsiders and expelled from normal society and through love made them whole. He used and showed every possible fruit given by the Spirit to show that He was different. People were drawn to these differences and wanted to know more.
The most amazing act was when Jesus went to the cross for you and me – He loves us so much. Each of us has unlimited access to the Holy Spirit and the fruits and gifts that He provides for each of us. I pray that you will be different and that you will show others that Jesus is your Saviour by how you act and behave. Society is quick to label and ostracise; it is not easy to be different. So rather, show that you are a Christian by your love. God helps us through the Holy Spirit – don’t forget to use this amazing power!
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you that you were different and that I have an example of a true servant to follow. Help me to not be ashamed of you and the Gospel, but to shine out to all displaying the fruits of the Spirit. Amen
‘The God Who Stays’ 25th Day in Lent (Wednesday) Read: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
I am sitting in my home office looking at all the devotions I need to write for this Lenten devotional, and I feel somewhat overwhelmed. How can I write another one? Surely, I have said everything. Then, on my Spotify Christian play list, this song comes on by Matthew West – ‘The God who Stays’. This is exactly what I need to say for this devotion. “If I were You I would’ve given up on me by now I would’ve labelled me a lost cause ‘Cause I feel just like a lost cause If I were You I would’ve turned around and walked away I would’ve labelled me beyond repair ‘Cause I feel like I’m beyond repair Oh, but somehow You don’t see me like I do Somehow You’re still here You’re the God who stays, You’re the God who stays You’re the one who runs in my direction, When the whole world walks away You’re the God who stands, With wide open arms And You tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart From the God who stays” [by Matthew West].
Throughout the Bible we have examples of God remaining by His people when they have sinned and turned away from Him. God returns again and again in love to a people who don’t deserve His love. Are we really any different? As God’s people we have experienced many ups and downs, we may have turned away from Him and yet, “inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (verses 16b, 17) I love in the song lyrics that it says that God not only stays beside us through thick and thin, but He also runs towards us like the father in the story of the prodigal son. No matter what the world throws at us or accuses us of, there is nothing “…nor anything else in all creation, that will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39) A God who never leaves me is the God in whom I place my hope!
Prayer: Thank you, dear God, for always staying by my side. You are there in my joyous times and also when I am discouraged and sad. In you I place my hope and trust. Amen.
Place Your Hope 24th Day in Lent (Tuesday) Read: 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 “On [God] we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.” 2 Corinthians 10b-11a (NIV)
I was homesick. I had left Australia filled with a spirit of adventure to the UK and had found myself in a busy home looking after someone else’s children as a nanny. The first weeks flew by as I settled into the children’s routine and the routine of the house. But then I started to think of home and my family in Adelaide. They were such a long way away and I yearned for something familiar. Then, came a letter and every week there was another – my faithful mother wrote an aerogramme letter every week to me. This became my source of comfort and I in turn wrote every week back sharing all my needs, joys and concerns. I placed my hope in this letter knowing my mum understood. Our Heavenly Father also understands our needs, concerns and worries and listens and comforts us. As a sinful human we know that we will experience troubles, homesickness, pain and hurt because that is all part of being a human.
God doesn’t want us to hurt any more than He wants us to sin, but no matter what, He is always there sharing His love with us through all His letters (The Bible). We can rely on our loving Father to provide us with every good thing. He loved us so much that He sent His one and only Son to the cross to forgive us and provide a way for our salvation. That truly is a God who loves. So, place your hope in a God who doesn’t change, who listens to all your prayers, who understands all your pain and hurt, and who forgives you unconditionally.
Paul in his second letter to the people of Corinth, wanted to tell them all about this God who is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,” (verse 3). This loving God gives us the example of how to care and comfort people so that we in turn can show this same care and comfort to others. So, place your trust and hope in a God who knows and understands!
Prayer: My loving God, thank you for the way you understand me. You know what I need before I ask for help. Help me to understand your ways so that I too may share them with others. Amen. 3
God Knows Better 23rd Day in Lent (Monday) Read: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
The story of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter follows the story of a little rabbit who thinks he knows everything and what is best, when realistically he should have listened to his mother. Peter’s mother warned her four children – Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter to have fun but not to go into Mr McGregor’s garden, for that is where their father was made into a rabbit pie. Disobedient Peter did go into the garden and had his fill of the vegetables growing there but then was chased by Mr McGregor where he lost his shoes and his jacket which got caught on a net.
He hid in a watering can filled with water until his sneeze gave him away, he was chased again and finally escaped under the gate. He was so exhausted when he got home that he was put to bed with only chamomile tea while his sisters had a lovely supper. It is very easy to think that we know better than God. The Bible (God’s Word) was written so long ago, is it even relevant? God does know what is best for us and warns us to stay out of the forbidden places where we could get hurt. In the Bible reading, God tells us that His love never fails. When we were younger (in our faith) we accepted God’s love, grace and forgiveness most of the time without question. God told us not to do something and hopefully we obeyed. With a more mature faith, we can understand more the cost of our disobedience (sin) and how that hurts us and others around us. We know we need to listen to God, but sometimes over the fence in the garden, everything looks so much better.
God has assured us of His love. He forgives us continually. He has shown us His love through Jesus’ death on the cross and then overcoming death by rising again. And He has given us the promise and hope of spending eternity in heaven. Listen to God, He really does know better!
Prayer: Loving Father, you love me with an unconditional love which surrounds me every day. Help me to rely on you for wisdom and to listen to your guiding me. Bring me to your eternal home. Amen