37th Day in Lent (Wednesday)
Read: Revelation 22:7-21 “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.” Revelation 22:21 (NIV) Grace guides those in darkness into the guiding light of Christ. We are now in the Wednesday of Holy Week, and you will have already read 42 devotions on God’s grace. What else can be said? The last verse in the Bible is written above. The author of Revelation, assumed to be John, is blessing us with God’s grace. It is completely by the grace of our Lord Jesus that God saves us sinners, provides for our needs, allows us to serve Him and keeps us until the final day of redemption. Part of our calling as a Christian is to work together with God to assure others of their salvation. God wants everyone to be saved. D. L. Moody told the story of a passenger boat trying to make Cleveland harbor on a stormy night. The pilot knew he could find the harbor channel safely by keeping two lower shore lights aligned with the main beacon. But the lower lights had gone out. In the darkness, the pilot bravely tried to find the channel, but the boat crashed on the rocks, and many lives were lost. As Christians we are standing on the shore and God charges us with the job of sending out the guiding light of Jesus to others to help them find their way to Jesus and God’s saving grace. During this last week of Jesus’ life on earth He was preparing everyone for when He would return again. It was all very confusing for the disciples as Jesus was talking about when He would come back. “But He hadn’t gone yet. Was He going somewhere for a rest and then coming back?” If we think it is confusing for us, it was doubly so for the early church who faced questions about their Lord’s return. Jesus himself told us that: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32 NIV) Send out God’s guiding light of grace and love. There is still time to spread God’s grace. Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to understand the urgency with which to spread your love and gift of grace with others. I trust in you that you will return in your good time. Amen.
36th Day in Lent (Tuesday)
Read: Mark 13 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Mark 13:31 (NIV) God’s Word of Grace is the light over all darkness. War is defined as “a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations,” or more generally, as “a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism.” About 30 years ago a group of academics and historians compiled some startling information. Since 3600 BC, the world has known only 292 years of peace! During this period, that is, during the past 5,600 years, there have been 14,351 wars large and small, in which 3.64 billion people have been killed. The value of the property destroyed is equal to a golden belt around the entire world 97.2 miles wide and 33 feet thick. Jesus’ teaching in Mark 13 is to prepare readers and hearers for what lies ahead as well as what lies in the distant future. He says that there will be wars, hunger, pain, natural disasters and false preachers and I think we can attest to all of these having occurred and will continue to occur in our world. The problems and trials we go through in life are sometimes too numerous to mention. They may weigh heavily on our spirit. But there is the one Light that shines in all the darkness and that is the Light of Christ who brings His promise of grace and hope. As children of the Light, we hold on to a future life in heaven that will not be taken from us. We need not be scared or fear when Christ will return, rather we rely on hope – the hope that is based on God’s faithfulness and not our own. That means that our watching and waiting is an active, hopeful and purposeful waiting – to be about the mission of Jesus in our world. Unrest will continue in the world with wars and natural disasters, but we know that our future salvation is totally in God’s hands and that His grace is the Light in a dark world. This will be the beginning of a New Life with God. Come, Lord Jesus! over all the darkness in the world. Amen.
35th Day in Lent (Monday)
Read Luke 20:9-19 “Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.” Luke 21:37-38 (NIV) Learning and understanding God’s grace never ends. It is the Monday of Holy Week and Jesus has just entered Jerusalem on a donkey the day before to show all the people that He is a King of peace. We don’t know Whether they understood this, but we must understand that Jesus is willingly giving Himself over to all the events happening this week. Today, we find Jesus still teaching and trying to have the people and His disciples understand God’s authority over heaven and earth and the grace He is giving each of us through Him. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus had many questions and accusations fired at him this day. He cleared the temple (God’s house) of the things that take over and distract. Do we need to clear out God’s house (ourselves)? Jesus was also teaching in the temple when His authority was questioned, and He turned it back to those questioning to think through who Jesus was. He told a parable (Luke 20:9-19) foretelling His death and why it needed to be done. He encouraged people to give taxes to their government, but also to give to God – both are important. Jesus preached about marriage and what it would look like in heaven and the end times and encouraged people to make sure they learn from true teachers sent by God and to give what they had to help God and others. It is truly a busy and important day for Jesus’ teaching! Even though Jesus knew what would be happening this week, He spent every possible minute on earth teaching and sharing what God would like for all His people and how to obtain the peace and joy of living in God’s presence. Learning and trying to understand God and His nature will never end. Our God is a God of grace and love and His mercies never end. Prayer: Dear Saviour and Lord, you spared nothing to continue to teach me and those of your grace and love, all the way to the cross. Help me to teach and help others know you and your love. Amen.
Palm / Passion Sunday
Read Matthew 21:1-11 “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9 (NIV) ‘The grace of God enables us to live as untied and set free people in the world so that we can unite with the one who was tied to the cross.’ ~ Rev. Dr. Michael L. Gregg When Jesus entered Jerusalem, he did not ride in on a charging white horse but came humbly on the back of a donkey. Jesus chose to ride a donkey into Jerusalem. This was to tell His followers that He was the Messiah and King as foretold by the prophet Zechariah (above). Not only was Jesus riding a donkey, but it was a borrowed donkey. This donkey was untied and freed from its bondage to carry the Son of God. Like the donkey, Jesus was on borrowed time. Jesus was born in a borrowed stable and laid in a borrowed manger. As He travelled, He had no place of His own, so He borrowed a bed. He rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey, ate His final meal in a borrowed room, and was crucified on a borrowed cross wearing a borrowed crown and covered with a borrowed robe. When He died, Joseph placed His body in a borrowed tomb. Jesus was a borrower. He had borrowed the weight of humanity and the weight of the cross so that we could share in the Kingdom of God. He did not hold on to the Heavenly glory just for Himself but wanted to share it with everyone. Jesus never forced the Kingdom of God upon anyone, rather He emptied Himself and gave Himself completely away for the benefit of others. Today we remember how our Saviour of the World was the one who rode a borrowed donkey to His cross and gave Himself away for the benefit of others. He has set us free from all our sins by His grace. We are claimed in the name of Jesus who owned very little, borrowed everything, and ultimately wished to gain our hearts. When we are untied and set free, we can live a life of faith and freedom! Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you love me with an everlasting love. Thank you that you gave everything of yourself for me and have claimed me for your own. Amen
34th Day in Lent (Saturday)
Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24 (NIV) ‘The gospel is about God’s grace through Jesus Christ. That’s why Paul calls it ‘the gospel of God’s grace’ and the ‘message of His grace.’’ Paul knew what his life had been like. In his religious zeal, he persecuted the church and even oversaw the stoning of Stephen. God wasn’t finished with him though. In God’s grace and mercy, Paul was chosen and became an apostle of the church. Through this gift of grace, he would extend the church’s outreach to many lands and nations. The gospel of God's grace through Christ's actions would rescue him, nurture him, and set him free on a new path of life in the promise of salvation. The gospel of the grace of God is the message that everyone needs. The Word of God is preached from every page of the Bible and ultimately revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived and died a human but was resurrected in glory to reign with His Heavenly Father. Through Jesus, we have all received grace upon grace (John 1:16). In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul points to our heavenly home where all God’s grace comes to fruition. He witnesses that it is through the Gospel that we are saved – through Jesus’ death and resurrection and the faithful witnesses who have since shared this Gospel with others. Sometimes our weaknesses, failings, and sins may discourage and bring doubt into our minds. These may even make us feel defeated in our sense of personal worth. But God does not give up on us, and God’s grace for us is never futile or useless. Through Christ, we are prized as God’s chosen ones through our baptism. We are chosen and made His special and loved child. Then by the Holy Spirit, our whole being is instructed, connected, and moved into a new and promising life. Our life is our witness to others who may then come to this full realisation and experience the gospel of God’s grace. Get ready, God’s grace is at work in your life! Prayer: Thank you Lord for preparing to enter your final week. It acknowledged you as King. Come into my life and prepare me for all that comes in the week ahead. Amen
33rd Day in Lent (Friday)
Read 2 Peter 3:1-18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV) ‘Spiritual growth doesn’t happen overnight.’ When backpacking through Europe in 1991, I had to learn things quickly. Each mistake or learning experience leads to a process of understanding how things work. I was in London for a couple of weeks and needed to learn the Underground railway system. I soon learned how to find the platform and pay for my tickets. But the most important learning experience was to always look like I knew where I was going and what I was doing. As soon as a map came out or I looked unsure, I felt vulnerable as if any pickpocket could see I was a tourist – like I had a flashing light, so I made sure I had memorised the route and the stops… this was all before Google! There were steps to my learning process, and with each new city came new learning of the systems and the places and an idea of whom to trust. As each day and week passes, I also learn more about my faith and try to understand God and His will for my life a little better. There is always more to learn and understand and more importantly whom to trust with this learning. My biggest source is the Bible. Like a map, it shows me where I should go and how to get there. My pastor and church family taught me so much, even though they may not even realise that they are teaching through their faithfulness. When things that are scary or make me feel uncertain, my faith wavers; questioning God’s grace and mercy for me. I know that I can reach out like Peter, sinking beneath the stormy waves, and know that Jesus will reach down through the waters to save me. He did that in my baptism and He will do that every day of my life. Jesus is there for you to help you grow and know Him more deeply. Grow in the knowledge and love of a loving God! Prayer: My dear Saviour, teach me more about you every day so that I may grow stronger in my faith. Help me to reach out to you when I need you, knowing you are always there to save me. Amen
32nd Day in Lent 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.
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.
30th Day in Lent (Tuesday)
Read Psalm 18:16-19 “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.” Jonah 3:10 (NIV) “[Grace] is God reaching downward to people who are in rebellion against Him.” ~ Jerry Bridges I love the story of Jonah in the Bible. He is so very real in the sense of his humanity. God asked him to go to Ninevah to tell the rebellious and evil people there to repent. Jonah chose to run away instead of doing what God asked, not because he was afraid of the people, but because he knew God was gracious and would forgive them. How very odd – Jonah did not want God to forgive these evil people who rebelled against Him.
I often wondered why Jonah didn’t want them to be forgiven. Maybe he felt they weren’t worthy like he was and didn’t feel they deserved to be warned because then they would be forgiven in God’s sight. Who can understand the nature of God who would choose to send His Son into a rebellious world, a world full of evil and corruption, to bring this world the grace and forgiveness of a loving God? Like Jonah, we were once against God, even running away from God in our sin, until we were brought back and restored through God’s mercy by Jesus in His death and resurrection. Next week is Holy Week when we focus on the suffering and death of a loving Saviour and a God who reaches down to restore a rebellious people. God forgives you and loves all those around you. Consider the person who hurt you with unkind words – God loves and forgives them; the neighbour who is noisy and unhelpful – God wants them to know Him; the council or town planners who won’t allow you to build – they also have a place with Jesus secured. God reaches down to all His people with love, grace, and forgiveness. It is up to us, like Jonah, to do God’s work in allowing them to know about a loving God who sent His Son to bring them life with Him. Don’t run away from God’s work – embrace it to bring others to know Him! Prayer: Lord Jesus, I know that you suffered and endured so much for me. Help me to do your work eagerly to bring all around me to know you. Amen