Lent - Day Thirty-Four - Two Paths?

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2024

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 
John 14:1-3

In Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken,” a person is presented with the dilemma of two paths of equal possibility. He takes one, leaving the other for another day, then adds, “Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.”1 Reflecting on this, he concludes that he chose the better road: the one less traveled.

Theologian Bo Giertz notes that our self-righteous and self-sufficient nature would have us “go the way of obedience to the very end in order to find peace with God. But the way of obedience has no end. It lies endlessly before you, bringing continually severer demands and constantly growing indebtedness.”2 We may work to take stock of our deeds, examine our hearts, and amend our lives. It seems like the right way, but it never ends, leading on and on, steeper and steeper. This way can never bring us to peace with God.

In contrast, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Here is a road that is simply wonderful. God has driven us toward this road all along. This is the road where, with eyes opened to see our sinful state, we look up to see Jesus standing in its midst. This is the road where his righteousness is offered to everyone who believes. Only in Jesus do we find rest for our anguished souls. Here peace is offered and we are led to the Father.

Prayer: 

Lord, 

        Lead me in Your way of truth that I may always rest in Your unchanging grace. Amen.

1 Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken.”

2 Bo Giertz, “The Hammer of God” Augsburg Fortress, 2005 p.173.

Reading Further - John 14:1-14

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Not of the Same Mind

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

Galatians 5:13-17 NLT

There's the answer to the reason why we often feel at odds with ourselves and even with others. Flesh and Spirit. They are not of the same mindset. So which one do we choose? We must acknowledge and then remember that life paths are decided by our thoughts, words, and deeds. Keep in mind that our physical bodies are inclined to evil, but the Spirit is not. 

Let's stop and take inventory of our recent mindsets. Are we focused on following Christ? Are we seeking direction from the Holy Spirit? Are we praising and making melodies in our hearts for the Lord? Are we stressed about the economy? Worried about our jobs? Envious or jealous of a friend or co-worker? What is at the forefront of our thoughts? Given that knowledge, are we headed on the right path? 

Prayer:

Father, 
           Your Word tells us that the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Help us to always be living in the Light of the Spirit.
           We choose to belong to Your Son and as such, we have nailed the passions and desires of our sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. We choose to follow the Spirit. Help us to follow His leading in every part of our lives. Cause us to be always mindful of where our thoughts, words and deeds are leading us. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

From Now Until Easter - Steadfast Love

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Tonight's post is written by Rev. Phyllis Palsma, chaplain and pastoral resource coordinator at the Christian Health Care Center in Wyckoff, New Jersey.
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1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. …
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. …
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
Psalm 25:1, 4, 6-7

Lent is a time for a soul lift. Psalm 25 begins with a declaration of trust in God before going on to name several issues with which we can identify.

“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. … in you I trust” (vv. 1-2). The Hebrew word for soul is nephesh, which represents the whole self, not just the soul. As we journey through Lent, it is good to affirm the foundation of our faith, to praise our God who guides us along life’s paths that are not always straight and well-groomed.

Psalm 25 is an acrostic poem with the first letter in most lines beginning with succeeding letters of the Hebrew alphabet. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet and 22 verses to this psalm. The use of the acrostic helps the psalmist paint a broad landscape with pathways that are detoured and overgrown with shame, malicious acts, a troubled heart, entrapment, loneliness, and affliction. Within these paths is written an instructional “ABC’s” of God’s teachings, forgiveness, and salvation. For every trouble or obstacle, there is an affirmation of God’s grace.

The psalmist implores God: “Do not remember the sins of my youth … according to your steadfast love, remember me, O Lord” (v. 7). This soul-lift moment is filled with confidence and hope. God is reminded, as are we, of God’s promise to be merciful and steadfast in love while leading and teaching us along the path.

So, lift up your soul! Give thanks and praise for God’s steadfast love and trustworthiness.

Prayer: 

O God, 

            I lift up my whole self in praise to You because I trust in You. As I look to You for help, be gracious to me. Relieve the troubles of my heart that I may receive Your mercy. All glory and praise be to Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.

* We're On Our Way

Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.
Psalm 25:4-5 NLT  

Abby Tuesday is the day during the week when my youngest granddaughter and I have a play date where we make up songs or she pretends she's the shopkeeper at her own general store (where everything either costs one dollar or 'fifty-six forty') or we snuggle on the sofa and "Let's watch kid movies, Granna!"

Regardless of what we do or what kind of mood she's in, we always sing "We're On Our Way" songs. Our travel music, if you will. To my house, we're on our way to Granna's house and there is the church... and the other landmarks showing the right route to take. When it's time for her to leave, we're on our way to Abby's house with landmarks that clearly define when we're getting close. Both versions always end with "And here we are!"

Yeah. Cute story, but what's it got to do with our Promise for Today? Tonight, I felt like the Lord was reminding me that we're on our way to His house. Our heavenly home. Do we know the right way? Are we following His landmarks? Are we making sure to not lose our way?!?

God gives us His promise a few verses further down in Psalm 25:8-10. From The Message - God is fair and just; He corrects the misdirected, Sends them in the right direction. He gives the rejects his hand, And leads them step-by-step. From now on every road you travel will take you to God. Follow the Covenant signs; Read the charted directions.

We're on our way to His house. Are we headed the right way?

Prayer:

Father,
           Show us the right path, O Lord; point out the road for us to follow. We want to be with You in Your house. Correct us and lead us in the paths of Your righteousness. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Where He Leads

For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
Esther 4:14 NKJV

I was remembering my sweet friend, Jenny, who passed away in March 2011.

When Jenny got sick, she invited our mutual friend, Darleen, and me to come visit. It seemed unbelievable that it had been seven years since the three of us had been together. Years before, we met originally because we were all in a tough time in our lives that had us grasping earnestly for God. Even though our lives and careers were - and still were - so vastly different, we had one common denominator – our desire for more of the Lord. 

We were not raised the same. We were not born in the same state of the U.S. We didn’t go to the same schools or colleges. We were not the same age. We didn't look anything alike. We all loved music, but not the same kind (one loved traditional hymns, one loved the Hillsong-type, and one loved Southern Gospel). We didn’t even have any friends in common who brought us to that place. Only God could have gotten the three of us together in the same place at the right time and connected our hearts.

We shared the Reader’s Digest© version of our lives of what God had done since last we saw each other. In each instance, we marveled at how God constantly - strategically - placed (and continues to place) people in our paths 'for such a time as this.' We talked for 3 hours straight about the miraculous and loving way God does this – and that was with shortened versions! 

Have you ever stopped to think about this God phenomenon in your life? People you would never have met if God hadn’t intervened. For instance, I could tell you about those I’ve never met who are on this Promise list and yet God caused our paths to cross (albeit cyber paths) and how we have strengthened each other in this journey of life. And if I start on the ones I actually know, I’ll never get done here tonight! 

Jenny and her husband would have celebrated their Diamond Anniversary in September of 2011 – married 60 years and they were still crazy about each other. A sixty-year marriage is a definite orchestration by God, but logistically, they should never have had the opportunity to meet.

Jenny was in college in Houston when her friends convinced her to go to school in Austin, so she checked out and finished her semester in Austin. She didn’t like it and came home to Houston to try to beg her way back into her former school. Well, her grades from Austin were not what they needed to be and the Houston registrar told Jenny that she had to return to Austin and take summer school courses to bring up the grades in order to be able to return to Houston for the next semester.

Jenny was NOT happy. The fraternity houses were closed for the summer – her friends were gone until the Fall – she was sure it was going to be absolutely miserable.  Meanwhile, over in El Paso, RG needed to get to Austin, but he didn’t have a car. A friend of his was heading to Austin to see a girl he had fallen in love with at the college, but the girl was only allowed to double date (my, how times have changed!). RG’s friend agreed to give him a ride, but in exchange, RG would have to go on a blind date with whoever the girl "drug up."

Six hundred miles later, RG really tried to back out, but the friend wouldn’t let him out of the car until RG gave his word that he would show up. Jenny was the blind date and it was the LAST blind date for both of them. Jenny and RG never dated anyone else and were married in September 1951.

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Psalm 37:23-24 NLT 

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for every mountain, every valley, every blocked road and raging river of life …for You were there and lovingly placed one of Your children to be Your hand extended. Thank You for all the paths You have caused to strategically cross in order to fulfill Your divine plan for our lives. Help us to comfort others as You have comforted us. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen