Today the Lord your God has commanded you to obey all these decrees and regulations. So be careful to obey them wholeheartedly. You have declared today that the Lord is your God.
Deuteronomy 26:16-17a NLT
I tend to multitask, and I used to think that was a good thing, especially in my line of work. However, lately I have come to realize that it is now a habit - a way of life that bleeds over into my time with family or friends, and worse! My time with the Lord. I am easily distracted, and I hate it. Jesus tells us in Mark 12:30, "And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." What if Jesus only half-heartedly listened to me?
There is no half in Christ. He didn't come halfway here and then change His mind and go back. He didn't half-heal people. He did not go halfway to Golgotha. He wasn't half-dead on the Cross. When Scripture tells us He gave His life for ours, there is not ONE mention of Him doing it halfway. No place does it indicate that He gave half His life for ours. No buy-one-get-one-half-off. He was completely committed. He gave it all. Should He expect less from us?
Jesus Christ gave His all - sacrificed His whole life - so that we could be cleansed from ALL our sin (1st John 1). Not for all the ones except those things we might really like to do, or the ones we think aren't "that bad"...
What will we do with the life He's purchased and paid full price for? Will we hold out? Or will we wholeheartedly embrace the life He has bought for us and give Him our all?
Prayer:
Father,
Give us Your strength to walk in wholehearted obedience to love You with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength. We can only do this by Your grace. We want - we choose - to bring everything into obedience to Your Word. Forgive us, Father, for dragging our feet and getting distracted with the things of this world. Help us, O Lord, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
2026 Lenten Season - Day 25 - Here's the Struggle
We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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Lent is not about what you will give of yourself to God, but about what he, in grace, has so bountifully given to you.
The husband had been caught in adultery. It was humiliating for him and devastating to his marriage. He didn’t confess until he was caught. Jerry and his wife came to me for help. They both seemed to want to save their marriage. He spoke words of brokenness to me and seemed to be repentant. Mary was willing to hang in there as long as Jerry was turning from the entanglements of sin and turning toward his Lord and her with new commitments of faith. But as I continued to meet with them, I began to be concerned. Truly repentant people are overwhelmed with the rebelliousness and destructiveness of what they have done, while at the same time, they are blown away by the magnitude and consistency of God’s mercy and grace. They tend to experience the love of God in deeper and fresher ways as they tend to embrace in new ways the truth that they could never do anything to earn that love.
But when I would meet with Jerry, the thing Jerry talked about the most was Jerry. He talked about all the things he was giving up for the Lord, the length and depth of his new devotional life, the Christian books he had purchased, and the new ways he was serving his wife. He kept telling me how he was “all in” for the Lord. The more he told me, and the more he patted himself on the back, the less I believed it. It wasn’t, “God, be merciful to me a sinner,” but rather, “God, look at what I am doing for you.” He had an attitude of the heart that the grief of real confession and the humility of true repentance would never produce. When I began to write this devotional, I thought of Jerry, and here’s why.
The season of Lent is about offering yourself to God in new or deeper ways. It’s about new submission and deeper devotion. Lent is about mourning the ways your heart has wandered. It is about confessing the hold the world still has on you or the places where you have succumbed to temptation’s draw. It is about identifying places in the heart where you need to give yourself more fully to God. There is a necessary self-focus to Lent because you are examining your heart, your life, your relationships, and your daily decisions to see where God is calling you to give up something or to take up something in devotion to him. Lent is about willing self-sacrifice as you pursue the one who made the ultimate sacrifice for you. Lent isn’t a formal season of temporary sacrificial devotion, but rather an opportunity to address things in your life that need to be addressed but that often get lost in the busyness and distraction of everything else you’re doing. But here’s what is so important to understand about Lent: it is not about what you are doing or are committing yourself to do for God, but about what he has done and is now doing for you.
The story of Lent is the world’s most important and most wonderful generosity story. Lent is about one who not only lavishly gives what is desperately needed, but who also offers himself as the ultimate gift. But the story of Lent is not just about generosity; it is the one story where the giver and the gift are the same person. The hope and security of Lent is not to be found in the size and consistency of what you give to God; it is about the stunning gifts of grace he has given and will continue to give you. It is God’s generosity that is primary and transformative, not ours. We love because he first loved us. We give because he first gave to us. We lay down our lives because he first laid down his. We are willing to suffer for his sake because he first suffered for us. We obey because in his obedience we are given hope. We fight temptation because he fought it and defeated it on our behalf. We are willing to humble ourselves and serve because he left the splendor of eternity, humbled himself, and served up to - and through - the point of death. Everything we ever give of ourselves happens only because of the primacy of his gifts to us. He is the ultimate giver. No matter how great our sacrifices or how much we give, we will never give to him the magnitude of what he has given us. As we seek to give ourselves more fully during Lent, every gift we give is a celebration of the transformative storehouse of what he has given us. Lent is all about sacrifice: his, not ours.
Pride in the sacrifices you are making not only crushes the spirit of this wonderful season of spiritual reflection and growth, but it also quenches the work that the Holy Spirit would do in your heart as you open it up to him. Pride doesn’t mix well with the grief over sin that propels confession. Pride doesn’t sit well with the humility that fuels true repentance. A self-congratulatory attitude turns sacrifice into a reason to convince yourself that you’re pretty righteous after all, and righteous people don’t need the divine sacrifice that this season is all about. Pride flips the Lenten season on its head.
Now, here’s the struggle. Whenever you focus on yourself, even in examination and confession, pride lurks right around the corner. It is so tempting to take credit for desires, choices, and actions that you would never have taken if you had not been rescued and changed by God’s grace. If pride is self-congratulatory, then it is also self-reliant. But the whole message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that you and I were not created to be self-reliant, and in our struggle with sin, we have no ability on our own to defeat what needs to be defeated. This is why the sacrifice of Christ was essential. He came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves, even in our deepest moments of sacrifice and devotion.
So in this season of new and deeper sacrifice and devotion, resist the temptation of turning the tables. That is, don’t make the lavish gifts of another become about what you give. You can’t stand at the foot of the cross and consider the magnitude of what was done there and hold onto the pride of personal sacrifice. Pray for grace to make every sacrifice, every gift given, a celebration of both the ultimate gift and the most generous giver.
GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions
1. Jerry’s story illustrates an important test for genuine repentance. Would you pass the test? Is your repentance more about what you have done or what God has done?
2. In what ways does Lent often lead to pride?
3. What are some practical ways to guard yourself against the tendency for the Lenten season—and spiritual disciplines any time of the year—to become a source of pride?
Read James 4:6–10, and let it lead you to genuine sorrow over your sin.
6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
Saturday, March 14, 2026
2026 Lenten Season - Day 23 - Sacrifice
We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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20When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table[a] with the Twelve. 21 While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”
22 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?”
23 He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. 24 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
25 Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?”
And Jesus told him, “You have said it.”
26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”
27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant[b] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 On the way, Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,
‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”
33 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.”
34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same.
36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away[d] unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”
47 And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. 48 The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” 49 So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss.
50 Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.”
Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 51 But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
52 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? 54 But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”
55 Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day. 56 But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.
57 Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. 58 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.
59 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60 But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward 61 who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?”
“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”
67 Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, 68 jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?”
69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”
70 But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
71 Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.
73 A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”
74 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.
75 Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.
27 Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. 2 Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.
3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”
“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”
5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.
6 The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” 7 After some discussion, they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. 8 That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. 9 This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says,
“They took the thirty pieces of silver— the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel, 10 and purchased the potter’s field, as the Lord directed.”
11 Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him.
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
12 But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. 13 “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. 14 But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.
15 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. 16 This year, there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas. 17 As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)
19 Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”
20 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. 21 So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”
The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”
22 Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
23 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”
But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”
24 Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”
25 And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”
26 So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.
27 Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. 31 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
32 Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 33 And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). 34 The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.
35 After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 36 Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. 37 A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39 The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. 40 “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
41 The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. 42 “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! 43 He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.
45 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 46 At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
47 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 48 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. 49 But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”
50 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, 52 and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. 53 They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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No sacrifice that you and I will ever make is as great as the sacrifice that was made for us and for our redemption.
Everyone makes sacrifices—
for physical beauty,
for body health,
for athletic victory,
for career advancement,
for relational unity,
for sound investment,
for a physical dwelling,
for the hope of fame,
for parental love,
for spiritual growth,
for environmental health,
for political power,
for a noble cause,
for a dark addiction,
for the cause of peace,
for liberation from bondage,
for making a point,
for exposing an evil,
for meeting a need,
for offering mercy,
for settling a score,
for extending a hand.
Every day sacrifices are made.
Everyone does it.
No one can avoid it.
Life requires it.
Good calls you to it.
Evil demands it.
Sometimes we’re willing.
Sometimes we’re resistant.
Sometimes we regret it.
Sometimes we sacrifice with great joy,
sometimes with deep sorrow,
sometimes in the bright light,
sometimes in the darkness of night,
sometimes private,
sometimes public,
the young and the old,
men and women,
girls and boys,
of every language,
of every ethnicity,
from every place on the globe,
from every period of history.
But in all of those places,
with all of these people,
in all of those epochs of time,
with innumerable sacrifices,
there is only one man
who had sacrifice as his solitary purpose.
There was only one man
whose sacrifice would meet everyone’s need.
There was only one man
who paid for what he did not do
so others would get what they did not earn.
There was only one man
who was qualified.
There was only one man
who was the God-man,
Son of God,
Son of Man.
There was only one man.
who would live a righteous life.
There was only one man
who would die an acceptable death.
There was only one man
who would satisfy God’s requirement.
There was only one man
who would not only make that sacrifice
but who would be that sacrifice.
There was only one man
who would be the Lamb of God.
There was only one man
whose sacrifice would change everything.
Sin defeated.
Life given.
Hope restored.
Destiny secure.
God and man reconciled,
once for all.
“It is finished.”
Billions of sacrifices made;
only one sacrifice
for life now
and for all eternity.
Going Deeper
Reflection Questions
1. Think about the goals you’re working toward right now. What are you sacrificing to reach them?
2. Does your level of sacrifice to develop your relationship with God match the level of sacrifice you make to do other things? Why or why not?
3. What sacrifice did Christ make for you? List out all that he endured, and thank him specifically for those things.
Read the account of the crucifixion in Matthew 26:20–27:53 [included below in its entirety].
20When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table[a] with the Twelve. 21 While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”
22 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?”
23 He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. 24 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
25 Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?”
And Jesus told him, “You have said it.”
26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”
27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant[b] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 On the way, Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,
‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”
33 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.”
34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same.
36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away[d] unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”
47 And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. 48 The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” 49 So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss.
50 Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.”
Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 51 But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
52 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? 54 But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”
55 Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day. 56 But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.
57 Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. 58 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.
59 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60 But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward 61 who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?”
“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”
67 Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, 68 jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?”
69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”
70 But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
71 Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.
73 A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”
74 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.
75 Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.
27 Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. 2 Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.
3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”
“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”
5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.
6 The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” 7 After some discussion, they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. 8 That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. 9 This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says,
“They took the thirty pieces of silver— the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel, 10 and purchased the potter’s field, as the Lord directed.”
11 Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him.
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
12 But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. 13 “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. 14 But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.
15 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. 16 This year, there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas. 17 As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)
19 Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”
20 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. 21 So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”
The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”
22 Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
23 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”
But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”
24 Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”
25 And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”
26 So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.
27 Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. 31 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
32 Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 33 And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). 34 The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.
35 After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 36 Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. 37 A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39 The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. 40 “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
41 The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. 42 “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! 43 He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.
45 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 46 At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
47 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 48 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. 49 But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”
50 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, 52 and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. 53 They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
Friday, March 6, 2026
2026 Lenten Season - Day 16 - Unnatural Confession
We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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No sacrifice is more pleasing to your Lord than the sacrifice of words in the form of humble, honest, heartfelt confession.
Something inside us naturally resists confessing. It is easy for us to rise to our own defense. It is easy for us to blame someone else. It is easy to argue within ourselves that what we did was not that bad after all. It is easy to compare ourselves to others and conclude that we’re not doing as badly as them. It’s easy to be self-righteous and defensive when approached with a wrong. But confession is counterintuitive. Every parent knows that an honest, humble confession is unnatural. If you ask your child why he did what he did, he won’t talk about himself. He’ll point to his sibling, or he’ll point to the situation, but he won’t say, “It was me. I am a rebel and a sinner, and I alone am at fault.”
I have an embarrassing personal example of the difficulty of confession. I was on a speaking trip and staying at the home of one of the families in the church. It was a lovely, well-decorated house filled with fine furniture. In my room was a large and beautiful leather lounge chair. When I speak, I like my clothes to be wrinkle-free, so, before the days when I would stay in hotels where irons are provided, I always traveled with a small iron. I looked around for a place to iron my clothes, and the big leather chair seemed like the best option. I put a towel on it, heated up the iron, and began to press my clothes. I had pressed my pants, set the iron upright on the towel, and walked over to get my shirt. I turned around only to discover that the iron had fallen. It had landed facedown on the seat of that chair and burned the leather. I couldn’t believe it. I then spent way too much time thinking about how I would break the bad news of how my hosts’ beautiful chair now had a large burn mark, but I spent even more time trying to convince myself that this wasn’t actually my fault.
I was the only one in the room. I was the one ironing. I was the one who made the decision to iron on that beautiful chair. I had walked away and left a hot iron in a precarious position. It was my fault. I had to go downstairs and tell my host what I had done. The fact that it was so hard was a humbling spiritual lesson for me. This is why confession is such a pleasing sacrifice to your Lord. It requires you to silence all the self-aggrandizing, self-righteous voices in your life. It forces you to admit that you’re way more spiritually needy than you would like to think you are. It asks you to admit that you’re a person in constant need of forgiveness. It causes you to admit that your biggest problem is not your history, your family, your friends, your culture, your economic situation, your church, your neighbors, your age, or your physical condition. Confession requires you to admit that your biggest problems live inside you, in your heart. It smashes any delusion of comfortable independence. It yanks you away from spiritual self-reliance. Confession drives you to the feet of God as your sovereign Lord and Savior, to honor him for who he is, and to cry for help because of who you are. Confession is pleasing to God because it puts you right in the middle of the position you were created to be in: humble, honest dependence on him.
No passage captures this better than Hosea 14:1–3:
Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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No sacrifice is more pleasing to your Lord than the sacrifice of words in the form of humble, honest, heartfelt confession.
Something inside us naturally resists confessing. It is easy for us to rise to our own defense. It is easy for us to blame someone else. It is easy to argue within ourselves that what we did was not that bad after all. It is easy to compare ourselves to others and conclude that we’re not doing as badly as them. It’s easy to be self-righteous and defensive when approached with a wrong. But confession is counterintuitive. Every parent knows that an honest, humble confession is unnatural. If you ask your child why he did what he did, he won’t talk about himself. He’ll point to his sibling, or he’ll point to the situation, but he won’t say, “It was me. I am a rebel and a sinner, and I alone am at fault.”
I have an embarrassing personal example of the difficulty of confession. I was on a speaking trip and staying at the home of one of the families in the church. It was a lovely, well-decorated house filled with fine furniture. In my room was a large and beautiful leather lounge chair. When I speak, I like my clothes to be wrinkle-free, so, before the days when I would stay in hotels where irons are provided, I always traveled with a small iron. I looked around for a place to iron my clothes, and the big leather chair seemed like the best option. I put a towel on it, heated up the iron, and began to press my clothes. I had pressed my pants, set the iron upright on the towel, and walked over to get my shirt. I turned around only to discover that the iron had fallen. It had landed facedown on the seat of that chair and burned the leather. I couldn’t believe it. I then spent way too much time thinking about how I would break the bad news of how my hosts’ beautiful chair now had a large burn mark, but I spent even more time trying to convince myself that this wasn’t actually my fault.
I was the only one in the room. I was the one ironing. I was the one who made the decision to iron on that beautiful chair. I had walked away and left a hot iron in a precarious position. It was my fault. I had to go downstairs and tell my host what I had done. The fact that it was so hard was a humbling spiritual lesson for me. This is why confession is such a pleasing sacrifice to your Lord. It requires you to silence all the self-aggrandizing, self-righteous voices in your life. It forces you to admit that you’re way more spiritually needy than you would like to think you are. It asks you to admit that you’re a person in constant need of forgiveness. It causes you to admit that your biggest problem is not your history, your family, your friends, your culture, your economic situation, your church, your neighbors, your age, or your physical condition. Confession requires you to admit that your biggest problems live inside you, in your heart. It smashes any delusion of comfortable independence. It yanks you away from spiritual self-reliance. Confession drives you to the feet of God as your sovereign Lord and Savior, to honor him for who he is, and to cry for help because of who you are. Confession is pleasing to God because it puts you right in the middle of the position you were created to be in: humble, honest dependence on him.
No passage captures this better than Hosea 14:1–3:
Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
Take with you words and return to the Lord;
Say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good,
and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips.
Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses;
and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands.
In you, the orphan finds mercy.”
Hosea is a message of exhortation and warning to people who have wandered away from God. The word picture for this warning is marital adultery. God’s people have committed spiritual adultery. Spiritual adultery is loving something more than God, causing us to desire and do what God has prohibited. Sin is spiritual adultery. In the face of this, Hosea calls God’s people to return, as an adulterous spouse would return to the one he promised his lifelong love to. But at the center of this call to return is this request: “Take with you words . . . ‘we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips.’” It is a bit hard in the English translation to understand what is being requested here. God is saying, "There is a sacrifice I want you to make; it’s the sacrifice of your lips, that is, confession.” God wanted them to do more than just bring the required animal sacrifices. He wanted them to bring a far more costly sacrifice: honest, humble confession, free of excuse or blame-shifting. Confession is hard, but it is simple. Confession only takes three words: “I have sinned.” Confession is naming and owning the sin with no contingencies added.
But there is another part of the sacrifice of your lips. It is acknowledging that your only hope is the forgiving and transforming grace of the Lord. “Assyria shall not save us; / we will not ride on horses; / and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’/ to the work of our hands. / In you the orphan finds mercy” (Hosea 14:3). Sin is a mess we cannot independently get ourselves out of. Sin cries out for grace because grace is the sinner’s only hope in life and in death.
So this Lenten season, don’t just give up physical stuff. How about coming to God with the pleasing sacrifice of confession? Come to him this season and place your pride on his altar, confessing your wandering heart and acknowledging once again that you are a person in need of mercy, and the mercy you need is found only in him.
In this season of sacrifice, take words with you and return to your Lord.
GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions
1. Why do you think confession is so difficult for us?
2. What are the essential aspects of confession? Break it down into what actually needs to be admitted and what must not be said in order for it to be a true confession.
3. Think of someone you have wronged today, or in the past week, and go to that person with a real, honest confession of your guilt.
Set a timer and spend fifteen minutes in honest confession, using Romans 3:10–18 as a guide.
Romans 3:10-18 New Living Translation
10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one.
11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.
12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”
13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “They rush to commit murder.
16 Destruction and misery always follow them.
17 They don’t know where to find peace.”
18 “They have no fear of God at all.”
Hosea is a message of exhortation and warning to people who have wandered away from God. The word picture for this warning is marital adultery. God’s people have committed spiritual adultery. Spiritual adultery is loving something more than God, causing us to desire and do what God has prohibited. Sin is spiritual adultery. In the face of this, Hosea calls God’s people to return, as an adulterous spouse would return to the one he promised his lifelong love to. But at the center of this call to return is this request: “Take with you words . . . ‘we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips.’” It is a bit hard in the English translation to understand what is being requested here. God is saying, "There is a sacrifice I want you to make; it’s the sacrifice of your lips, that is, confession.” God wanted them to do more than just bring the required animal sacrifices. He wanted them to bring a far more costly sacrifice: honest, humble confession, free of excuse or blame-shifting. Confession is hard, but it is simple. Confession only takes three words: “I have sinned.” Confession is naming and owning the sin with no contingencies added.
But there is another part of the sacrifice of your lips. It is acknowledging that your only hope is the forgiving and transforming grace of the Lord. “Assyria shall not save us; / we will not ride on horses; / and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’/ to the work of our hands. / In you the orphan finds mercy” (Hosea 14:3). Sin is a mess we cannot independently get ourselves out of. Sin cries out for grace because grace is the sinner’s only hope in life and in death.
So this Lenten season, don’t just give up physical stuff. How about coming to God with the pleasing sacrifice of confession? Come to him this season and place your pride on his altar, confessing your wandering heart and acknowledging once again that you are a person in need of mercy, and the mercy you need is found only in him.
In this season of sacrifice, take words with you and return to your Lord.
GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions
1. Why do you think confession is so difficult for us?
2. What are the essential aspects of confession? Break it down into what actually needs to be admitted and what must not be said in order for it to be a true confession.
3. Think of someone you have wronged today, or in the past week, and go to that person with a real, honest confession of your guilt.
Set a timer and spend fifteen minutes in honest confession, using Romans 3:10–18 as a guide.
Romans 3:10-18 New Living Translation
10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one.
11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.
12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”
13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “They rush to commit murder.
16 Destruction and misery always follow them.
17 They don’t know where to find peace.”
18 “They have no fear of God at all.”
Monday, November 24, 2025
Promise for Today - The Sacrifice of Thanks-Sharing
NOTE: For the rest of November, I will share Thanksgiving moments written by other authors.
Today's devotional was written by Glynnis Whitwer.
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"Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
Today's devotional was written by Glynnis Whitwer.
*********************************************************************
"Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
Hebrews 13:15-16 (NASB)
Enough. That's what I have. Really, more than enough.
More than enough clothes in my closet. Food in my fridge. Shoes spread on the floor. Cans in the cupboard. My children have books, warm jackets, tennis shoes, pencils, and opportunities for more. I have clean sheets, soft pillows, a kitchen table, and indoor plumbing.
My husband and I have never taken our provisions for granted. Every day, we are thankful for the blessings of our home and family. Yet eight years ago, we were increasingly aware of what Luke 12:48b tells us, "When someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required." (NLT) We felt an obligation to do something more with our blessings.
So in 2005, our family of five put a plan in place to share what we had. We had enough home, enough time, and enough love. Our gratitude to God for His blessings couldn't be kept to ourselves anymore. We started with some rearranging. Two of our three sons moved furniture around so they could share a room. Then we bought two little white beds, pink curtains, and some dolls. I bought matching calico comforters and guessed at the sizes of dresses.
After months of planning to share what we had, two little orphaned sisters stepped off a plane, gripping the hands of their new daddy, and walked into our hearts and homes.
They wore "African suits" bought from the place of their birth, brightly colored dresses that hung on tiny bodies. So proud they were to own their first new pieces of clothing, wanting to greet their new family in their best. As we wrapped our arms around these little girls, our family of five became seven.
As weeks turned into months, and typical family issues mingled with trauma from our daughters' pasts, we learned God's call to share isn't always easy. Oh, at first it was great, before the first blush of excitement wore off. But the magnitude of sharing our lives with two wounded little girls was harder than we ever imagined.
When worry about the future threatened to overwhelm me, God quietly reminded me that He didn't ask me to have the answers. That's His job. My job is just to share what He has given me–my love, my home, my life–with two not-so-little girls now who call me Mama. With a heart of thankfulness and an open hand of generosity. That's all He's asking me. That's what blesses Him.
God's Word confirms what pleases Him. Hebrews 13:15-16 teaches us that we must link thanksgiving with sharing. But it also says it will be a sacrifice: "Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." (NASB)
As we walk together as a family, we continue to learn that showing thanks to God involves sharing, and sharing involves sacrifice. God still calls us to share out of our abundance, and it still involves sacrifice. But when we share our lives, our homes, our money, our hearts, our skills, and our time as an outpouring of thanksgiving, God is pleased.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Enough. That's what I have. Really, more than enough.
More than enough clothes in my closet. Food in my fridge. Shoes spread on the floor. Cans in the cupboard. My children have books, warm jackets, tennis shoes, pencils, and opportunities for more. I have clean sheets, soft pillows, a kitchen table, and indoor plumbing.
My husband and I have never taken our provisions for granted. Every day, we are thankful for the blessings of our home and family. Yet eight years ago, we were increasingly aware of what Luke 12:48b tells us, "When someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required." (NLT) We felt an obligation to do something more with our blessings.
So in 2005, our family of five put a plan in place to share what we had. We had enough home, enough time, and enough love. Our gratitude to God for His blessings couldn't be kept to ourselves anymore. We started with some rearranging. Two of our three sons moved furniture around so they could share a room. Then we bought two little white beds, pink curtains, and some dolls. I bought matching calico comforters and guessed at the sizes of dresses.
After months of planning to share what we had, two little orphaned sisters stepped off a plane, gripping the hands of their new daddy, and walked into our hearts and homes.
They wore "African suits" bought from the place of their birth, brightly colored dresses that hung on tiny bodies. So proud they were to own their first new pieces of clothing, wanting to greet their new family in their best. As we wrapped our arms around these little girls, our family of five became seven.
As weeks turned into months, and typical family issues mingled with trauma from our daughters' pasts, we learned God's call to share isn't always easy. Oh, at first it was great, before the first blush of excitement wore off. But the magnitude of sharing our lives with two wounded little girls was harder than we ever imagined.
When worry about the future threatened to overwhelm me, God quietly reminded me that He didn't ask me to have the answers. That's His job. My job is just to share what He has given me–my love, my home, my life–with two not-so-little girls now who call me Mama. With a heart of thankfulness and an open hand of generosity. That's all He's asking me. That's what blesses Him.
God's Word confirms what pleases Him. Hebrews 13:15-16 teaches us that we must link thanksgiving with sharing. But it also says it will be a sacrifice: "Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." (NASB)
As we walk together as a family, we continue to learn that showing thanks to God involves sharing, and sharing involves sacrifice. God still calls us to share out of our abundance, and it still involves sacrifice. But when we share our lives, our homes, our money, our hearts, our skills, and our time as an outpouring of thanksgiving, God is pleased.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your generosity with us. We don't deserve Your favor, and our hearts overflow with thanksgiving. Help us to show our gratitude through words and actions that are pleasing in Your sight. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Promise for Today - Let's Be Reasonable
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1 NKJV
I had a conversation with a friend who mentioned the struggles he is experiencing with a particular project and how it seemed to be ongoing. He presented it laughingly, but it was obvious he wanted some relief. He said his wife told him God was developing patience in his life like He did with Peter. His response was, "I told her, Peter didn't have to deal with this..."
I quipped, "You're right, he didn't. But he was inverted and crucified, so I guess we could get an upside-down crucifixion arranged for you, if you think that would be easier to deal with." Let's just say I'm not the author of the book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.
According to our Scripture for today, we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice... Wait a minute. Doesn't sacrifice include fire and burning meat? Let's face it. We all like grilling, but not if WE are the sacrifice. When God puts me to the test and I make a comment like my friend made, my sister asks, "Hmmm... do I smell barbecue? Something's burning..." Clearly, SHE is not the author, either, of How to Win Friends and Influence People.
The Bible tells us we are to be holy and acceptable to God. How? How do we do that - holy AND acceptable? Scripture tells us in Romans 14:17-18, ... for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Notice this is not a multiple choice statement. It does not read righteousness OR peace OR joy in the Holy Spirit. It's a package deal. Holy AND acceptable! Righteousness AND peace AND joy in the Holy Spirit! How in the world do we do that?!?
By the mercies of God. Now, THAT's reasonable...
Prayer:
Father,
Romans 12:1 NKJV
I had a conversation with a friend who mentioned the struggles he is experiencing with a particular project and how it seemed to be ongoing. He presented it laughingly, but it was obvious he wanted some relief. He said his wife told him God was developing patience in his life like He did with Peter. His response was, "I told her, Peter didn't have to deal with this..."
I quipped, "You're right, he didn't. But he was inverted and crucified, so I guess we could get an upside-down crucifixion arranged for you, if you think that would be easier to deal with." Let's just say I'm not the author of the book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.
According to our Scripture for today, we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice... Wait a minute. Doesn't sacrifice include fire and burning meat? Let's face it. We all like grilling, but not if WE are the sacrifice. When God puts me to the test and I make a comment like my friend made, my sister asks, "Hmmm... do I smell barbecue? Something's burning..." Clearly, SHE is not the author, either, of How to Win Friends and Influence People.
The Bible tells us we are to be holy and acceptable to God. How? How do we do that - holy AND acceptable? Scripture tells us in Romans 14:17-18, ... for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Notice this is not a multiple choice statement. It does not read righteousness OR peace OR joy in the Holy Spirit. It's a package deal. Holy AND acceptable! Righteousness AND peace AND joy in the Holy Spirit! How in the world do we do that?!?
By the mercies of God. Now, THAT's reasonable...
Prayer:
Father,
By Your mercies, which are new every morning, we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto You, which is our reasonable service. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Lent - Day Forty - A Powerful Name
Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2024
4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
John 18:4-6
4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
John 18:4-6
We may overlook a small detail contained in the early moments of Jesus’ arrest. Judas leads Roman soldiers, temple police, and other religious leaders to capture Jesus. But as they do this, there is a moment where they draw back and fall to the ground. What could cause such an occurrence?
Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus has invoked the very personal and sacred name of God, “I Am,” to refer to himself. “I Am the Bread of Life.” “I Am the Light of the World.” “I Am the Good Shepherd.” “I Am the Vine.” Now, as they approach Jesus, he asks them, “Whom do you seek?” They answer, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus responds by saying, “I Am.” He doesn’t employ a conversational, “Oh, that’s me. I’m Jesus.” He invokes the personal and sacred name of God, “I Am.”
I can’t help but recall the words of Philippians 2:6-11: Though he was in the form of God, [Christ Jesus] did not count equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
God’s name has such power that, when Jesus speaks, it casts down those who came to arrest him. Only his willingness could enable his arrest, beating, crucifixion, and death. A day will come when all will bow to his name. For many, this will be by compulsion and fear, but for those of us found in Christ, it will be with praises, great joy, and peace, for this is the name by which we have been saved! (Acts 4:12)
Prayer:
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.
15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. 17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.
Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus has invoked the very personal and sacred name of God, “I Am,” to refer to himself. “I Am the Bread of Life.” “I Am the Light of the World.” “I Am the Good Shepherd.” “I Am the Vine.” Now, as they approach Jesus, he asks them, “Whom do you seek?” They answer, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus responds by saying, “I Am.” He doesn’t employ a conversational, “Oh, that’s me. I’m Jesus.” He invokes the personal and sacred name of God, “I Am.”
I can’t help but recall the words of Philippians 2:6-11: Though he was in the form of God, [Christ Jesus] did not count equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
God’s name has such power that, when Jesus speaks, it casts down those who came to arrest him. Only his willingness could enable his arrest, beating, crucifixion, and death. A day will come when all will bow to his name. For many, this will be by compulsion and fear, but for those of us found in Christ, it will be with praises, great joy, and peace, for this is the name by which we have been saved! (Acts 4:12)
Prayer:
Jesus,
I praise your holy name. By it, I have been saved from my sin, with it, I was claimed as your child, and in it, is great power. Amen.
Reading Further - John 18:1-18
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.
15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. 17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.
Sunday, February 26, 2023
Day 4 of Lent
For the next 37 days leading to Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Tonight's post features excerpts from What is Lent: Honoring the Sacrifice of Jesus, written by Sarah Phillips, contributing writer to Crosswalk.
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Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
Matthew 4:1-2
It makes sense to set aside time to prepare for the two most important days of the Christian year - Good Friday and Easter. Lent is a time that offers us an opportunity to come to terms with the human condition we may spend the rest of the year running from, bringing our need for a Savior to the forefront. Lent is a time to open the doors of our hearts a little wider and understand our Lord a little deeper so that when Good Friday and Easter come, it is not just another day at church but an opportunity to receive the overflowing graces God has to offer.
Lent is more frequently observed as a solemn time of preparation for remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter. From the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday till Lent ends on Easter Sunday, Lent is traditionally a time of fasting or giving something up, known as abstinence. Lent gives us time to prepare our minds and hearts for remembering the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Lent is a time when Christians separate from the world; when we find out our faith is not just a feel-good, self-help religion but one that answers the deepest questions of life and eternity. Those who journey through the Lenten season will enter the Easter season with an increased appreciation for who God is and what He has done for us. And the joy of Resurrection and the promises of eternity will not be soon forgotten.
Philippians 3:10-11 - I want to know Christ, yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participate in his sufferings, becoming like him in death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Joel 2:12-14 - "Even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate."
Matthew 6:16-18 - when you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites...but when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
1 Peter 5:6 - Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you...
May we remember the gift of salvation in this season...
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the gift of this season. Thank You for knowing our hearts and our need for rhythms in our lives, and for drawing us into a deeper communion with You throughout the rest of this season. Help us draw nearer to You and understand You more deeply. Today and every day, may we gratefully receive the overwhelming graces You offer us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
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Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
Matthew 4:1-2
It makes sense to set aside time to prepare for the two most important days of the Christian year - Good Friday and Easter. Lent is a time that offers us an opportunity to come to terms with the human condition we may spend the rest of the year running from, bringing our need for a Savior to the forefront. Lent is a time to open the doors of our hearts a little wider and understand our Lord a little deeper so that when Good Friday and Easter come, it is not just another day at church but an opportunity to receive the overflowing graces God has to offer.
Lent is more frequently observed as a solemn time of preparation for remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter. From the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday till Lent ends on Easter Sunday, Lent is traditionally a time of fasting or giving something up, known as abstinence. Lent gives us time to prepare our minds and hearts for remembering the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Lent is a time when Christians separate from the world; when we find out our faith is not just a feel-good, self-help religion but one that answers the deepest questions of life and eternity. Those who journey through the Lenten season will enter the Easter season with an increased appreciation for who God is and what He has done for us. And the joy of Resurrection and the promises of eternity will not be soon forgotten.
Philippians 3:10-11 - I want to know Christ, yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participate in his sufferings, becoming like him in death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Joel 2:12-14 - "Even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate."
Matthew 6:16-18 - when you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites...but when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
1 Peter 5:6 - Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you...
May we remember the gift of salvation in this season...
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the gift of this season. Thank You for knowing our hearts and our need for rhythms in our lives, and for drawing us into a deeper communion with You throughout the rest of this season. Help us draw nearer to You and understand You more deeply. Today and every day, may we gratefully receive the overwhelming graces You offer us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Friday, February 24, 2023
Day 3 of 40 Days Until Easter
For the next 38 days leading to Easter, I will be posting from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Tonight's post features excerpts from "Should I Give Up Something for Lent?" written by Denise K. Loock, freelance writer, editor, speaker, and Bible study teacher. She is the founder of digdeeperdevotions.com, a website devoted to helping Christians dig deeper into the Word of God.
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The core of the Easter message is the new life available to every person because of the redemption Jesus provided through His death and resurrection. If we’ve accepted Jesus as Savior, we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). And, as Paul told the Galatian churches, “The life you see me living is not ‘mine,’ but it is lived by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me” (2:20 MSG).
If we spend the weeks before Easter cultivating a spiritual practice that makes our new life more evident to others year-round, we honor the Risen Christ who gave us that life, don’t we?
PRAYER:
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But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:22
For almost 2,000 years, Christians have set aside time for self-examination and repentance during the weeks before Easter. Early church fathers and the Council of Nicea (AD 325) observed days of fasting—from a few days to 40 days—but it was Pope Gregory I (c. 540-604) who established the 40-day season between Ash Wednesday and Easter that many 21st-century Christians observe.
Many Christians view Lent as an opportunity to refocus attention on God’s love for us, so great a love that He sent His son to die for our sins. Neither my family nor the church I attended as a child paid much attention to the Lenten season. Instead, they focused on the joyous celebration of our Risen Savior. [However] giving up something we love—a food or an activity—to remind us of God’s sacrificial love can be beneficial to our spiritual growth, especially if we replace it with a spiritual discipline such as Bible reading, prayer, or fasting. During Lent, we can evaluate our spiritual health—how well the life of the Risen Christ is being manifest in us...
Many Scriptures remind us that physical sacrifices are only valuable if they’re given from a wholly devoted heart. The prophet Samuel told King Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). And David wrote, “You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it.…The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit…a broken and humbled heart” (Psalm 51:16-17 HCSB).
The Old Testament prophets consistently spoke out against sacrifices that were futile attempts to cover sinful actions. Jesus also criticized the religious leaders for offering sacrifices that meant nothing (Matthew 23:23-25). The same could be said of any spiritual practice we undertake for the wrong reason, whether it be Sunday morning worship, small-group Bible study, volunteer work, or personal devotional time.
...It’s the daily-ness of sacrifice that most interests God and best reflects our commitment to Him—a 365-day devotion to act justly, love kindness, and walk humbly before God (Micah 6:8). When Paul told the Romans to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, I think he had in mind the daily-ness of sacrifice (12:1-2). My commitment to Jesus should involve the following:
1 Samuel 15:22
For almost 2,000 years, Christians have set aside time for self-examination and repentance during the weeks before Easter. Early church fathers and the Council of Nicea (AD 325) observed days of fasting—from a few days to 40 days—but it was Pope Gregory I (c. 540-604) who established the 40-day season between Ash Wednesday and Easter that many 21st-century Christians observe.
Many Christians view Lent as an opportunity to refocus attention on God’s love for us, so great a love that He sent His son to die for our sins. Neither my family nor the church I attended as a child paid much attention to the Lenten season. Instead, they focused on the joyous celebration of our Risen Savior. [However] giving up something we love—a food or an activity—to remind us of God’s sacrificial love can be beneficial to our spiritual growth, especially if we replace it with a spiritual discipline such as Bible reading, prayer, or fasting. During Lent, we can evaluate our spiritual health—how well the life of the Risen Christ is being manifest in us...
Many Scriptures remind us that physical sacrifices are only valuable if they’re given from a wholly devoted heart. The prophet Samuel told King Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). And David wrote, “You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it.…The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit…a broken and humbled heart” (Psalm 51:16-17 HCSB).
The Old Testament prophets consistently spoke out against sacrifices that were futile attempts to cover sinful actions. Jesus also criticized the religious leaders for offering sacrifices that meant nothing (Matthew 23:23-25). The same could be said of any spiritual practice we undertake for the wrong reason, whether it be Sunday morning worship, small-group Bible study, volunteer work, or personal devotional time.
...It’s the daily-ness of sacrifice that most interests God and best reflects our commitment to Him—a 365-day devotion to act justly, love kindness, and walk humbly before God (Micah 6:8). When Paul told the Romans to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, I think he had in mind the daily-ness of sacrifice (12:1-2). My commitment to Jesus should involve the following:
- Daily contemplation of the price Jesus paid for my sins and my inability to meet God’s standard of righteousness
- Daily commitment to rely more on the Holy Spirit and less on myself
- Daily reflection on the endless supply of God’s mercy and grace
- Daily gratitude for the ways He allows me to be His hands and feet in a hurting world
The core of the Easter message is the new life available to every person because of the redemption Jesus provided through His death and resurrection. If we’ve accepted Jesus as Savior, we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). And, as Paul told the Galatian churches, “The life you see me living is not ‘mine,’ but it is lived by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me” (2:20 MSG).
If we spend the weeks before Easter cultivating a spiritual practice that makes our new life more evident to others year-round, we honor the Risen Christ who gave us that life, don’t we?
PRAYER:
Lord,
I pray that I wouldn’t make Lent about myself this year, but instead about Your great love for me through Your sacrifice of Jesus. May I focus on Your love above all else - thank You, Jesus, for giving Your life for mine. Amen
Friday, December 9, 2022
Advent - Day Thirteen
For Advent this year, we are reading A Weary World Rejoices written by Brittany Rust
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Today, reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made, which served as the whole reason He came in the first place.
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Prayer:
Father,
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Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? 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. 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.
He was despised, and we did not care.
Isaiah 53:1-3 NLT
He was rejected and despised by men. And He suffered for our sake, that we might have life. We must not forget that when Jesus came to earth, He came intending to suffer and die a sinner’s death. A man who knew no sin at all would take every single one for us.
He was rejected and despised by men. And He suffered for our sake, that we might have life. We must not forget that when Jesus came to earth, He came intending to suffer and die a sinner’s death. A man who knew no sin at all would take every single one for us.
Today, reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made, which served as the whole reason He came in the first place.
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Prayer:
Father,
We pray again Paul's prayer for believers - that we would have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is - that the whole reason You came was to die in our place to pay for our sins. May we experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully, so that we will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Saturday, May 2, 2020
Acceptable
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
Romans 12:1 NLT
Who said it would be easy? Did someone say that being a Christian would make life a breeze? What part of "sacrifice" do we not understand?
Oh, we know Christ gave His life as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins. We know that. Right? Do we think it was easy because He is the Christ? Do we think it was easy because He is God's Son and He knew He would be resurrected and come back to life? Do we think He was being glib when He said, No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily...? (John 10:18) Do we remember how Scripture tells us, He fell on His face and prayed, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from Me..." (Matthew 26:39 NKJV)
Sacrifice is not convenient. It's not fun. It means we're going to be denied something we really want or forfeit something we already have or give up something we value highly. And it may very well involve some sort of pain and/or suffering.
Were the stripes on His back convenient for Him? And yet He took them willingly to pay for our healing and our peace. Isaiah 53:5 reads, But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Did anyone hear Him whine about it? Is there anywhere that it's recorded, I gotta do this for them and that for them 'cause God is telling me I have to...I have no choice...
Listen, it's not an acceptable sacrifice if we're whining about it.
We always have a choice, as did Jesus. He chose to live a life of sacrifice. He could have chosen convenience. He could have called 10,000 angels, but He chose to do the Father's will. Can we do any less and still be acceptable?
Prayer:
Father,
Let our lives be a sweet-smelling sacrifice of praise and worship. By Your Grace, in Your Strength, not ours, help us to be all You've called us to be. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Romans 12:1 NLT
Who said it would be easy? Did someone say that being a Christian would make life a breeze? What part of "sacrifice" do we not understand?
Oh, we know Christ gave His life as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins. We know that. Right? Do we think it was easy because He is the Christ? Do we think it was easy because He is God's Son and He knew He would be resurrected and come back to life? Do we think He was being glib when He said, No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily...? (John 10:18) Do we remember how Scripture tells us, He fell on His face and prayed, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from Me..." (Matthew 26:39 NKJV)
Sacrifice is not convenient. It's not fun. It means we're going to be denied something we really want or forfeit something we already have or give up something we value highly. And it may very well involve some sort of pain and/or suffering.
Were the stripes on His back convenient for Him? And yet He took them willingly to pay for our healing and our peace. Isaiah 53:5 reads, But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Did anyone hear Him whine about it? Is there anywhere that it's recorded, I gotta do this for them and that for them 'cause God is telling me I have to...I have no choice...
Listen, it's not an acceptable sacrifice if we're whining about it.
We always have a choice, as did Jesus. He chose to live a life of sacrifice. He could have chosen convenience. He could have called 10,000 angels, but He chose to do the Father's will. Can we do any less and still be acceptable?
Prayer:
Father,
Let our lives be a sweet-smelling sacrifice of praise and worship. By Your Grace, in Your Strength, not ours, help us to be all You've called us to be. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Living Sacrifice
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2 NLT
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.
Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”
Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:3-21 NLT
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.
Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”
Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:3-21 NLT
Prayer:
Father,
Let Your Word come alive in us this day! Give us hearts of courage and compassion. Help us to truly love and to reach out to and for others. Make us overcomers so that we conquer evil by doing good. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Friday, May 4, 2018
*The S Word
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
Romans 12:1-2a NLT
The S word... Sacrifice.
When I think of sacrifice, I think of death. Something has to be killed to be considered a sacrifice - whether it was a bull in biblical times or the desires today that we choose to lay down (kill) within ourselves. Our Promise for Today is about giving our bodies to God as a LIVING and holy sacrifice - so basically to lay ourselves on His altar...
And to stop crawling off the altar to get away from the fire of His holiness.
Just something to think about.
Prayer:
Father,
Please continue to draw us closer so that the dross and impurities in our lives are burned away in the fire of Your holy presence. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Acceptable
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
Romans 12:1 NLT
Who said it would be easy? Did someone say that being a Christian would make life a breeze? What part of "sacrifice" do we not understand?
Oh, we know Christ gave His life as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins. We know that. Right? Do we think it was easy because He is the Christ? Do we think it was easy because He is God's Son and He knew He would be resurrected and come back to life? Do we think He was being glib when He said, No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily...? (John 10:18) Do we remember how Scripture tells us, He fell on His face and prayed, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from Me..." (Matthew 26:39 NKJV)
Sacrifice is not convenient. It's not fun. It means we're going to be denied something we really want or forfeit something we already have or give up something we value highly. And it may very well involve some sort of pain and/or suffering.
Were the stripes on His back convenient for Him? And yet He took them willingly to pay for our healing and our peace. Isaiah 53:5 reads, But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Did anyone hear Him whine about it? Is there anywhere that it's recorded, I gotta do this for them and that for them 'cause God is telling me I have to...I have no choice...
Listen, it's not an acceptable sacrifice if we're whining about it.
We always have a choice, as did Jesus. He chose to live a life of sacrifice. He could have chosen convenience. He could have called 10,000 angels, but He chose to do the Father's will. Can we do any less and still be acceptable?
Prayer:
Father,
Let our lives be a sweet-smelling sacrifice of praise and worship. By Your Grace, in Your Strength, not ours, help us to be all You've called us to be. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Romans 12:1 NLT
Who said it would be easy? Did someone say that being a Christian would make life a breeze? What part of "sacrifice" do we not understand?
Oh, we know Christ gave His life as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins. We know that. Right? Do we think it was easy because He is the Christ? Do we think it was easy because He is God's Son and He knew He would be resurrected and come back to life? Do we think He was being glib when He said, No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily...? (John 10:18) Do we remember how Scripture tells us, He fell on His face and prayed, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from Me..." (Matthew 26:39 NKJV)
Sacrifice is not convenient. It's not fun. It means we're going to be denied something we really want or forfeit something we already have or give up something we value highly. And it may very well involve some sort of pain and/or suffering.
Were the stripes on His back convenient for Him? And yet He took them willingly to pay for our healing and our peace. Isaiah 53:5 reads, But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Did anyone hear Him whine about it? Is there anywhere that it's recorded, I gotta do this for them and that for them 'cause God is telling me I have to...I have no choice...
Listen, it's not an acceptable sacrifice if we're whining about it.
We always have a choice, as did Jesus. He chose to live a life of sacrifice. He could have chosen convenience. He could have called 10,000 angels, but He chose to do the Father's will. Can we do any less and still be acceptable?
Prayer:
Father,
Let our lives be a sweet-smelling sacrifice of praise and worship. By Your Grace, in Your Strength, not ours, help us to be all You've called us to be. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Monday, February 16, 2015
A Living Sacrifice +
Repay no one evil for evil. Commend what is honest in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to God’s wrath, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine. I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore,
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:17-21 Modern English Version (MEV)
For years, we have heard 'present your bodies a living sacrifice' - have we ever stopped to ponder that phrase? In reality, more than half the time we don't want to sacrifice our place in the line of traffic to let a truck pull in front of us on the road! So, how many of us would present ourselves to be sacrificed?
"You want me to what?!? Feed him when he's hungry? Give him a drink when he's thirsty? I'd rather You give me the shovel so I can bury him in those coals of fire!"
A living sacrifice knows what it's facing and chooses to follow Christ's example in spite of the circumstances or the danger that awaits. Yes, Christ's example. As the writer of Hebrews declares, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame...
So, how many of us would present ourselves to be sacrificed?
Jesus did. He became our Living Sacrifice. We are to be like Him and lay our lives down [willingly] as a living sacrifice.
Prayer:
Father,
Open our eyes and hearts to see and know the Truth of Your Word this night. Accept our bodies as a living sacrifice to You and to Your will. May they be pleasing in Your sight. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
* Preparing the Soil
“But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.”
Mark 4:20 The Message
Here we are at the end of August and after seeing pictures of Sandy's harvest from her summer garden, I'm contemplating a fall garden. Her vegetables made my mouth water just looking at the pictures!
Everyone knows it takes good soil to produce a good harvest. What if you don't have good soil? Do you just forget about it and give up hope for ever having a "harvest beyond their wildest dreams"? Never! Never give up! There IS a way to prepare the soil. Add lots of organic matter - compost, fertilizer, etc. It will stink to high heaven at first, but when it reaches its fullness, according to gardenorganic.org, the finished product is "dark, rich, crumbly, and sweet-smelling." And that type of rich soil will produce!
Obviously in our text for today, Jesus was teaching in story form, likening us to the different kinds of soils to receive God's Word (the seed). So, what if WE don't have good soil? What if we're lacking what it takes to produce a great harvest? What can we do? Add lots of organic matter. I can hear you now - "What?!? What does eating organic have to do this?" Relax. I'm not talking about eating organic food.
Organic matter consists of things that were once alive, but are now dead. Stuff that is no longer useful to us until the heat of the compost pile turns it into something used for good. Breaking it down in practical application. We are to be dead to sin: anger, hatred, lust, gossip, lies, etc. Whatever you struggle with - throw it on the pile. Add to that the occasional "fertilizer" of life's circumstances - throw it on the pile. When we give to God - whatever that may be - according to Philippians 4:18, it comes before Him as "a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God."
Turn it over to God and let the fire of the Holy Spirit cook all the garbage out of it and make it useful to prepare the soil of our hearts to receive God's Word and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.
Prayer:
Father,
We welcome the work of Your Holy Spirit in our lives. Let the fire of the Holy Spirit cook all the garbage out of it and make it useful to prepare the soil of our hearts to receive Your Word and produce a harvest of souls for Your kingdom. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Mark 4:20 The Message
Here we are at the end of August and after seeing pictures of Sandy's harvest from her summer garden, I'm contemplating a fall garden. Her vegetables made my mouth water just looking at the pictures!
Everyone knows it takes good soil to produce a good harvest. What if you don't have good soil? Do you just forget about it and give up hope for ever having a "harvest beyond their wildest dreams"? Never! Never give up! There IS a way to prepare the soil. Add lots of organic matter - compost, fertilizer, etc. It will stink to high heaven at first, but when it reaches its fullness, according to gardenorganic.org, the finished product is "dark, rich, crumbly, and sweet-smelling." And that type of rich soil will produce!
Obviously in our text for today, Jesus was teaching in story form, likening us to the different kinds of soils to receive God's Word (the seed). So, what if WE don't have good soil? What if we're lacking what it takes to produce a great harvest? What can we do? Add lots of organic matter. I can hear you now - "What?!? What does eating organic have to do this?" Relax. I'm not talking about eating organic food.
Organic matter consists of things that were once alive, but are now dead. Stuff that is no longer useful to us until the heat of the compost pile turns it into something used for good. Breaking it down in practical application. We are to be dead to sin: anger, hatred, lust, gossip, lies, etc. Whatever you struggle with - throw it on the pile. Add to that the occasional "fertilizer" of life's circumstances - throw it on the pile. When we give to God - whatever that may be - according to Philippians 4:18, it comes before Him as "a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God."
Turn it over to God and let the fire of the Holy Spirit cook all the garbage out of it and make it useful to prepare the soil of our hearts to receive God's Word and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.
Prayer:
Father,
We welcome the work of Your Holy Spirit in our lives. Let the fire of the Holy Spirit cook all the garbage out of it and make it useful to prepare the soil of our hearts to receive Your Word and produce a harvest of souls for Your kingdom. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
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