Lent - Day Four - I Am Pleased with You

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2025 **********************************************************

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.

Matthew 3:1-17

“This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” With those words, the voice of the Father descends from the heavens at the baptism of Jesus. What would we give as children to hear such words from a parent? What would we give to hear those words spoken to us by our Father in Heaven? When we examine our lives closely and honestly what we see is all the brokenness due to our sin. So these seem to be the last words we could ever hear from God. Yet by the death and resurrection of Christ, God looks at us through the cross. He does not see our sinful nature but rather sees Christ. He does not view our sinful actions but the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Today hear the voice of the Father speaking to you. “You are my child. I love you. With you I am well pleased.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me. Grant that my life is filled with all that pleases You. Amen.

Lent - Day Three - The King Has Come

 Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2025

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Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’" Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Matthew 2:1-23

The Magi came to Bethlehem in search of “the King of the Jews,” and when they found the baby Jesus they gave Him gifts worthy of a king. Jesus is a king [- the King -] and yet He said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” God’s kingdom is not simply a place. It is His active reigning in the lives of His people. Christ desires to fill your life with His Spirit, to live and reign in you. He is a king deserving of all kingly gifts, and yet what He desires above all things is to be at work in your life.

Prayer:

Jesus,  Let Your kingdom reign in our lives, that by the Holy Spirit we may trust Your Word of promise and that our thoughts, words, and actions would be a reflection of Your kingdom of holiness, grace, and mercy. Amen.

Lent - Day Two - God is Not Distant

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2025
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Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel' (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25

Many would say that if there is a God, He is merely a spectator who does not interact with this world. In the birth of Jesus, we see the very opposite to be true. God Himself comes into this world. He takes on our flesh. Not only does He interact with this world, but He intervenes on behalf of His creation. He is born into this world to “save His people from their sins.” And God continues to interact and intervene in our lives, for our benefit, by the work of the Holy Spirit, and with the power of His Word.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, be at work in our lives. Encourage our faith, speak Your truth, and open our eyes to see all You are doing. Amen.

Lent - Day One - A Family Tree

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2025

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The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Matthew 1:1-17

The gospel of Matthew begins by giving the family genealogy of Jesus. But what could be so important about a family tree? God made His covenant promise with Abraham, who would be the father of a great nation and a blessing to all people. From that nation God promised to send the Messiah through the family line of David, bringing hope and salvation to the world. Matthew uses this genealogy to point out that Jesus was born into this family tree because He is the fulfillment of those promises made centuries earlier. But just as important is the fact that the promised Messiah, Jesus, has brought us into His family tree through His death on the cross. Through His life, death, and resurrection, we have been made children of God. We receive all the promises and blessings of being adopted into His family.

Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son, and for bringing us into Your family through His death on the cross. Amen

Is It Too Late?

"The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?” “O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.” Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!' "
Ezekiel 37:1-4 NLT

Ezekiel was taken to an open valley and plopped down in the middle of dead, dry bones, bleached by the sun. Nothing left of the lives that had been. No life. No hope of life. No chance of having what might have been. What could have been. Over. Finished. No hope of ever being whatever it was they set out to be and all because they wound up on that battlefield. Just dead, dry bones...

Can you see it in your mind? Can you picture that? Not a place that would evoke the desire to do a happy dance...

"And God wants me to do what?!? Are you kidding me?!? Speak to dead, dry bones?!? No way! I'd look like a fool! It's too late for that!"

Do you feel like that? Does your life feel bleached out - dead and dried up? Are you lamenting over what 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' been if you had not ______________? Do you think it's too late?

Ezekiel 37:7-10 The Message, "I prophesied just as I'd been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones moved and came together, bone to bone. I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them. He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, 'God, the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain bodies. Breathe life!'" So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army..."

Okay, that was just a vision. It's not like that could really happen, right? Well, I'm here to tell you that it can and it does...EVERY time God is invited. Whether it's your dead, dry bones or someone else's. Dry bones, listen to the Word of the Lord!

2nd Corinthians 5:17, "This means that ANYONE who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" [emphasis mine]

Galatians 6:15-16, "It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God."

Revelation 21:5, "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."

God is calling you. He already knows what you did or didn't do and only He can fix it. And believe it - He CAN fix it - and He WILL! But just like the watch can't be fixed till you take it to the jeweler, your life can't be fixed until you put it in God's hands. It's a safe place. Put yourself in His hands. It's NOT too late! It's NEVER too late.

Prayer:

Oh, God!
              Let our hearts respond to Your call, to Your pleading, to Your touch. Let Your will be done, Father. We don't want blessing - we want You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Building Relationships - Guest Author

From the Daily Hope Newsletter.

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“Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. . . . You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.”
Philippians 2:3, 5-6 NLT

The ability to be humble is a relationship builder. What is humility? It’s when you honor others above yourself instead of demanding or clinging to your rights.

Pride, on the other hand, destroys relationships—and it shows up in a lot of different ways. It can make you critical, judgmental, competitive, stubborn, and unforgiving. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride leads to destruction; a proud attitude brings ruin” (NCV).

Pride is also self-deceiving. When you have a problem with pride, you struggle to see it in yourself. But everyone else can see it in you!

What does pride look like in a relationship? One, you always offer advice but never ask for it. Two, you can’t admit when you’ve had a tough week. Everybody else is saying, “Yeah, this last week was tough.” But you can’t seem to admit you have any problems.

But how does humility play out in a relationship? Notice the five relationship builders in 1 Peter 3:8: “Live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble” (GW). The first four are really built on the fifth one: Be humble. That verse is an excellent model for relationships.

How does humility happen in your life? It happens by letting Jesus control your thoughts, heart, attitudes, and reactions. Growing in humility has to include Jesus.

The basic law of relationships is this: You tend to become like the people you spend time with. If you spend time with grumpy people, you get grumpier. If you spend time with happy people, you get happier. If you want to have more humility, spend time with Jesus Christ in prayer and reading his Word. Just talk to him. He is humble and wants a relationship with you.

Growing in humility may seem like a tall order, but it’s possible with Jesus... 

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Prayer:

Father, 

         Thank You for sending this teaching today. Please forgive us for walking in pride. We do not want to invoke destruction and ruin in our lives. Help us to see how pride can show up in our life. Help us to see and understand the connection between being humble and spending time with Jesus. Make us ever mindful of how we act when it’s been a while since we've connected with You. We want to build according to Your Word to "Live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble." In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

He Has Not

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

Matthew 6:34 The Message

This scripture is taped to the monitor stand at my place of employment where I can read it every day. I printed and posted it several years ago as a reminder when the company was going through major layoffs. By God's grace and mercy, I am still there. The first couple of months I realized I was living with an underlying fear. That's when I went back to the Words I knew; to the One I can trust. God is my Source. He is my Provider. He leads me in the paths of righteousness... and my beloved Psalm 139; It doesn't matter where I go, He is there. And Hebrews 13:5 that He will never leave me nor forsake me. And so many more...

God has been reminding me to live in the present. Forgetting those things that are behind, not worrying about tomorrow and what it may or may not bring, for God is already there. He is not going to take us or send us to any place that He has not already made the way. And if we believe that (and it is our choice), then we can fully live in the peace that He has promised us. The peace that only He can give us, and the world cannot.

Don't get caught up in what may or may not happen tomorrow or the next day. We must choose to put our faith and our trust in God; to not be moved by what we see or feel. It is God and His Word that must shape our lives and the choices we make.

Remember His Word in Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?"  No, He has not and He never will. 

Praise His Holy Name!

Prayer:

Father,
          When I think about all You have done for us, I am overwhelmed by Your love and faithfulness. Thank You for continuing to teach us. Use us to further Your kingdom, Lord. Morning by morning, according to Your Word, awaken us and open our understanding to Your will. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen