Lent 2020 Day 35

Scripture Reading

Matthew 28:18-20

What do you do when you find out good news? What is your reaction when something great happens? You tell somebody! Usually the first person you see is the one that gets an earful about that great deal on shoes, the healing of a relative, or the birth of a baby. Can you imagine holding it in? It feels like your going to burst and it is impossible to sit still because you are so anxious to tell people so they can celebrate with you. Celebration...how would you like to celebrate alone? What a horrible birthday party it would be if it was only you. Easter is all about celebration. It is when we rejoice that he lives! We are created to have a relationship with God and with each other. We are created to tell and celebrate the good news of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. 

The Great Commission was given to the eleven disciples and it is given to us as well. Tell others! The irony in the lives of so many Christians is that they proclaim that Christ is Lord of all and that he has changed their lives, but they would rather talk about the weather with someone than about what God is doing in their lives and the world around them. If we are celebrating this Easter, shouldn't we also be sharing this celebration with others? If we are truly excited and really believe that Christ's resurrection is the best news the world ever received, why are we not about to burst to tell someone? During this season of Lent, I challenge each of us to look at ourselves and see what it is that is preventing us from sharing Christ's love with others? Whatever it is that is holding us back, God is capable of helping us work through it and wants to see us carry out his calling to tell the world about Christ. God is with us, and he has called us to go out and make disciples. Are you ready and willing?
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord" (2 Timothy 1:7-8, NLT). 

Prayer: God, I pray that you would show me what is preventing me from sharing the good news of Christ with others. Help me to boldly proclaim Christ to those around me. May I invite others to come and share in the celebration of Christ's resurrection. Amen. 

Lent 2020 Day 34

Scripture Reading

Matthew 7:21-27

The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who do the will of God the Father. It's interesting that Jesus says that there will be some who will have done miracles, cast out demons, and preached in his name who will not enter heaven because they didn't have a relationship with God. It seems that there are some who will appear to be followers of Jesus but really aren't. Perhaps it is also possible that there are some who by most standards one would not consider a Christian but who are actually busy doing the will of God and thus will be allowed entrance into the kingdom of heaven. It is not left up to us to make those decisions, our responsibility is to be doing God's will as we serve him on this earth. 

Jesus illustrates his point by telling the story of the wise and foolish builders. Do you remember the children's song about this story? "The wise man built his house upon the rock/the foolish man built his house upon the sand/the rain came down and the waters rose up/and the walls come tumbling down." What Jesus wants us to see is that the foundations of our faith must be built upon him alone. Just as when you build a house, you don't want to build it on swamp land, because it will eventually begin to sink. The same is true with our faith in God. If our faith is based upon our good works (telling others about Jesus, doing miracles, casting out demons, church attendance, tithing, and reading our Bibles) then we are building on sand. None of those things will ever save us or make God love us anymore than he already does. Our faith must be built on the saving work of Christ! This means we accept God's free gift of salvation that Christ made possible through his life, death, and resurrection so that we as sinners might have a relationship with the holy God who created us. Because of God's holiness and our sinfulness we needed a mediator who would connect us to God, that mediator is Jesus Christ. It is only as our faith is based on the acceptance of what Christ did for us that we can say that we are like the wise builder. 

Prayer: Lord, I pray that I will be like the wise builder and make my foundation the gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't want to be turned away and told that you never knew me, I want to be a faithful servant who knows you in the most personal and intimate way possible. Amen. 

Lent 2020 Day 33

Scripture Reading

Matthew 13:44-46; 6:33

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you were willing to give up anything in order to get it? I believe we have all at one time or another used our bargaining powers to get what we want. "You don't have to buy me anything else all year, if I can have this jacket." "I promise these are the only shoes I will ever need." "If I can have a car you don't have to buy me anymore Christmas or birthday presents!" I can vividly remember searching my room to try to figure out what I could sell in order to make money to buy whatever it was that week I just had to have. I was willing to give up everything to get what I saw as something more valuable. But what about eternal things, am I as passionate about them as I am materialistic things? What do we value? What are we willing to do to gain eternal riches? 

The characters in this parable went to drastic measures to keep what they found to be the most valuable thing they had. For both it involved giving all they had to keep what was more valuable. Jesus is not asking us to sell all of our material items to show our love for him, but he is asking us to give up our own desires and let God's desires be ours. We have to give all of ourselves to God. He does not want bits and parts. He wants all of us! He wants to be in control of who our friends are, what career we choose, what we wear, what we eat, where we go...there is not one part of our life that God does not want us to hand over to him. Are we willing to do that? Have you ever been irritated with someone for doing something "halfway?" They did the job, but by the skin of their teeth. This is bothersome with everyday things like school projects, cleaning rooms, running errands. Why would we let these things bother us; yet, we approach our faith in the same manner. Our spiritual life and relationship with God is the most valuable part of our existence, but we approach God "halfway." Seek him first and everything else will fall into place. It seems too simple doesn't it? God's grace is unbelievable sometimes. We give him our lives and he does everything else. 

Prayer: Let the words of a song by Keith Green be your prayer today. "Make my life a prayer to you you. I wanna do what you want me to. No empty words and no white lies, no token prayers, no compromise." Amen.

Lent 2020 Day 32

Scripture Reading

Matthew 13:31-32

Jesus loved to use parables to teach people the truth of the kingdom of God. When Jesus taught using parables he was taking an example from the everyday life of his followers and using it to explain something about heaven or what it means to be a Christ follower. 

In this very short parable, which is followed by an even shorter one, Jesus compares the Kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. As Jesus says in the parable, the mustard seed was the smallest seed used by farmers during that time. The amazing thing about it was that it would grow and become quite large. The comparison that Jesus is making is that the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven starts out small but grows into something very large. 

Think about it this way, the kingdom of heaven began with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, but through God's plan of redemption through Jesus' death on the cross it has grown to include millions of people throughout the centuries. The neat thing is that it hasn't stopped growing, the kingdom of heaven gets larger and larger as more and more people come to know God and experience his love. Just as the old hymn says, "Though millions have come, there's still room for one, yes there's room at the cross for you." The kingdom of heaven doesn't have a maximum seating capacity so we need to make sure that we are doing our part to tell others about the kingdom of heaven. Ask God to give you the boldness to tell someone about him today or tomorrow. 

Prayer: God, thank you for your kingdom that doesn't turn anybody away or ever get full. Help me to live for you today by sharing with someone the love that you have given us. Help me to be faithful to the work of the kingdom by living for you each day. Amen. 

Lent 2020 Day 31

Scripture Reading

Matthew 2:1-6

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,though small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times." Micah 5:2

The prophet Micah prophesied the coming of the Messiah, from Bethlehem out of the land of Judah, seven centuries prior to Jesus' birth. Again scripture is fulfilled and Jesus' Davidic background is brought to our attention. The Jews, although blind to the servant king that the Messiah would be, were very well versed with the prophet Micah's words which said that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem from the lineage of David. King Herod, appointed by the Roman government to rule Judea, Galilee, and other territories, was distraught over this question the magi from the east asked, "Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?" To the reigning king, this must have been quite alarming. he asked the chief priests and teachers of the law what they knew about this king. The fulfillment of Micah's words shook Herod. He was a man known for his ruthlessness and vengeance. It is known that he murdered his wife, sons, and other family members. Out of his fear and anger he sought out this child the Magi claimed to be king and wanted him dead. 

You can imagine how Herod must have felt. He was the king and all of a sudden your subjects, wise men from another place and the religious leaders are claiming that a new king is born. He was threatened and afraid that his rule as King of Judah would be ending. He most likely believed that this king would try to overthrow him and leave him with nothing. He did not know that this king was not a king of military might or government power. He was not seeking war or tyranny. He was a servant. One whose very voice sparked peace and hope. Jesus was not the king Herod was expecting. The Jews also did not expect a Messiah that would come into the world in such a lowly manner. They wanted to see Herod overthrown. They wanted a savior that would restore Israel with military might and glory. 

As we know, Jesus was not at all what the world expected. But yet, God had a plan that exceeded the expectations of Jews and Gentiles. The Jews must have been disappointed that this messiah would wash the feet of others, eat meals with prostitutes and not even have a place to lay his head. How could a man like this save anybody? Herod and the people of Israel are not any different than we are today. We find it hard to believe that being a servant is the key to true peace and joy. It is our nature to want to choose the mighty warrior to save us, rather than the meek servant. The Israelites were focused on their earthly lives, the tangible. Wouldn't you say we struggle with this as well? However, Jesus came to restore what was far more important, our eternal lives. God knew exactly the kind of king that the Israelites needed. He knew that a political leader, military power, or a new government was only temporary. His plan for his people was to care for them eternally. The Jews questioned God's plan. Do you question God's plan for your life? Ever wonder why things are not working out at all the way you want or the way you have prayed for them to? Do you know that God has a plan? Often we, like the Jews, only see the present, but God has our entire life in mind. Yes, for us, he has a plan that far exceeds our expectations. All we have to do is trust.

Prayer: Father, help me to trust you with my life. Thank you for the plan you have for me. I know that it might not be what I imagine, but your will is what I want for my life. Give me the patience to wait and see how you will work your plan out in my life and give me peace for the answers I may never know while here on earth. Amen. 

Lent 2020 Day 30

Scripture Reading

Isaiah 9:6-7

Isaiah is one of my favorite prophets. His life and ministry have always been sources of encouragement for me. The first part of chapter 9 foretells the birth of a child who will bring change to Israel and the world. We could spend a day talking about each of the four names of Jesus mentioned in verse 6 but we don't have the time. Wonderful Counselor, Jesus is our counselor through all the things that we go through. When we have a really bad day at school or a fight with our parents or brother or sister he is there. When we have a really great day, Jesus is still with us. He longs for us to share our thoughts with him when things are going great in our lives and when things are not so great. Jesus is the might God. We can never over-emphasize the divine nature of Jesus, He is God the Son. He is strong and mighty and able to do anything if he wants to. He is also the Everlasting Father. Jesus wasn't alive for just 33 years, he was the beginning of all creation. The Prince of Peace is another name of Jesus. This means that he will one day bring ultimate peace to the world he created. Part of this means that as believers we can experience the peace of God in the midst of difficult circumstances like failing a test, losing a loved one, or feeling rejected by friends. 

These two verses give us hope in the person of Jesus. We, like Isaiah's audience, can anticipate the ultimate ruler of God over all the earth. This began when Jesus suffered and died for the sin of the world, but it will be fully realized when Christ comes back to establish the new heaven and the new earth to reign forever. 

Prayer: Father, thank you for sending the Prince of Peace into a world of turmoil for my sake. I ask that you would help me to be an instrument of your peace that others might see the difference that you have made in my life. Amen. 

Lent 2020 Day 29

Scripture Reading

Psalm 2, Mark 1:11

Psalm 2 is what scholars call a messianic psalm and a royal or kingly psalm. It is royal or kingly because it describes the reign of the Anointed One of the Lord. The psalm depicts a rather mighty, vengeful ruler who has no mercy upon those who oppose the Lord. One cannot read Psalm 2 without realizing the power, majesty, and terror that the Lord and his Anointed One evoke in the world. The psalm is written so that the reader gets a big view of God as the ruler of the universe. If we are to understand part of the grandness of God then we must affirm the kingly depiction of the Lord and his Anointed One. 

Psalm 2 is also a messianic psalm, which means that it refers to the messiah. Psalm 2 has been interpreted throughout the history of the church as a Psalm that describes the Messiah and his actions as he rules from on high. Messiah means "anointed one," and as we see in verse 2, the Anointed One is counted as one who rules with Yahweh, the Lord. This messianic psalm looks forward to the coming of the Son of God. Jesus is the subject of these verses because he is the Messiah. Jesus came to "proclaim the decree of the Lord." Jesus brought with him the message of God's judgment on sin and God's mercy on sinners. 

Jesus was the fulfillment of all of Israel's hopes, yet so many of them failed to recognize him for who he was. When he was baptized, Mark records a voice from heaven quoting Psalm 2. It was at his baptism that Jesus inaugurated his earthly ministry and his reign as the Anointed One of Yahweh. What was said to Jesus at his baptism is proof of his messiahship. He has fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 2 and brought about the completion of the promise of God to David. 

Look again at verse 12 of Psalm 2. In it we see the directive given and the blessing that follows when one is obedient to what God has called us to do. We are told to kiss the son, an act of honor and worship to kings of ancient days. "Blessed are all who take refuge in him." Jesus as the Messiah is our refuge, a place we can go to in times of trouble and distress. He provides safety and security, a refuge. Jesus, the Messiah, the King of all Kings is our refuge in the good and bad times of life. 

Prayer: Yahweh, thank you for the Messiah. I praise you for crowning him as your King who provides for his people. I pray that I will live a life worthy of your name. Amen.