2026 Lenten Season - Day 40 - Empty

We finish the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals.
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
***********************************************************************
The empty tomb stands as your guarantee of help today and gives you hope for what is to come.

Life in this fallen world is hard. It can be hope-defeating and discouraging. Sometimes it looks as if the good guys are losing and the bad guys are winning. Unexpected visitors enter your door, bringing the pain of various kinds of loss with them. Things you thought you could depend on fail you, and the promises of people you thought you could trust fail you. Our lives right here, right now, are a mix of joys and sorrows. It’s frustrating how complicated things can be. Grief is an all-too-frequent visitor, and anger often bubbles up inside us.

The Bible gives us three reasons for the hardships of life that we all experience, whether in momentary frustrations or in prolonged seasons of pain and loss.

1. The World
The Bible has much to say about the world we all live in, but it warns us that the place that is our present address is dramatically broken and not functioning as the Creator intended. In Romans 8, Paul says our world is “groaning” as it waits for redemption (Romans 8:22). You groan when you’re in pain, you groan when you’re frustrated, you groan when you’re discouraged. Everything around us is not as it was meant to be. The world around you is like a car you need to get from point A to point B, but it has mechanical difficulties. It doesn’t do well what it was created to do, so you have to face the daily frustration of wondering what will happen next. Each trip you take is marked with a bit of worry, and often your trips are interrupted by yet another mechanical failure. Such is the world we live in.

2. The Flesh
When the Bible talks about the flesh, it’s not talking about our physical bodies but rather our fallen nature, that is, our struggle with sin. Yes, we have been forgiven. Because of what Christ has done, God views us as righteous, and sin is no longer our master. It is vital to remember that the presence of sin within us still remains and is being progressively eradicated by sanctifying grace. Sin is in us and all around us. Marriage would be dramatically easier if every husband and wife were sin-free. The same would be true of friendship, parenting, the workplace, government, your neighborhood, the church, the world of entertainment, education, and the list could go on. Sin complicates everything in our lives. Many of our daily frustrations and disappointments are the result of the presence of sin in us and in the people around us.

3. The Devil
The apostle Paul ends his practical instructions in Ephesians 6 by reminding us that we live in the midst of a great spiritual war. Our struggle is not really with people, places, and things. No, what we wrestle with every day are principalities and powers, “cosmic powers over this present darkness... spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). There really is a great, dark, deceitful enemy who prowls around like a hungry lion, seeking to devour us. Life is hard because life is war. All the things that we do every day and all our relationships are made more difficult because they take place in the middle of a spiritual war. There is a tempter, a deceiver, who will mess with your faith, seeking to instill doubt of God’s goodness, faithfulness, and love in your heart. He doesn’t have the power to remove your salvation, but he is intent on messing up your journey.

Because of the world, the flesh, and the devil, it is wonderful that the work of Christ on Earth didn’t end on the cross but with the shocking glory of the empty tomb. The empty tomb of Jesus is your guarantee of help here and now and of help to come. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that the resurrection of Christ guarantees the present reign of Christ (see vv. 20–28.) What is the King doing right now? Paul says, “He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25). The sin that causes us so much heartache will be defeated. The enemy, who sows so much turmoil in our lives, will be defeated. Death, which seems to be the inescapable reality of our lives, will be defeated. The risen, conquering King will defeat these enemies, and the empty tomb is his promise.

But there is more. Paul tells us that the resurrection of Christ is a “firstfruit” resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20). This is such an encouraging word picture. When that first apple appears on the tree, the first grape on the vine, or the first bean on the plant, it is a guarantee of a harvest of many more to come. The empty tomb of Jesus guarantees another resurrection. We will rise up on the last day and be transported to a new world, a world where all things have been made new. There will be no more sin, there will be no more broken world, and there will be no more death. All pain, frustration, discouragement, and suffering will forever end. And as risen and fully redeemed beings, we will live forever in peace and harmony with our risen Savior King.

The empty tomb of Jesus is your guarantee that what you live with today will not always be. Every enemy that troubles your life right here, right now, will be under the victorious feet of your risen Savior, Jesus. His empty tomb guarantees the completion of the work. He will not quit; he refuses to relent until that last enemy is under his feet. Then, and only then, will he usher in his final kingdom and invite us into a world where all things have been made new.

The journey of Jesus to the cross didn’t end with the cross, but with the victory of the empty tomb, and that’s a very good thing.

GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions

1. How has what you’ve considered in this Lenten study informed or changed your perspective on the suffering and grief inherent in life on Earth?

2. How will considering Jesus’s sacrifice make the triumph of Easter different for you this year?

3. What implications does the victory of the empty tomb have for your life?

Read the end of the story in John 20:1–29, and relive the joy of the first Easter.

The Resurrection

1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— 9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home.

11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 

12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 

13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.
“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him.

15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
16 “Mary!” Jesus said.
She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).
17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.
19 That Sunday evening, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 

20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

26 Eight days later, the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

2026 Lenten Season - Day 24 - Why Would We Fast?

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).

Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
***************************************************************************

The purpose of fasting is not to earn God’s love, but to more deeply surrender to it.

Why would anyone ever fast? What is to be gained from giving things up? What is the purpose of not eating for a period? Why withhold from yourself what you know you’re going to return to in a matter of time? Is fasting an essential spiritual discipline? Does fasting bring you closer to God? Is fasting a way to defeat sin? How do I know when to fast and what to fast from? Is there a biblical theology of fasting? How do you fast in a way that is more than a temporary denial of physical desire, but is also spiritually helpful? Does God require us to fast?

Fasting is a topic that motivates and encourages a few but confuses many. Since Lent is a season of fasting, it is worth giving it a practical, biblical examination. My first encounter with regular and intense fasting had nothing to do with spirituality. One of my closest friends in high school was a wrestler.  Because Sam was winning like crazy, there was a bit of a small town media buzz around him. He was a little guy, but he had become big man on campus, and he loved it. The problem was that he was growing fast, and his growth spurts made it hard for him to stay within the boundaries of his weight class. So  Sam was always fasting. His big, luxurious meal would be Jell-O.

Although there was nothing spiritual about Sam’s fast, it did have “spiritual” benefits. Because he fasted, he was more focused. Because he fasted, he became more and more committed. Because he got used to this sacrifice, other sacrifices didn’t seem so hard. The pain of sacrifice brought a whole catalog of benefits to Sam and his wrestling career. I knew there was a theme of fasting in the Bible, but hanging around Sam got me thinking about the benefits of fasting as a teenager.

So why would anyone ever fast? Primarily, fasting is about focus. We all live busy lives, with so many plans and so much on our schedules. We live with constant distractions all around, and now with cell phones in our hands, there is a huge temptation to fill even the smallest quiet moment with anything. We feel compelled to keep checking Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We feel the need to make sure we are in moment-by-moment contact with the news. And we want to make sure the weather hasn’t changed in the last five minutes. Along with this, we are all still in possession of wandering hearts. Things in our lives rise to levels of importance way beyond their true importance. Temptations seduce and seize us. Our desires wander off God’s pathway. Envy sows seeds of doubt and bitterness in our hearts. Spiritual amnesia grips us; in the busyness of life, we forget who we are and what we have been given. Our devotional lives are kidnapped by the tyranny of the urgent. What we want collides with what God wants for us. And the gap enlarges between what we say we believe and how we actually live.

Fasting can be spiritually arresting, a divine interruption that is one of God’s tools to call us back to remember, to confess, to rest, to commit, and to celebrate. Fasting is one of the ways God reaches down into our frenetic lives and pulls us out to be closer to him. Fasting is much more of a welcome than it is a regulation. It is a gift from a God who knows us; he knows how we operate, what we face, and what we need. Fasting is God’s invitation to all of his children to refocus, recharge, reengage, and repent.

So what is fasting? Fasting is giving up food (or something else) in order to focus on God and your walk with him (see Psalm 35:13; Ezra 8:23; Nehemiah 1:3– 4; Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 2:37). We need to remember two important points. First, there is no magic in fasting. Giving up food won’t instantly make you more godly. Fasting allows you to give yourself to other spiritual disciplines that will bear a harvest of good fruit in your life. Second, you don’t fast in order to gain God’s favor, but to help bring your life into even greater surrender to him and a greater appreciation of his favor. Fasting is spiritual warfare. It is one way that God has provided for you to fight for your own heart.

So how do you fast?

1. Give yourself to prayer. 

One of the primary purposes of fasting is to be able to give yourself more fully to prayer. The normal routines of food selection, preparation, and eating are replaced by new routines of prayer. It is this more focused communion with God that produces some of fasting’s best fruit. 

2. Don’t make a show of it. 

Fast in private. Don’t announce it. Don’t broadcast it after. Pride in fasting robs fasting of its spiritual benefit. Seek God; don’t seek the approval of others for seeking God in this way.

3. Bathe yourself in God’s word. 

Fasting can give you time to meditate on God’s word. In our busy lives, most of us spend very little time in actual Scriptural meditation. Biblical meditation is not like Eastern meditation. In Eastern meditation, you empty your mind. In Christian meditation, you fill your mind with God’s word, chewing it over and over again until you are digesting spiritual morsels you have never digested before. 

4. Make sure you’re ready. 

There are no spiritual benefits to damaging your body or putting your health at risk. Make sure you are physically, financially, and situationally prepared for whatever fast, for whatever period, you are about to undertake. 

5. Be quiet before the Lord. 

Since fasting is about ceasing participation in a particular thing, your fast shouldn’t be filled with activity. Fasting is a time to wait on the Lord. And as you wait, remember that for the Christian, waiting is not about what you get at the end of the wait, but more importantly, about what you become as you wait.

6. Confess what has been revealed. 

As you seek God in prayer, as you meditate on his word, and as you are quiet before him, the Lord will reveal your heart. Fasting is a way to fight the spiritual blindness that affects us all. So be ready to confess new areas of sin, weakness, and failure that God has revealed as you have fasted.

7. Make new commitments. 

If confession is turning from the old way, then commitment is turning your heart and life to God’s new and better way. At the end of your fast, think about where God is calling you to new commitments of faith and discipleship where you live and work every day.

8. Be thankful. 

Thank God for how fasting is an indication of his welcoming, patient, perseverant love, continually drawing you into even closer, more heart-satisfying communion with him.

So, fast this Lenten season. Receive God’s welcome to fight for your heart and to learn to rest in the grace of your Savior more fully and more deeply. You will be glad you did.

GOING DEEPER

Reflective Questions

1. Do you usually think of fasting as “more of a welcome than it is a regulation”? What has colored your perceptions of fasting?

2. Do you fast? Why do you or don’t you engage in this spiritual practice?

3. What benefits does or would fasting offer for you? In what areas do you long for more focus or spiritual effectiveness?

Read Matthew 6:16–18, and ask the Lord if he is calling you to fast.

16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

2026 Lenten Season - Day 13 - Substitutionary

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
*******************************************************************

Every piece of Christ’s suffering was suffered for you, and every victory accomplished by that suffering was accomplished so that you can now live in victory, too.

Whatever inconvenience or temporary suffering we may endure during Lent, as we withhold things from ourselves in order to focus on the gravity of our sin and the glory of God’s redeeming plan, it is infinitesimal in comparison to what Jesus willingly endured as our substitute. Now, I know the term 'substitute' today sometimes implies inadequacy. But the substitutionary function of everything Christ did is one of the chief glories of his work on earth. We think of substitutes as being inadequate when

compared to the one they are standing in for, but the opposite is true in the case of the second Adam, Jesus. In this case, the substitute is marvelously greater. Let me explain.

1. Jesus was the substitute for Adam and Eve. 

Because the first Adam failed, there was a crying need for a second Adam who would obey God in every way in every situation, location, and relationship, each and every time. The Messiah Jesus would be Adam’s substitute, doing, with complete perfection, what Adam failed to do. But he came to be not only Adam’s substitute, but yours and mine as well. Because of sin, everyone would fall short of God’s standard, so no one would be able to earn God’s acceptance based on his or her keeping of the law.  God’s righteous requirement was fully satisfied in the perfectly righteous life of Jesus. Because of the complete righteousness of the second Adam (Jesus), who endured every kind of temptation, sinners like you and me can stand before a holy God and be received as righteous in his eyes. 

Consider how the essential grace of the perfect substitute, Jesus, is captured in Romans 5:12-14, 17-21:

"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. . . .

"For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience, the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

2. Jesus was the substitute for the animals of sacrifice. 

The reason animal after animal had to be sacrificed day after day, in an endlessly bloody scene, was because they were not an adequate payment for the penalty of sin. The animal sacrifices were God’s gracious provision until the coming of the ultimate, final sacrifice of the unblemished Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Here also Jesus stood as a substitute, doing what no animal sacrifice was ever able to do: atone for sin. Jesus, the Lamb, had to be willing to be the perfect sacrifice to end all ineffective animal sacrifices. He had to be willing to suffer and die, and because he was willing, we will never have to fear God’s anger. 

Hebrews 10:1–10 brilliantly explains this: "For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.'

"Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book. When he said above, 'You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings' (these are offered according to the law), then he added, 'Behold, I have come to do your will.' He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. '"

3. Jesus was the substitute for the Old Testament priests. 

For all their dedicated and disciplined sacrificial and intercessory work, the priests were part of a system that was earthbound, temporary, and ultimately ineffective. Jesus came as the better priest. He was heaven-sent, his priestly work was effective and once-for-all. He was not only the perfect substitute for 

all those Old Testament priests, he was the sacrifice, as well. As the perfect priest, he offered to God the perfect, acceptable sacrifice, himself, forever ending, by his self-sacrifice, any further need for a sacrifice for sin. 

Read how this is celebrated in Hebrews 7:23–28:

"The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make

intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent,  unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever."

If Jesus willingly endured what he endured and suffered all that he suffered to be the perfect substitute, doing for you what you could have never done for yourself, would you not be willing to make sacrifices for him? “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1). May God give you the grace to do just that. Do you find comfort attractive and sacrifice hard? Perhaps your first sacrifice this Lenten season should be a sacrifice of confession, admitting your struggle to let go of the world in order to hold more tightly to your Lord.

GOING DEEPER

Reflection Questions

1. Have you given something up for Lent? How is it going? What sacrifices are hardest for you to make, and why do you think those particular things are so hard for you to give up?

2. How does the fact that Jesus was the perfect second Adam impact your salvation and your daily life?

3. How does it impact your life that Jesus is your substitute sacrifice and your substitute high priest? How can you more intentionally celebrate these wonderful truths?

Read Isaiah 53:1–12, and meditate on the list of sacrifices Jesus bore for you.

Isaiah 53 New Living Translation

1 Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? 2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. 3 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.

7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. 9 He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.

10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous,

for he will bear all their sins. 12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

2026 Lenten Season - Day 11 - Moral Insight

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
*******************************************************************

The cross of Jesus Christ purchased more than forgiveness for you.

We should forever celebrate the cross of Jesus Christ as the only possible means of forgiveness. That celebration should mark our lives now and for the rest of eternity. But we cannot restrict our understanding and celebration of the cross to its value as God’s gracious means of forgiveness, because the cross offers us so much more. There is an aspect of what the cross provides for us that is essential to our lives as God’s children that I don’t think we study enough, meditate on enough, or celebrate enough.

Pretend that I had done something extremely hurtful to you, something that was a terrible betrayal of the love and trust between us, something that was a self-oriented denial of the way any healthy relationship was meant to operate. And pretend that you had confronted me, and after defending myself, I confessed that what I had done was a terrible personal affront. Pretend with me that after my confession, grief flooded into my heart, and I came to you with tears of sorrow and asked for your forgiveness. Pretend that you were kind and gracious and were willing to forgive me, and not only that, you were willing to reconcile with me so that we could be in friendship with one another again. And pretend that your forgiveness and our reconciliation had removed my guilt and brought peace not only between us, but in my heart. With all of the grace of forgiveness and reconciliation, there is still something I desperately need that you are not able to give me. Do you know what it is?

You can forgive me, but you are not able to change me. What you did for me was wonderful and kind, but because you are human and limited, it is not enough. You could not work changes inside me that would ensure that not only would I never do the same thing again, but I would treat you with a deeper love and respect and have a fresh commitment to give and to serve. The cross of Jesus Christ not only does the first two things for us (forgiveness and reconciliation), but it also does the third thing for us (change). Let’s look at how the writer of Hebrews talks about this often neglected aspect of the transforming grace of the cross of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:11-14 NLT - "11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. 12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins."

What a power-packed statement of grace that is ours because of the cross of Jesus Christ! It would take many devotionals to explore all the glories of grace that these words lay before us. But I want to draw your attention to the final thought: “How much more will the blood of Christ purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God”. What is the writer of Hebrews talking about, and why is it so important? To answer the question, we have to understand the vital function of the conscience in the way God designed us and intended us to live.

The conscience is the inner alarm system that God designed to warn us and redirect us. It is a beautiful thing to have a tender and lively conscience. It is beautiful when your conscience alerts you to moral danger or plagues you when you have done what is wrong. The conscience is an irreplaceable tool that God has built within us so that we would live as he intended. But sin has damaged the function of this vital tool of the heart.

In order to understand that damage, you have to understand that your alarm (that is, your conscience) only sounds based on the standard that your heart has surrendered to. This means that a good and godly moral value system will allow your conscience to function properly, but a bad and self-centered moral value system will mean that your conscience will do you harm. Since sin causes us to exchange worship and service of the Creator for worship and service of the creation, and since the thing that is at the center of that idolatry is ourselves, without divine intervention, our consciences just don’t operate the way God intended.

But there is another way that sin interrupts and distorts the work that God intended the conscience to do. The conscience is able to do its work only if it can see clearly, anticipating the moral danger ahead or even focusing on a failure that has just happened. Moral sight is essential to the proper function of the essential tool of the heart. Here’s the problem with the need for the conscience to see clearly: sin blinds. Sin causes the conscience to be unable to see what it needs to see to sound the moral alarm. And sin not only blinds the conscience so it cannot function as God intended; sin also causes the conscience to be blind to its own blindness. So we think we are seeing clearly and that the alarm system is working well, but in our sin, we are trusting what is blind and what lives under an idolatrous value system to be morally trustworthy.

Hebrews tells us that the blood of Christ does this amazing thing: it cleanses the conscience. It cleanses it from its bondage to self and the surrounding creation. It cleanses it of its blindness, imparting to it a renewed ability to see. It cleanses it from a corrupt moral value system, giving room now for a life dedicated to and directed by a desire to live according to God’s law and for his glory. The cross doesn’t just purchase God’s forgiveness for us, but it also changes us. And at the heart of that change is a conscience that has been cleansed by the transforming grace of the blood of Jesus.

Every time you see sin ahead and avoid it, and every time you look back on what you have done with moral grief, you are experiencing the grace of the cleansing of your conscience. This is a vital and precious aspect of what Jesus did on the cross for you and me that we often neglect when we are meditating on and celebrating the death of Jesus. This Lenten season, don’t just reflect on the necessity of your forgiveness; take time also to consider the amazing grace of a conscience that has been cleansed and is able now more than ever before to do in you - and for you - what God intended.

GOING DEEPER

Reflection Questions

1. What aspects of the idea that the cross offers us more than forgiveness were new to you?

2. When was the last time your conscience kicked in and prevented you from doing something you knew you shouldn’t do? Would you characterize your conscience as tender or damaged?

3. What are some things you can do to help yourself be more sensitive to your conscience?

Read Romans 2:1–16, and ask the Lord to convict you of any sin you have been ignoring.

Romans 2:1-16 NLT   God’s Judgment of Sin

1 You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. 2 And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. 3 Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? 4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

5 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 9 There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 10 But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.

12 When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. 13 For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. 14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. 15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. 16 And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.

2026 Lenten Season - Day 7 - Mourning is Healthy

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
*******************************************************************

In this broken world we won’t get paradise now, but the empty tomb guarantees us that a new heaven and new earth are in our future.

Paradise is the constant hope of all of us. It is hardwired within us. We tend to look for it everywhere. Our vain search heaps piles of disappointment on us. Our dream is shattered again and again, sometimes by the same thing over again. We find it hard to be satisfied, and we are tempted to become bitter. We know we should have learned our lesson, but then we get up and start searching again. Somehow, in some way, every human being is searching for paradise. We look for it in the children we parent. We look for it in the houses we buy. We look for it in our friendships. We look for it in our jobs. We hope we’ll get it in our marriages. We hope a vacation will give us just a little bit of it. We envy people who we think have found it (although no one has). We think if we just have a little more power, we will find it. We hope another academic degree will be a pathway to it. We moved to a new city, hoping more of it will be there than in the last. We hop from church to church, hoping we’ll find it there. We’re emotionally exhausted, but we keep searching.

Paradise is the world as it was meant to be, everything in order, nothing threatening anything or anyone else, perfect harmony between God and humanity. No sickness or suffering, creation and Creator in perfect cooperation, all needs met, all desires balanced, hearts and minds not only pure, but content. We were created for such a world, but like a beautifully designed piece of pottery that’s been knocked to the floor, paradise has been shattered to smithereens. Between the “already” and the “not yet,” we simply won’t get, in any situation, location, or relationship, anything remotely close to the stunningly perfect beauty of paradise.

So you have a choice. You can give yourself to a constant chorus of situational and relational complaints, making sure you let God and the people around you know that you are not happy at all with the way things are. You can be critical, judgmental, and demanding, making your relationships toxic and yourself unbearable to be around. Or you can stay committed to the delusion that somehow you will find or create paradise. You will try to control what you cannot control and require what will never be delivered. You can be on the constant move, regularly leaving situations, locations, and relationships because they did not measure up, and investing in the new place, with new people, in the hope that it will deliver. You’ll end up lonely, disappointed, and alienated, but you’ll probably keep looking.

Now, none of these options will produce spiritual, emotional, or relational health in you, and they surely won’t leave you with the restful joy of contentment. There is a third option, which the Lenten season can stimulate. How about mourning Paradise Lost? Jesus says something rather shocking in his Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). We would tend to think just the opposite: “Blessed are those who have no reason whatsoever to mourn.” Jesus is speaking with a full and experiential knowledge of what sin has done to the world. He knows that the world he created is not operating as it was intended to operate. He knows that nothing right now will be like the paradise that once was. He knows the value of recognizing the damage and weeping. Imagine standing in front of your house that contained all your memories and all your possessions after it had been reduced to rubble by a tornado. Wouldn’t you stand there and weep?

Jesus is standing in front of the house that he built, a world filled with beautiful things that he made,  now broken to pieces by sin, and he is saying to us, “Look around. How can you not weep?” Mourning is healthy because it forces you to consider the full weight of the tragedy of sin. Mourning is healthy because it forces you to let go of the delusion that you can turn the rubble into paradise. Mourning is healthy because it makes you cry out for a restorer. Mourning is healthy because it causes you to hold tightly to God’s promise of paradise to come. Mourning is healthy because it teaches you how to be content between the “already” and the “not yet.” Mourning is healthy because when you mourn in this way, the God of all comfort hears your cry and comes near with comfort that is profoundly more healing than a new situation, relationship, or location could ever be.

So this Lent, put your mourning into practice and into words. Let your heart be crushed at what sin has done, so your heart can be comforted by your Savior. And remember to mourn with hope, because your Lord has promised that what now is will end, and what is to come is worthy to be called paradise.

GOING DEEPER

Reflection Questions

1. What are your greatest disappointments in life, and what deeper desires do those things reveal?

2. How can you “mourn Paradise Lost"—what does that look like in real life?

3. How might mourning Paradise Lost enhance your relationship with Christ?

The best way to deal with the inevitable disappointment of life here on earth is to look with hope toward our eternal destination—the new heavens and the new earth. Read Revelation 21:1–7 and rejoice in your salvation.

Revelation 21:1-7 New Living Translation
The New Jerusalem

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children."

Lent - Day 23 - Little Faith, Mighty Lord, Amazing Grace

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2025

******************************************************

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus. 

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. 

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” 

And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Matthew 14:1-36

“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” I cannot imagine my journey of faith with its many valleys chronicled in the pages of history for all humanity to recall. What a blessing for us that Peter’s journey is recorded. Just a chapter earlier we heard the great faith that God can work, faith that grows from the smallest of seeds, branching out to a great tree. We then look at our own faith seeming to pale in that comparison. Faith can at times seem such a fragile thing, too easily distracted, distorted, or disheartened. It is hard to know the exact tone of Jesus’s words as He speaks to Peter, sinking in the water before Him. Was Jesus angry, hurt, or disappointed? In many ways, the exact tone matters little. It is our Lord’s purpose that is key. Our Lord redirects our attention onto the “author and perfecter of our faith” that we would “fix our eyes on Jesus”. (Hebrews 12:2) 

It is not that God wants us to have a strong faith to prove our worthiness of His grace. Our Father desires to work in us the greatest of faiths because He knows all that we will face and endure in this world. Our Lord knows the many things which cause doubts to creep into our lives. He sees the reality of how we are attacked in flesh and spirit. His desire is that we be bolstered in faith with His almighty hand, enduring in the power of His cross which has brought us salvation. “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

Prayer:

Lord, strengthen my faith and remove my unbelief. Amen.

Lent - Day 22 - His Love Gave Everything for Us

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2025
************************************************
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Matthew 13:31-58

Have you noticed how, throughout Matthew 13, the main character in each of the parables depicts God? Now look at the parable of the hidden treasure and pearl of great value. Typically these parables are explained to say that faith and salvation are such great treasures that we should give up everything else to receive it. But what if God is “the man” in these parables as well? If so, then Jesus is saying this is how the reign of God works: God sees a treasure or a pearl, and then gives up everything He has in order that He may have that treasure. If this is what Christ is saying, then do you see that he is trying to show us that we are that pearl? We are His treasure. This is the great love God has for us. Despite our unworthiness He values us so highly that He chose to purchase and redeem us. He gave up everything, even His Son, in order that we might be His.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, 

                           Thank You for Your overwhelming love. Help me to view my self-worth through the love You have already shown me. Help me also to realize the great treasure I have been given that I would not take it for granted but rather cling to it even if it means forsaking all other things. Amen.

Lent - Day Nine - Our Father

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

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 

Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 6:1-15

Why do we pray the Lord’s Prayer? Not knowing why might cause our use of the prayer to become nothing more than an empty ritual of repetition. Not knowing the answer to that question might lead us to abandon this prayer altogether. We may ask, “Isn’t it better for us simply to pray what is on our hearts?” 

The challenge in that mindset is that Jesus reminds us our hearts are corrupted by our sinfulness. Prayers guided only by our hearts can become echoes of our sinful thoughts and desires. God desires that we pray and that we do so fully engaged and present in our time of prayer. He wants us to come to Him with the desires and needs weighing on our hearts and minds. That is why, through Jesus, He gives us the right to be called His children and the invitation to go to Him as our Heavenly Father. With that invitation, the Lord’s Prayer is a gift of God’s grace, which not only gives expression to the things we need in this life but also conforms our hearts and prayers to the good He desires for us, rather than having us expect that God’s will would be conformed to our desires. It is a gift of grace which not only reminds us that He wants us to pray but also that He promises to hear us.

Prayer:

Lord, 

         Teach us to pray. This Lent, shape us to depend on You more each day. Help us to trust Your good and gracious will. Amen.

Lent - Day Forty-Five - All that He has Said

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2024

17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

John 20:17-18

During this Holy Week, we recall the events of Maundy Thursday, when Jesus met in the upper room with his disciples before being arrested in the garden. We recall Good Friday, when our Lord was crucified and buried. However, we do so knowing that when Easter morning comes we will celebrate our Lord’s resurrection from the dead. Not having our benefit of hindsight, Mary must have experienced those days in a sorrowful state. That is, until our Lord speaks into her mourning and distress, giving peace and assurance that despite what she had seen and experienced, he was victorious… just as he had said.

In those difficult moments, it may have been tough for Mary and the disciples to think that resurrection was possible. But Jesus had said that all these things would take place, including his resurrection.

We have the benefit of living after Easter, but as we await Jesus’ return and the final resurrection, we may find ourselves overwhelmed with distress or sorrows which make Jesus’ words of promise seem impossible. Our resurrected Lord speaks through his word and is present when we gather as the body of Christ. He speaks so that he may give us peace and assurance that, despite what we experience, he is victorious… and he will do everything he has promised.

Prayer: 

My risen Savior, 

                       Comfort me, and all Christians, in times of sorrow with the assurance of Your resurrection. Restore to us each day, especially in times of distress, the joy of Your salvation. Amen.

Reading Further - John 20:1-18

1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Lent - Day Twenty - Light

 Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2024

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

At first glance, Jesus calling himself the light of the world seems to come out of the blue, but it actually fits very well into the context of this reading. The people are still in the middle of the festival celebrations. At the temple, in the court of women, stood giant candelabras that were approximately 75 feet tall. They were so tall and the light so great that when they were lit each night they would shine for all in the city to see. The light recalled the presence of God who guided Israel by a pillar of fire at night. In this light, the people would sing, dance and rejoice, looking forward to the Messiah who was to come.

There in the temple, in the court of women, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” He goes even further by pointing to Old Testament Scriptures that specifically referenced light in the context of the coming Messiah. Jesus is our light, the one who comes from the Father. He shines into the darkness of this world and our lives in order to illuminate us with the hope that brings great rejoicing, dancing, and singing. The God who dwells in unapproachable light has come into the world. “In Him there is no darkness at all. The night and the day are both alike. The Lamb is the light of the city of God.” 1

Prayer: 

Lord, 

        Cast Your bright light upon my life that I may walk in the light of Your truth, and, in the end, be brought into the light of everlasting life. Amen.

1 Refrain from the hymn “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light,” Kathleen Thomerson, 1970.

Reading Further - John 8:12-30 

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” 25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

Lent - Day Nineteen - Lives of Grace and Mercy

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2024

Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
John 8:10-11

In today’s reading, Jesus teaches us that grace and mercy are more important than condemnation when the scribes and Pharisees bring a woman who had been caught in adultery to him. “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” With these words, Jesus not only comes to the aid and rescue of this woman but also turns the men’s accusations back onto themselves. Jesus has already said that he came not to condemn, but rather to save (John 3:17). However, that does not mean there is no condemnation. The law still exists, still accuses, still condemns. Therefore, to the men who refused to acknowledge their own sin, Jesus speaks in a manner to effect repentance. But to the woman who could not deny or escape her guilt, he brings grace and forgiveness: “Neither do I condemn you.” Christ inspires us to set aside the question of guilt or innocence (because we all stand in the place of guilt) and through him “enter into a new life in which one’s regard for self and one’s relationship with others are based on grace and mercy.”1 That inspiration, given to each of us, is what leads us, not only to repent of our sin, but also to change our sinful lives.

Prayer: 

Lord, 

       In Your mercy, hide Your face from my sins. Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me. Amen (Psalm 51)

1 Culpepper, The Gospel and Letters of John, p. 170.

Reading Further - John 7:53-8:11

53 They went each to his own house, 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

Lent - Day Three - God Honors the Lowly

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2024

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
John 1:45-46

Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathaniel. These names sound so common and familiar to our ears that we can easily overlook what is happening here. After all, these individuals are the reason such names have become some of the most popular given to children over the centuries. We look upon these men with admiration and high honor. But these names should remind us of the humble beginnings of our Lord’s kingdom. 

Jesus doesn’t go to Jerusalem to find the rich and the powerful in order to begin the work of his kingdom, even though by the world’s wisdom (and our own) that might make the most sense. No, He starts with the lowly. Why? Is there no room in his kingdom for the rich and the powerful? Of course there is. Did he have to scrape the bottom of the barrel in order to find people crazy enough to follow him? Certainly not. This was an intentional choice. 

The wisdom of the world says that we can tell if God’s favor falls on us if we have earthly blessings: an easy life, wealth, power, influence, health. But with these first disciples, Jesus makes it abundantly clear to everyone that no one acquires God’s favor because of their gifts. His kingdom comes to us completely by grace alone.

Prayer: 

Lord, thank you for graciously extending your kingdom to me. Grant me the strength to follow you each day and to testify to others that you are my Savior, and the Savior of the world. Amen.

#CUILent

Further Reading: John 1:35-51

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Until Easter and Beyond - Abide

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Today's post features excerpts written by Kate Meyer is the counseling services manager of Hospice of Holland in Michigan.
*******************************

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
John 15:3-4 NKJV

The tattoo on my wrist is a dumbbell with the word abide written on the bar. The word, written in Greek, is also the only part of the tattoo comprised of color: purple and green.

In the liturgical calendar, purple occurs during Advent and Lent. The color is tied to words such as mourning, waiting, and reflecting. Green, alternatively, is liturgically used to represent ordinary time, as well as renewal and new life.

So, when I look at my wrist, I am reminded to abide with God in times of mourning and in ordinary times. When things are great, neutral, or terrible. But, it is also a reminder that the ordinary times will come again; though the times of mourning and waiting appear to far outweigh the rest, we have strength to endure if we but abide.

Abide with God always. Even on this Holy Saturday, this in-between time, trust in God’s steadfast love that does not end in mourning. Rather, God’s steadfast love always, yes always, carries us through to new life. Abide with God and see.

Prayer: 

In all of my in-between times, God, I pray you strengthen me to but abide in trust of Your steadfast love. May I honor You by holding fast and resting in the assured hope of redemption. Amen.

From Now Until Easter - A Song Rises

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Today's post features excerpts written by Rev. Melody Meeter - the director of the spiritual care department at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn.

******************************************

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning -Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
Psalm 130:5-6 NKJV

Down there in the pit, the psalmist is in despair, not only about his own iniquities, his weaknesses, his sins of omission and commission, but also about the iniquities of his people Israel. The individual sins are entwined with the sins of the nation. But it is also down there in the pit the psalmist remembers something else: “ … there is forgiveness with you,” and “with the Lord there is steadfast love,” and “with him is great power to redeem.” 

There is hope in the waiting for God’s redemption. Twice the psalmist repeats the phrase “my soul waits” and twice repeats the image of the soul waiting for the Lord “more than those who watch for the morning.”

As a chaplain, I get to wait for a little while with souls that are waiting for God to show up. It’s really dark down there. But in the very act of crying out, sometimes a light surprises—a healing, a surrender, a peace, a hope. The song rises.

Prayer:

Dear God,
                Grant us to see Your light though we may be in the depths. Grant us to feel Your steadfast love though we may feel unlovable. And grant us companions with us to wait for You in hope. Amen.

From Now Until Easter - Searching

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Today's post features excerpts written by Susan Dorward, who has been a chaplain at ECCR for 11 years.
***************************************

23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24

David wanted to analyze his motives and behavior, asking God to guide him and help him see what thoughts or actions may not align with God’s thoughts. Why would David ask God to do this? Because David knew that his way of thinking might cause a chasm separating him from God, and that was the last thing David wanted.

Many of us are motivated in Lent to ask God to forgive us for doing anything that has offended God. Sometimes, though, don’t our attempts at doing this feel more like empty rituals or dutiful prayers? We say a quick prayer and soon end with “amen.” Then, after the amen, how long do we usually sit around waiting for God to point out anything He found in His search? Do we do this because we are busy or because we fear what God will do after He completes His search?

David knew that he had nothing to fear in allowing God to search his heart. Not because he felt there was nothing offending there, but because he knew that our God is a loving, merciful, and gracious God.

Don’t be afraid to allow God to explore your heart, mind, and spirit. God loves you and longs for a closer walk with you.

Pause. Ask God to search you. Then, sit and wait long enough for God to point out what you need to see and work on. God will lovingly help you transform and will lead you along the right pathway, bringing hope and joy to your journey through life.

Prayer: 

Lord, 

        You know us better than we know ourselves. Search the deepest parts of our hearts for anything that is displeasing to You. Examine our attitudes and actions. Show us what needs to be transformed and help us to change it so that we will not only be closer to You, but will also be able to go where You lead us and do what You are calling us to do. Amen.

From Now Until Easter - Praise!

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Today's post features excerpts written by Kathy Jo Blaske serving as a long-term care chaplain at the Christian Health Care Center in Wyckoff, New Jersey.

**********************************************

1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150:1-6

Praise the LORD! Where?

“ … in his sanctuary.” Not in a bounded place, but wherever we experience God in life—as we gaze from our own yards into the heavens; as we walk barefoot along the shore of a lake; as we listen to a choir from pews or concert hall seats; as we pray in the solitude of our homes or sing in a congregation of worshipers. We praise God whenever and wherever our hearts are inspired to do so.

Praise the LORD! Why?

“ … for his mighty deeds, according to his surpassing greatness!” Praise the Lord for the rain, which nourishes the earth; for the wonder of a sunrise; for the cry of a newborn child; for the inquisitiveness of young children; for healing bodies through the medical community; for comforting hearts as the Lord works through ministers, priests, counselors, and friends.

Praise the LORD! How?

With a diversity of instruments! I’ve employed most of them: a trumpet graced my ordination service. And though 40 years have passed since then, I can still hear the melody of the oboe during productions of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” by the first church I served. Now, at the assisted living residences where I conduct worship, we are blessed regularly with harp and piano accompaniment, and frequently we welcome a cellist when he is home from college. I distribute tambourines on occasion to enliven our singing. Liturgical dancers have engaged worshipers. And, I, myself, have clashed cymbals during the singing of “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today!” (Praising God with a lute,[verse 3] however, remains on my bucket list!)

Praise the LORD! Who?

Everything that breathes is to praise God! Breath is a sign of spirit, of life. Let’s all take note of the goodness of God in our lives today. Let’s be instruments, ourselves, and praise the LORD!

Prayer: 

Give us pause, today, O God, to breathe in and out, to look, to listen, and so to notice and celebrate Your goodness. Move us to applause, to song, to prayer, to smiles, to words and acts of gratitude, which praise You with our whole selves. Amen.

From Now Until Easter - Righteous and Merciful

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Today's post features excerpts written by Darcy Lovgren Pavich, chaplain at Veterans Village of San Diego, ministering among homeless and at-risk veterans and their families.

***************************************

I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, save my life!” Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful.

Psalm 116:1-5

This is a song of gratitude and absolute awe and wonder. The desperation and brokenness experienced by the singer is a lonely and hopeless place. The exact causes of the suffering are unknown, but the anguish is very apparent. Something that is not so clear is that this is a request for mercy, not a simple request for help. Mercy, pardon, and grace are gifts offered to those who have found “sorrow and trouble,” usually by their own actions and choices. Self-defeat keeps them from feeling worthy, and so they continue to follow the pathway into deeper misery and darkness. The way out becomes obscured.

By grace, the word of a friend, the memory of another time, and a glimmer of light appears. A small crack opens in the walls we create, revealing an avenue to venture and a voice of prayer is found. The psalmist remembers a promise and prays: “I implore you. … I beg you to save me.” The prayer is not conditional. It is not “If you save me, I will follow you.” The prayer embraces the assurance that God will deliver salvation. The response to the deliverance is gratitude, a promise to continue to call upon the Lord, a promise to remember, and a wondrous understanding of humility.

The psalmist extols grace and mercy and is suddenly impacted by just how big this is. God is righteous and merciful. How is this possible? Righteousness is often synonymous with justice. Justice is more often associated with consequences and punishment and rarely associated with mercy, grace, and pardon. How great is God who unconditionally forgives, accepts, and restores one who is not righteous or just!

In our deepest, desperate moments of life, the Lord “inclines his ear” to our prayer, reaches toward us, and sets us free.

Prayer: 

Lord, 

         May we be humbled by Your mercy and set free to rejoice in Your grace. Direct this day in gratitude, for the blessings we have received are that we may be a blessing to others and a faithful servant in Your kingdom. Amen.

From Now Until Easter - Lamb Selection Day

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Today's post features excerpts written by Lori Wilkerson Stewart (M.A. in Journalism, Regent University) -  author of Promises for Prodigals.

****************************************

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" 

John 1:29 NIV

...As Christians, we’re all familiar with Palm Sunday, but did you know that in the time of Jesus, the Sunday before Passover was “lamb selection day?” In other words, it was the day that Jewish families would come to the temple in Jerusalem and choose their “perfect lamb” for the Passover. Then, the family would bring the lamb home to live with them, knowing that within a few days, their new pet would be slaughtered for the Passover meal (Exodus 12:3,5,6).

So, when Jesus entered Jerusalem on lamb selection day, it was as if He was presenting Himself to the people and asking them, “Will you choose me?” And Jesus wasn’t just riding through the streets for attention, He had a destination. As the Lamb of God, could it be that Jesus was headed to the temple to present Himself before His Father and to be approved for sacrifice (Leviticus 1:3)?

As Jesus approached the city, His disciples “began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen” (Luke 19:37). However, when the crowds joined in, the atmosphere changed and became more like a political rally. The people shouted, “Hosanna” and waved palm branches. In Death and Resurrection of the Messiah, author and minister Ray Vander Laan writes:

Hosanna meant “Please save us! Give us freedom! We’re sick of these Romans!” They waved palm branches, a symbol that once had been placed on Jewish coins when the nation was free. The branches did not symbolize peace and love, as Christians usually assume; they symbolized Jewish nationalism, an expression of the people’s desire for political freedom.”

And for the second time in Scripture, Jesus wept (Luke 19:41). The Lamb of God was there, the only One worthy to be slain for the sins of all mankind, yet the people only wanted a political deliverer.

What will your response be on Lamb Selection Day? Will you choose Jesus as your perfect Lamb? Will you believe in the power of the Lamb’s blood, which is able to take away your sins and make you truly free?
**************************************

Prayer:

Father,

           We choose Jesus as our sinless, spotless Lamb and receive His death on the Cross as redemption from all our sin. Help us to never lose sight of Your everlasting goodness and grace toward us. Keep our hearts ever grateful, Father. Thank You for everything. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen