My Secure Anchor 35th Day in Lent (Monday) Read: Hebrews 6:16-20 “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19a (NIV)
While living in Loxton we got ourselves a little runabout boat to tour the Murray River and to have some fun with inflatables that we pulled behind it. One weekend we took the boat out for a picnic to have on board with the children. We motored to a lovely inlet just off the main Murray (Katarapko Creek) and my husband put down the anchor. The Murray River is a dangerous river, for there are swift undercurrents as well as holes in the river floor. It is very important to wear a life jacket. We were not planning on swimming as the weather was cool. But… that was until our anchor became stuck and wedged on a tree root.
I volunteered to go in (with a life jacket) to untangle the anchor. We were close to shore, so I thought it wasn’t deep – that was before going in and finding the water over my head. My husband had a hold of my life jacket the whole time I tried to untangle the anchor. I finally got it free, and the boat started to drift off. But my husband kept ahold of me. I really love the analogy that Paul uses for God as an anchor. There are so many things around us that keep changing – circumstances with family, finances, jobs; but that is what is so wonderful about God – He will never let go of us in any circumstance.
This is the hope that we hold onto. This can encourage us when faced with seemingly calm waters, but underneath are huge currents and holes which can cause us to go under. God holds onto us in all and every situation. He is a firm and secure anchor! We are going through Holy Week. Yesterday we celebrated with the King entering Jerusalem, today we walk with Jesus towards the cross. For God to send His Son to the cross for our sake, sealed our salvation. God’s love for us is unwavering – He has promised us eternal life, and He sealed it for us forever with an oath. His sinless Son would take our sin upon Himself on the cross and then rise to glory. This promise for us is sure!
Prayer: My loving Father, thank you that you hold onto me and will never let me go. You love me with an unfailing love. Help me to share the hope of life eternal with you. Amen.
Christ Our Hero Palm/Passion Sunday Read: Hebrews 3:1-6 “But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.” Hebrews 3:6 (NIV)
Many have heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) for his unfailing faith and hope in His Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and expressed anti-Nazi sentiments during WW2 for which he was imprisoned for two years. Due to his resistance to the Nazi regime, he was hung for his beliefs in Flossenbürg Concentration Camp one month before the end of WW2 in Europe.
He was considered a hero of the faith, for he served as an example of faithfulness to his Lord. He never thought himself a hero, rather Deitrich emphasised that the greatest heroism and salvation comes from Jesus Christ. Today is Palm Sunday and we celebrate the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as a King. Later this week we see the sentiments change very quickly, with Jesus being sentenced to death as a usurper and troublemaker by the very people He was trying to save. But today we see Him being heralded as a King.
People saw Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a martyr of the faith, but really it is Jesus who Dietrich was defending who was the martyr. Bonhoeffer was faithful to the end, but Jesus has been faithful to His Heavenly Father from the beginning of time. Jesus returned to Jerusalem knowing that He was going to His death, but the people greeted Him with loud ‘Hosannas’ – He was coming to be their King and Saviour. The people of the time wanted Jesus as an earthly King to overthrow the Roman Government, but Jesus came to overthrow the power that sin and death has on everyone.
He came as a Heavenly King. This is the hope that we hold on to. We have a hope and confidence in Jesus as our Saviour. The Bible verse encourages all believers to hold tight to this hope and to remain faithful to the end. Bonhoeffer and other heroes of the faith were faithful to their Lord and Saviour which remind us to also hold fast to our faith and hope. Jesus Christ remains faithful to us, let us remain faithful to Him!
Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you love me with an everlasting love. Your grace and love bring me the hope of salvation and life everlasting with you. Hosanna in the Highest! Amen.
Eternal Hope 34th Day in Lent (Saturday) Read: Titus 3:3-8 “… so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:7 (NIV)
For his birthday, I gave my husband a subscription to the website – ‘My Heritage’. Since travelling to Europe last year and doing a pilgrimage through my family’s heritage towns in Poland and Harz Mountains, Germany and then Mark’s family towns throughout Denmark; even through all the Martin Luther heritage places, we have become excited about knowing more about our family history. Not only finding out their names and places and dates but also trying to find out who they were and about their faith. Why did our families want to travel a long and unknown journey to Australia and USA?
What drove them to leave their families and church? Mark has been able to trace one of his ancestors back to the 1600’s on the tiny island of Ærø, one of Denmark’s islands. Apparently, generations have lived there and grown up on this little island. We are the heirs of all our ancestor’s faith wherever they lived as families. Our faith has been passed down through the faithfulness of our ancestors who are now experiencing the eternal hope of life with God. Our ancestors were not perfect, nor did they have perfect lives and never sinned. But one thing that was passed on is that we are forgiven through the love of a loving Father who sent his Son and heir to suffer for us and bring us justification (forgiveness) for our wrongdoings.
God gave this to us freely because we are His children and he has made us heirs of His kingdom. All those faithful who have gone before us are enjoying their eternal home. We can also read of all the faithful people of God in the Bible. God saved them, not because He had to, but because He wanted all to inherit eternal life. Our God is a generous and loving Father wanting all to come to know Him. Help the future generations to come to know Jesus. They are also heirs, but they just need to know Him. Remember, God’s family extends beyond us… make sure they know!
Prayer: My dear loving Father, you have loved and cared for me before I was even born. Your love extends through generations. Help me to teach my family about the love of a faithful Father. Amen
Blessed Hope 33rd Day in Lent (Friday) Read: Titus 2:11-14 “… while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ...” Titus 2:13 (NIV)
The story is told of a young girl who left work early so she could have some uninterrupted study time right before a final exam in religion class. She studied all night. When she arrived at class in the morning everybody was cramming as much last-minute info as their minds could handle. The teacher walked in and said, “Let’s do a quick review before the test.” They followed him through the review that was laid out on the study guide. As he covered item by item, he finally jumped to issues the young girl had never heard covered in class. Several hands went up, “We never had that information before.”
The teacher picked up the textbook and held it in his left hand and said, “Everything is in the book, and you need to know everything in the book.” Finally, it was time to take the test. The assistants passed out the test and the professor said, “Leave your test face down on the desk until everyone has one. I’ll tell you when to turn your paper over and start.” Two minutes later the class heard, “OK, you may start.” When the young girl turned her test over, every answer was filled in! A note at the bottom of the last page said: “Your Final Exam is now over.
All your answers are correct. You are blessed with an ’A’ on the final exam.” Every student read the same thing and looked up at the professor in utter astonishment! When the professor was sure all eyes were on him, he said, “You passed the test for one reason only – because the creator of the test took the test for you. All your study time, class time and hard work in preparation for this exam did not help you get the “A”. You have just experienced – GRACE.” [author unknown] God does the same thing for us. No matter what we have done in this life to try and achieve salvation, it is all in vain. God has done everything for us through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, so we can have eternal life. Through Jesus we have this blessed hope!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are my Saviour and the Lord of my life. Thank you for your grace and the gift of salvation you have blessed me with. Help me to always remember it is in only you that I have this blessed hope. Amen.
Sanctified Life 32nd Day in Lent (Thursday) Read: Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.” Luke 23:42-43 (NIV) ‘Grace drives our sanctification.’
This last year, my husband Mark and I went travelling to the USA to visit family and friends for six weeks. As well as organising what to take, the house also needed to be prepared – friends organised to take out bins, pick up mail, water gardens, pets, etc. The last thing done was closing all the windows, pulling down the blinds and locking the house. While we were gone the air in the house became stale and musty.
The first thing I did when returning home was open all the windows and doors, allowing the fresh air to flow in. I didn’t have to force the fresh air to flow in, it just did! When our lives are open to the saving action of Jesus, the Holy Spirit just flows in and through us. God has set us apart for His purpose to be loved and filled with grace and forgiveness. Sanctification is recognising that our redemption has been fulfilled by Jesus Christ’s actions on the cross, and the Holy Spirit then works in and through us.
We are in Christ by faith, and He is in us by the power of the Spirit. Through all this we have been made holy and set apart as His beloved children. Living in this state with our Heavenly Father is living in freedom. Because we have this power of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to live in a new way as the verse from Titus 2 suggests. This is not a quick and easy process of transformation but takes time as we mature in our faith and in living a holy life.
Our relationships with one another, with the communities in which we live, and with the world, should reflect the love we have of God in Jesus Christ. This comes when Jesus enters our lives in humility and love bringing salvation to all. It is through God’s grace that we are made holy in His sight. Jesus died and rose to make us His people.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for making me holy and sending your Spirit to work in and through my life. May your Spirit also work in the hearts of those I meet and work with. Amen
Redeeming Action 31st Day in Lent (Wednesday) Read: 1 Peter 1:18-21 “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:26-27 (NIV) “Grace is Jesus Christ in redeeming action.” ~ Michael Horton Tom carried his new toy boat to the edge of the river. He carefully placed it in the water and slowly let out the string. How smoothly the boat sailed! Tom sat in the warm sunshine, admiring the little boat that he had built. Suddenly a strong current caught the boat. Tom tried to pull it back to the bank, but the string broke. The little boat raced downstream. Tom ran along the sandy bank as fast as he could. But his little boat soon slipped out of sight. All afternoon he searched for the boat. Finally, when it was too dark to look any longer, Tom sadly went home. A few days later, on the way home from school, Tom spotted a boat just like his in a store window.
When he got closer, he could see - sure enough - it was his! Tom hurried to the store manager: “Sir, that’s my boat in your window! I made it!” “Sorry, but someone else brought it in this morning. If you want it, you’ll have to buy it for ten dollars.” Tom ran home and counted all his money. Exactly ten dollars! When he reached the store, he rushed to the counter. “Here’s the money for my boat.” As he left the store, Tom hugged his boat and said, “Now you’re twice mine. First, I made you and now I bought you.” This is God’s redeeming love in action. Firstly, He made us in His image, truly beautiful children of God. Due to sin and wanting to get away from God, God’s people went their own way and were lost unable to make up for all their wrongdoings. Jesus came to earth with His redeeming action through His death on a cross when He defeated Satan, then rose again freeing humankind from separation from God.
Through Jesus we have been forgiven and have the promise of eternal life. God has now bought us back with the precious and redeeming blood of Jesus Christ. You have been claimed by God – twice!!
Prayer: Loving God, you have always loved me, and I know how much you love me in sending your beloved Son to die for me. Thank you for redeeming me. Amen.
Remembering God 30th Day in Lent (Tuesday) Read: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-6 “We remember before our God an
d Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV) “A teenager was sitting in the pastor’s office saying, ‘Sometimes I don’t think I am a Christian. I don’t seem to have the same interest and excitement, or enthusiasm I once did. It isn’t easy for me to remember God, to come to church, and to pray. It is too easy to find excuses to stay away from church and then to make those excuses into reasons why I should stay away. Pastor, I know God hasn’t left me, but boy I sure feel as if I have left Him.’ The pastor said, ‘Remember the time your father was away from home on those long business trips? Was it difficult for you to remember him?’ ‘Not a bit,’ the boy said, ‘I had letters from him, and I kept thinking about him, and he sent me gifts in the mail so I would remember him.’
‘Suppose’ said the pastor, ‘There were no letters, no gifts and you never mentioned his name in conversation around the house. What then???’ ‘Then, maybe, I would have forgotten about him. That would have made a difference,’ said the boy. ‘Well,’ said the pastor, ‘that is the way it is with God. Sure, it is tough to remember God, it is tough to stay a Christian in this world. But God has given us His Word, like your father’s letters, to remember Him. God has given us His gifts of Holy Communion & Baptism as a physical reminder of His love for us, like the gifts your father sent you.
God also wants us to include Him in our conversations, not just on Sunday, but throughout the week, so that we will remember Him. It is tough to stay a Christian, it is tough to remember God doesn’t leave you, it is tough to keep a relationship with God alive, exciting and fresh. God is working on His end, and He wants you to continue to work on your end. He has given you all the tools, necessary, only, you have to decide if you will use them.’” [by Tim Zingale] Try this: Work produced by faith, labour prompted by love and endurance inspired by hope!
Prayer: Thank you, God, for the work you do to help me grow in faith and in knowledge of your love. Gude me as I grow in faith, love and hope. I believe that you are my God and I want to know you better. Amen.
A Believing Heart 29th Day in Lent (Monday) Read: Colossians 1:3-6 “…the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel…” Colossians 1:5 (NIV)
I have eaten a Toblerone chocolate quite a few times. It is the chocolate nougat bar shaped in a triangle and has a mountain picture on the packet. It was only last year when my son took us to the Matterhorn in Switzerland and we took a Toblerone chocolate with us that I saw the correlation between the chocolate and the mountain. I had been told that the mountain looked the shape of the chocolate, seen pictures and even drawings (on the box). But it was only when having the mountain and the chocolate together and right in front of me that I finally saw it.
A Toblerone chocolate piece really is the shape of the Matterhorn (one of the highest mountains in the Alps and Europe). I was told about this fact. I saw pictures. I had people tell me about it. But it took a personal experience to finally believe it. We have heard about God’s love for us, we have read about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection just for us in the Bible, we have seen movies and pictures, but do you really believe all that God has told us. Paul wrote to the people in Colossae encouraging them and praying that they would understand the Gospel of Jesus and take it to their hearts.
It is so important to pray for each other now as well. We have been told about it so many times and how He has an eternal life prepared for us. I believe this and have this hope. Do you? Our belief and faith will show itself in bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit and also by wanting to make sure everyone knows about Jesus. God wants all people to be saved and for them all to be a part of His family. Just having faith in a god is not good enough. Christianity is all about Jesus and what Christ has done for us through the cross. Universalism will not get us to heaven – only through Jesus can we be saved! The love of Jesus is for all – share this love and maybe a Toblerone!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to know and experience your love and take it into my heart and life. You have given me a mission to spread the Gospel. Guide my words and actions that others will know this love. Amen.
Our Hope is Assured 5th Sunday during Lent Read: Philippians 1:3-11 “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
“Jesus is coming back someday. Could be tomorrow, could be today! Jesus is coming back I know for the Holy Spirit told me so” This was a song I learned while on a Lutheran Youth Encounter Team in the USA. It was a fun song where the leader would choose someone to tell a story (fact or f iction) and then just at the crunch line, the song would start. I remember thinking, wow, Jesus really could come back while I am brushing my teeth or writing a devotion or spending time with family. We just don’t know, and in the Bible, it tells us that not even Jesus knows, only our Heavenly Father.
That means we need to be ready! When Jesus comes back, is He really going to take me with Him, or is He going to change His mind at the last minute? That can be a really scary thought, but Paul in the Bible verse tells us that we have this hope of eternal life given to us by the Holy Spirit and so we can be confident that God will be with us always. Thinking about the day of Christ’s return should be a joyous thought. But for many it can be scary.
Have they done enough? Have they told enough people about Jesus? “What about my family – they won’t listen to me!” Paul assures us that our hope with Jesus is assured, “all of you share in God’s grace with me.” (verse 7b) God sent His son Jesus to be a substitute for us and take all our sins and wrongdoings on Himself. He took all our burdens, uncertainties and failures to the cross with Him and washed them away with His precious blood. With Jesus doing that for us, we can have the hope of a future life in the presence of a loving Father. God wants this for you and me. Trust and believe in God and that He has your life in His arms. Be assured, God will take you to be with Him on the day of Christ Jesus!
Prayer: My dear Jesus, you have saved me through your death and rising from the dead. I know and believe in you and trust that you also have my eternal life in your hands. Amen.