2026 Lenten Season - Day 35 - The Humility in Majesty

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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The march of Jesus to the cross was a march of humility and triumph.

As we near the final days of the pre-resurrection life of Jesus, let’s think once more about a familiar passage of Scripture. It is popularly known as the “triumphal entry.” But the problem with familiar scenes is two-fold.

1. Because a passage is so familiar, we often think that we know more about it than we actually do.

2. Because a scene is familiar, we don’t give it the kind of attention we did when it was new to us, and this prevents us from learning more.

Let us consider Matthew 21:1–11, which records the final march of Jesus through Bethany and on to Jerusalem, and his death. 

[Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”]

This is perhaps one of the most layered passages in Scripture. So much more is happening than what appears on the surface. There is more going on than Jesus entering the final stage of his work on earth in humility and majesty. There is more going on than a multitude worshiping him as the Messiah King. Let me suggest some words that unpack this moment.

1. Fulfillment. 

In this moment, Jesus is very aware of who he is and what he has been called to do. He knows that he is the direct fulfillment of holy and ancient prophecies. He is acting not with random spontaneity, but with a careful sense of who he is and the detailed specifics of what he has been called to do. He is not caught up in the moment, but rather motivated by an ancient and sovereign plan that he would be in this moment, at this place, doing these specific things. His heart is not moved by popular acclaim but by the will of his Father. What he does and what he directs the disciples to do is done with a spirit of calling,
submission, and active obedience.

2. Humility. 

Jesus, riding on the colt of a donkey, is not playing to the crowd. He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He has come to sit on the throne of David to set up a kingdom that will have no end, yet this moment is not about him. It’s not about how much the crowd loves him. It’s not about how big the crowd is or how exuberant their celebration is. This moment is about one thing: the redemptive mission that was the reason for his birth, his righteous life, everything he taught, every miraculous act, his final trip to Jerusalem, his trial, his suffering, his death, and his resurrection. He did not come to collect followers who would deliver fame and power to him. He came to seek and to save the lost, and to do that, he had to be willing to humble himself, suffer, and die. The greatest man who ever lived was also the humblest man who ever lived.

3. Majesty. 

At the very same time, this moment in the life of Jesus is colored with glory and majesty. This is the King of kings. This is the promised Messiah. This is the Son of David. Here comes a conquering King. From that horrible moment of disobedience in the garden, humanity has cried for the coming of this King. He is coming to defeat what we could not defeat. He is coming to give what we could never earn. He is coming to reign forever and ever and, in his reign, to fix everything that sin has broken. He has not come to defeat physical kings and to set up an earthly kingdom. He will not bring down Rome and sit on Caesar’s throne. He will not deliver less than this, but infinitely more. He is coming to set up a global and eternal kingdom that will result in a new heaven and a new earth, where peace and righteousness will reign forever. In this moment, the King has come to take his rightful throne.

4. Misunderstanding. 

The crowd has no idea who Jesus actually is and what he has really come to do. They cry, “Hosanna” (which means, “Save us”), but the salvation they are looking for is temporal and political. They think the Messiah will set up an earthly kingdom that will break the back of Roman rule. This is why Jesus cannot be distracted by the adulatory desires of the crowd around him. He knows the hearts of people and how fickle they can be. Though on the road to Bethany he was heralded by cries of “Hosanna,” in a few days in Jerusalem, he will be cursed by a crowd of similar people, who will cry, “Crucify him.” The crowd speaks in fulfillment of prophecy, but they speak about things they don’t fully understand. Jesus came not to take momentary power, but to die in order to deliver eternal life. His crown would be made of thorns and his seat would be a cross. Soon the voices of the celebrants will be silenced and he will be reviled. This, too, will fulfill what the prophets had spoken.

5. Servanthood. 

As Jesus said of himself, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). He knew full well that the only pathway to his final kingship was death, and he was willing. He would not be diverted from the suffering that was his calling. He would do nothing less than give his life so that we would have life. Yes, he is the King, but he rode into Jerusalem to be the Lamb, that is, the final sacrifice for sin, and he did it with joy that was untainted by regret of any kind.

6. Eternity. 

The focus of the crowd is on the present, while the eyes and heart of the one on the colt are focused on eternity. He could have power now. He could call on angelic armies to preserve his life and to crush his enemies. He could exercise his power for his own escape, but he knows the result would be humanity’s eternal doom. With the forces now pressing in on him, he comes with forever in view. He comes to gift the walking dead with life that would never end, and nothing will stop him from completing his mission. This final ride of humility and triumph, on that borrowed colt, was a ride to the city of his death. Every aspect was done with the generations of souls who would put their trust in him in mind. He rode to his death so that we would reign in life with him forever. He did what he did so that, in a world made new again, we would sing Hosanna songs to him forever and ever and ever.

GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions

1. At the triumphal entry, humility and majesty met in perfect harmony. What impact does this joining of two seeming opposites have in the life of a believer? Why does it matter to us that King Jesus was both humble and majestic?

2. The crowds cried “save us” but didn’t know what that really meant. In what ways do you try to ask Jesus to save on your terms?

3. The fickleness of the crowds is striking. In what ways do you cry “Hosanna” in one breath and “Crucify him!” in the next?

Reread Matthew 21:1–11, and try to put yourself in the scene—what do you see, smell, hear, and feel?

Matthew 21:1-11 New Living Translation
Jesus’ Triumphant Entry

21:1 As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”
4 This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said, 5 “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.’”
6 The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.
8 Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,
“Praise God for the Son of David!
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Praise God in highest heaven!”
10 The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked.
11 And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

2026 Lenten Season - Day 34 - For Us

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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Jesus’s life saw no defeat, so we could know victory.

In your weakest, most vulnerable, seemingly helpless, public-shame moment,

hanging on a rough-hewed cross between heaven and hell, nailed, bleeding, thirsty,

life ebbing out of you,

victim,

mocked and scorned,

you were a conquering King— not defeated, the Victor.

Seemingly defeated, you conquered sin, Satan, death.

Put to shame, you were putting to shame all who would shame you. 

Not cowering in fear, you were parading your sovereign glory,

unleashing your transforming grace, expediting your redemptive plan.

The darkest moment ever became the brightest moment ever.

The greatest defeat became the greatest victory.

The moment of death was a triumph of life.

You were where you came to be, doing what you came to do.

You did not surrender for a moment 

so that we could stand firm for a lifetime.

You did not give into defeat so that we would experience victory.

Everything you suffered was for us.

Every battle fought was fought for us.

Every victory won was won for us.

In your moment of apparent defeat you became forever our Victor.

GOING DEEPER

Reflection Questions

1. Taking stock of the past thirty-three days, what is God convicting you of?

2. What changes have you decided to make, and how are those changes going?

3. What fresh perspective have you gained on what the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus mean to you?

Read 2 Corinthians 5:14 –21 NLT, and rejoice in the gospel message.

14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

2026 Lenten Season - Day 33 - So Many Questions

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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The story of Jesus guarantees how your story will end.

How will this story end? This is the question in the mind of every human being.
How will my marriage end?
What will happen to my career?
Will my suffering ever end?
How will my kids turn out?
Will my investments pay off?
How will I get myself out of this mess?
Will I pass this course?
What will I have to deal with in old age?
What will I do after I graduate?
How will my ministry turn out?
Will the Bible turn out to be true?

These kinds of questions somehow, some way, haunt every human being. It doesn’t take many years of life before you conclude that you’re not only not in control of the big things in life, but also that there are very few things you actually control. It doesn’t take long for the delusion of self-sovereignty to shatter. We’re all also confronted with the fact that we live in a broken world that doesn’t function the way the Creator intended. As a child, you aren’t capable of theologically thinking this through, but you know messed-up and hurtful things happen a lot. As an adult, you adjust your expectations because you know the kinds of things that can happen in a fallen world.

In our smallness, we wonder if our lives will turn out the way we hoped and dreamed. My answer may surprise you. No, you won’t get much of what you hoped for and probably few of your dreams. But here’s the wonderful, encouraging flip side of my answer. What you will get as God’s child is way better than anything you could’ve hoped for and incomparably better than your brightest dream. Pay careful attention to what I am about to say. God doesn’t guarantee you’ll get your temporary dream; what he guarantees you is forever.

Because we are rational beings, we don’t live life based only on the facts of our experience; we depend on our interpretation of our experience. We never leave our own lives alone. We are always thinking, interpreting, and rethinking. We carry assumptions with us and we draw conclusions, which color future observations. Let me say this another way: we are all storytellers, and our audience is us. We all compose a story of how we think our life should unfold; it’s a story of what we desire and dream. And we all work to make the plot come true that we have written for ourselves. But grace introduces another author.

We are not actually the authors of our own stories; God is. He wrote our story ages before we took our first breath. Every situation, location, and relationship was written into the chapters of his book by his sovereign hand. And by grace, he has embedded our story into the great and grand, origin-to-destiny redemptive story. We are now citizens of his kingdom; we now live in the shadow of his glory, and we are now called to live with his purpose in mind. Because our story has been embedded in his story, there is no doubt about how our story will end.

Yes, we will suffer along the way. Yes, our hearts will go through seasons where they are laden with grief. No, we won’t always be healthy. Yes, we will be weak and we will fail. Yes, loved ones will leave us. Sometimes we will go through seasons of want. We won’t always be respected and appreciated. We won’t always experience true justice. There will be chapters in the story that God has written for us that will be very hard. But we must remember two things. First, he has written himself into the story so that he will always be with us, giving us what we could never give to ourselves. Second, what your Lord has written for you is not less than the plot you have written for yourself; it is infinitely more.

Most of us would be satisfied with temporal human happiness. We’d be satisfied with a good job, a nice house, a reliable car, a good church, a good marriage, successful children, and health and pleasure in our later years. But all of these dreams are not only self-oriented, but they are so dramatically brief when compared to the expansiveness of God’s story. So rather than deliver our small and self-oriented dreams, God did something better: he sent his Son to earth.

Jesus was willing to come, suffer, and die so that we would have a way better story. He suffered so that our suffering would end forever. He lived a selfless life so that we would be freed from our bondage to ourselves, so that for all eternity we would know the liberating joy of living for something and someone bigger than ourselves. Because of his humiliation, we will know the exaltation of living forever in the presence of the King.

Know today that no matter what you are going through, because of the grace of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, your little story has now been absorbed into his great story of victory over all that sin has broken. Because of what Jesus has done, you can rest in knowing the glorious way your story will end. In fact, because of the grace of Jesus, the end of your story is that it has no end!

GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions

1. Describe a time when God did something in your life that was not what you wanted or planned, but later you saw that his plan was better.

2. Functionally, who do you believe is the author of your story? You may mentally agree that it is God, but do you live that way? What evidence is there in your life that you submit to God’s pen?

3. What parts of your story are you trying to write yourself? Are you willing to give God control? What are you afraid of?
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Read Romans 8:31–39 as God’s promise to you that even your heartaches are part of his plan.

Romans 8:31-39 New Living Translation

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  

36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2026 Lenten Season - Day 32 - The Exposed Heart

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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On the journey to the cross, not only is the heart of Jesus exposed, but our hearts are too.

I must admit that I like uncomfortable comedy, like The Office. I like those cringe-worthy moments when you almost have to turn away because you can’t believe what the person is about to say or do next. I think this is honest comedy.

We all experience those tense and awkward moments in our daily lives. We all find ourselves in embarrassing situations where we would love to roll back the cameras and be granted a retake. We have moments when we are incredibly self-centered, miss the point completely, or lack sympathy. We all find ourselves in situations where we are more exposed than we want to be. We are all haunted by the video replays in our minds. And we’ve all been hurt by others who said or did the wrong thing at just the wrong moment.

Between the “already” and the “not yet” you’d better be ready to have your heart exposed again and again, by words you wish you hadn’t said and actions you wish you hadn’t taken. As he journeys toward the cross, the heart of Jesus is exposed too, but it’s not an awkward and embarrassing exposure; it’s a thing of unparalleled beauty. Again and again, between his manger birth and his rough-hewn cross, you see the tenderness, the humility, the sympathy, the patience, the love, the faithfulness, the grace, and the generosity of the heart of Jesus. But as his heart is revealed, ours is too, and the contrast is not only deeply humbling, but it also exposes just how much we need the sacrificial death that this tender one is marching toward. We clearly see the contrast between the human heart and the heart of the Messiah in this dramatic moment recorded for us in Mark 9:2–37:

[And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.” And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” ]

I have quoted this lengthy passage because it is the context that sets up the contrast between the heart of Jesus and the hearts of his disciples. Peter, James, and John have just experienced the shocking, heart-rattling glory of the transfiguration of Jesus, with Moses on one side and Elijah on the other. Here is the promised Messiah, displayed in glory, as the complete fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Here is the one who alone is able to satisfy the law’s demands. Here is the one who alone is able to shoulder the hope of every prophet of old. Here is the hope of humanity. He is the hope that all that sin has destroyed would be made right again.

You have to wonder how Peter, James, and John carried this amazing scene in their hearts, a scene that they were commanded not to share with others.

After seeing Jesus in great glory, we next see him with great power as he does what is unthinkable: he raises a boy from the dead. There is no power in the universe greater than resurrection power. There is no feat that you could witness that is greater than taking the hand of a dead person, and by that act, bringing life back into that dead body.

But there is more. The disciples have been confronted with not only the glory of Jesus and the power of Jesus, but also the shocking reality that he was going to die and, after being killed, would rise again. It is all too much. This one of such glory and power would die? He would somehow rise out of death? You would think that the disciples’ hearts would be filled with sadness at his death and that their minds would be filled with endless questions about what they’d seen and heard. You would expect that what they would be thinking about was Jesus. But here’s where the contrast between the heart of Jesus and the hearts of the disciples is so great.

Jesus, full of power and glory, would not exercise this power to save himself, but he would offer himself as a sacrifice for the sins of others. He knew his glory and he knew his power but he also knew his calling, and he pursued it with joy. Glorious and powerful, he came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). But what occupies the minds of the disciples? Awe in the face of his power? Grief at the thought of Jesus’s death? Confusion as to his resurrection? No, they were thinking of something very different. As they walked along the road, Jesus noticed a debate among them, so when they got to the destination, he asked them what they were arguing about. Embarrassed, not one of the disciples would answer the question, but Jesus knew. They were arguing about who was the greatest. They were not meditating on the messianic greatness they had just witnessed or ruminating over the news of Jesus’s impending death; they were thinking about themselves.

As the greatest one who ever lived was willingly marching to a criminal’s death, those journeying with him were questing to be great. I wish I could say that I can’t relate, but I can. I sadly share this heart, and so do you. I like to be the center of attention. I like to have the strongest argument. I like to be in control. As long as sin still lives inside me, I will still have moments when I want to be great, and when I do, I demonstrate how much I need the grace of this glorious and powerful one, who did not save himself but willingly died to save people like me from myself. On the road to the cross, not only is the heart of Jesus exposed, but ours is too, and there’s grace for everything that gets exposed.

GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions

1. What aspect of the disciples’ reactions resonates with you? Where do you see yourself and your own sin in their behavior?

2. What characteristics of Jesus’s heart revealed in Mark 9 do you think are surprising to the disciples?

3. What would have to change in your attitudes and actions for you to receive the kingdom of God like a child?

Read James 2:1–13. What insight does this passage add to the story in Mark?

James 2:1-13  New Living Translation
A Warning against Prejudice

1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name[c] you bear?
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.

2026 Lenten Season - Day 31 - Victory for Us

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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There is no defeat in the cross. Only triumph is to be found there.

The life of Jesus was a death march. The life of Jesus was a victory parade. Both are true and must be held together. There was no defeat in the righteous life and sacrificial death of Jesus. 

The birth of Jesus was a victory. 

The escape from the hand of Herod was a victory.

The humanity of Jesus was a victory.

The perfect life of Jesus was a victory.

The triumph over temptation was a victory.

The public baptism of Jesus was a victory.

The teaching of Jesus was a victory.

The healing ministry of Jesus was a victory.

The arrest in Gethsemane was a victory.

The trial and torture of Jesus was a victory.

The crucifixion with criminals was a victory.

The separation from his Father was a victory.

His death on a cross was a victory.

The resurrection was a victory.

His post-resurrection appearance to his followers was a victory.

His ascension was a victory.

Everything in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, even those things that appeared to be defeats were victories. Each was a victory because each was done in fulfillment of God’s plan. Each was a victory because it was done in fulfillment of prophecy. Christ did all these things as our substitute. He did them all on our behalf. He lived, for us, the life we could have never lived. He won, for us, battles that would have led to our defeat. He suffered for us, so we would not suffer God’s anger over sin. He conquered, for us, the final enemy - death. 

Yes, it was a life of suffering and death, but in it all was victory after victory. He came to conquer, and conquer he did. He came to reverse the course of human history, by victory after victory, until he could say, “It is finished.”

The apostle Paul talks about the victorious life of Jesus in Colossians 2:6-15: Read it right here.

New Living Translation
"6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."

Paul wants you to know that right here, right now, your life is rooted in the victories of Christ on your behalf. He wants you to know that when you are built up and grow, it is because of the victories of  Christ on your behalf. He wants this identity to be the motivation behind everything you do. The Son of God left his lofty place and came to earth to suffer and die victoriously so that you would have not only a brand-new identity but also brand-new potential. 

If you are God’s child, you are more than a husband, wife, son, daughter, father, mother, neighbor,  friend, male, female, young person, older person, worker, retired, and so on. You are a child of a conquering King. You are a son or daughter of a victorious Savior. You have been raised and made alive. You have been forgiven; that is, your record of debt has been cancelled. Your penalty was nailed to the cross once and for all. This is who you are. This is how you are now welcomed to live, all because of the victory of Jesus on your behalf. 

You don’t have to live in timidity and fear. You don’t have to give way to temptation. You don’t have to surrender your desires to the things of this world. You don’t have to chase after idols. You don’t have to fear God’s rejection when you have failed. You don’t have to fear being honest about your sin, weakness, and failure. You don’t have to look for identity where it can’t be found. You can say no to the enemy. You don’t have to fake righteousness you don’t really have. You don’t have to let anxiety rule your heart. You can rest in the unshakable love and forgiveness that is yours because of the victory of Jesus on your behalf.

I leave you with Paul’s crescendo sentence: "In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross." On the cross, Jesus was robbing the enemy of its weapons. As Jesus was on the cross, the enemy was being put to shame. The cross was a triumph. 

Sin defeated. 

Forgiveness granted. 

Acceptance with God assured. 

Eternal life guaranteed. 

Victory now and in the world to come. 

This is your identity. Now go live it out.

GOING DEEPER

Reflection Questions

1. In what areas of your life are you experiencing defeat? Where do you feel stuck?

2. How can the truth that “[Jesus] won, for us, battles that would have led to our defeat” help you in your battle against sin and spiritual failure?

3. What fears do you need to claim Jesus’s victory over? Do that now, in writing, and put them to rest.

Reread Colossians 2:6–15, and rejoice in Jesus’s victory on your behalf.

2026 Lenten Season - Day 30 - Confessing Our Need

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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You can’t repent of what you haven’t confessed, you can’t confess what you haven’t grieved, and you can’t grieve what you haven’t seen.

I must admit, I dislike the hardship of confession. I avoid grief. I don’t like painful moments of regret. I don’t like thinking about my sin. I want to follow you, but free from the need to admit failure. Your grace isn’t a backroom, under-the-table, secret-handshake deal you’ve made with me, where you gloss over my sin and I walk away relieved.

You didn’t make a deal; you endured the cross. You wouldn’t call sin nothing when sin is a big, dark, horrible, rebellious, destructive, idolatrous, self-aggrandizing, law-hating, death-producing something. Any deal you would make would empower the enemy, encourage falsity, violate your holiness, negate your justice, crush your grace. Rather than a backroom deal, you went public on a hill outside the city where criminals die. You put the ravages of sin, my sin, on display.

In a moment of gross injustice and public torture, you hung between heaven and earth, suspended there by justice and grace. You not only took the thorny crown, the hard-driven nails, the sword to the side. You carried my sin and the rejection of your Father, as life seeped out of you.

You weren’t accepting sin’s victory; you were declaring sin’s defeat. There is no denial permitted at the foot of your cross. The nails don’t allow me to think that sin is nothing. Your tomb opposes any notion that sin is okay. Your suffering and death call me to do what is unnatural for me: to grieve, to mourn, to regret, to confess, to come out of hiding, to admit my need for your grace, to repent, and to do all of these things again and again, with the knowledge that a debt paid is better than a bad deal.

Sin forgiven is better than sin ignored. Grace given is better.

GOING DEEPER

Reflection Questions

1. How much of your prayer time is devoted to confession? Are you satisfied with that?

2. What could you do to make your times of confession more specific and meaningful?

3. How might meditating on Christ’s sacrifice change your confession?

Walk through the passion account in Mark 14:1–15:39 (included below), picturing the scene as if for the first time, and let it lead you into a time of confession.
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14 It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”

3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.

4 Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. 5 “It could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.

6 But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? 7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard why he had come, and they promised to give him money. So he began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

The Last Supper

12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?” 13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” 16 So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 As they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”

19 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?”

20 He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”

22 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.”

23 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many. 25 I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”

26 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

27 On the way, Jesus told them, “All of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,
‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’

28 But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”

29 Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.”

30 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

31 “No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

32 They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” 33 He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. 34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

35 He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

37 Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 38 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

39 Then Jesus left them again and prayed the same prayer as before. 40 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say.

41 When he returned to them the third time, he said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But no—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”

Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested

43 And immediately, even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders. 44 The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss. Then you can take him away under guard.” 45 As soon as they arrived, Judas walked up to Jesus. “Rabbi!” he exclaimed, and gave him the kiss.

46 Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 47 But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.

48 Jesus asked them, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? 49 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there among you teaching every day. But these things are happening to fulfill what the Scriptures say about me.”

50 Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away. 51 One young man following behind was clothed only in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him, 52 he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked.

Jesus before the Council

53 They took Jesus to the high priest’s home where the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law had gathered. 54 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and went right into the high priest’s courtyard. There he sat with the guards, warming himself by the fire.

55 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find evidence against Jesus, so they could put him to death. But they couldn’t find any. 56 Many false witnesses spoke against him, but they contradicted each other. 57 Finally, some men stood up and gave this false testimony: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.’” 59 But even then they didn’t get their stories straight!

60 Then the high priest stood up before the others and asked Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 61 But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

62 Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

63 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Why do we need other witnesses? 64 You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they all cried. “He deserves to die!”

65 Then some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists. “Prophesy to us,” they jeered. And the guards slapped him as they took him away.

Peter Denies Jesus

66 Meanwhile, Peter was in the courtyard below. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by 67 and noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and said, “You were one of those with Jesus of Nazareth.”

68 But Peter denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed.

69 When the servant girl saw him standing there, she began telling the others, “This man is definitely one of them!” 70 But Peter denied it again.

A little later some of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said, “You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean.”

71 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” 72 And immediately the rooster crowed the second time.

Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he broke down and wept.

Jesus’ Trial before Pilate

15 Very early in the morning the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law—the entire high council—met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.

2 Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

3 Then the leading priests kept accusing him of many crimes, 4 and Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?” 5 But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s surprise.

6 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner—anyone the people requested. 7 One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, a revolutionary who had committed murder in an uprising. 8 The crowd went to Pilate and asked him to release a prisoner as usual.

9 “Would you like me to release to you this ‘King of the Jews’?” Pilate asked. 10 (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) 11 But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. 12 Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”

13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

14 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

15 So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

16 The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment. 17 They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. 18 Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 19 And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. 20 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

21 A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.) 22 And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). 23 They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it.

24 Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. They divided his clothes and threw dice to decide who would get each piece. 25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. 26 A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

29 The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. 30 Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

31 The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

The Death of Jesus

33 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 34 Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

35 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 36 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!”

37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

39 When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

Promise for Today - No Coupon No Discount

Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 The Message

Here's what we think. If we bought it, and we paid for it, and we have the scars to show for it, it's ours. We can do what we want with it. But the Truth of the matter is, we didn't buy it, and we couldn't pay for it, and although we may have scars from the battles we've chosen to be part of IN our lives, our scars are not part of or proof of the purchase price paid FOR our lives.

Only Christ did that. He bought it. He paid for it with His own blood, and He has the scars to show for it.

I love the way 1st Peter 1:18-20 reads in The Message: "Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew He was going to do this for you."

God ALWAYS knew He was going to do this for you and for me. It cost God plenty, and He paid in full.

Prayer:

Father,
           Open our eyes to see the great price that was paid for our redemption. Open our hearts to recognize and know that, apart from You, we have nothing and are nothing. Help us to walk in the fullness of life that You have provided for us through Christ Your Son. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen