Lent 2020 - Jeremiah's Vow

Lent 2020 | Day 15: “Work”

Our focus for today is “work.”

One of the more confusing passages and Paul’s letters is found in Philippians 2:12. In that passage Paul says, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Now, it could be easy for us to read a verse like that and think that Paul is saying something about what we must do in order to make salvation a reality in us. However, the emphasis of what Paul is saying is not that there is something missing in salvation without our activity. He is saying that now that we have been saved, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, there is something that this reality will force us to do. Now that we have been saved, we must begin to implement this reality throughout our lives. We must begin to apply the implications of our salvation to every facet of our being.

The working out of salvation, I consider sometimes to be like working out a cramp. A cramp is not supposed to be there. And in order for me to get relief, I must apply pressure and remove that which is causing the problem. Our sin is a problem, and even though it has been forgiven, we have to deal with it. Paul, in another place, said, “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15b). The war we have to fight against sin remains with us and within us. But, we are not fighting alone.

What is Paul trying to tell us? He is saying that even Paul, the apostle, who wrote much of the New Testament, was still working out his salvation. And he was doing it in fear and trembling. Not afraid that he would lose what he had been given. But because he recognized that the one who gave salvation to him, the Father, the one who purchased his salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the one who secured his salvation in heaven, the Holy Spirit, required his greatest efforts in this life.

God has never made a mistake in saving anyone who repents, but we have made mistakes in not seeking to become who Christ died for us to be. In this season of Lent, let us work out our salvation by doing everything we can to make every aspect of our lives come into conformity and obedience to Jesus.

Lent 2020 | Day 14: “Seeks”

We are to seek first the kingdom. And God says that he will take care of the needs of our lives.

Our focus for today will be that of “Seeks.”

It’s an interesting word. And when I considered it, I was reminded of something Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7:7, we find these words, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

What I find interesting about these two verses is that many times we take it to mean something it doesn’t. Our asking is of a particular kind of asking. Our seeking, which is the emphasis for today, is of a particular kind of seeking. And that which will be opened, Or that that door upon which we knock upon is a particular door.

Now it may seem arbitrary to make this distinction, but Jesus himself in the previous chapter, in Chapter 6, makes an interesting claim. In Matthew 6:31-32, he says, “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What will we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” And then he makes this very famous, very well known statement, Jesus says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (v. 33).

What does this all mean? It means that what we must be seeking is not that which satisfies our own pleasures or that which we long for. What we must seek, first and above all else, is the kingdom of God. That which brings to life what God has been speaking of and declaring since the foundations of the world. Our seeking is not to be selfish. Our seeking is not to be self-centered. Our seeking should not be to make ourselves bigger. Our seeking should be in bringing to pass or bringing to bear that which God has said is his highest aim. And that is to bring the light into a place that is dark. To come and bring peace in a world that is turbulent. To bring joy to those who are weary and heavy-laden.

We are to seek first the kingdom. And God says that he will take care of the needs of our lives. Too often we make something we want into a need, and this is a very dangerous and unfortunate decision. So this Lent, as we move forward towards Resurrection Sunday, I encourage you and I remind myself that what I must seek, God has already stated, seek His kingdom and then you will find what you need is already supplied.

Lent 2020 | Day 13: “Spring”

The four seasons of the year are a constant reminder that in life there are different stages and phases. That there are ups and downs, that there is an ebb and flow to what it means to be a human being in this world. Every spring we see the return of life as we want to imagine it to be. The weather changes, the leaves turn green again, and the flowers begin to bloom. And through it all, we are reminded of the fact that we too can have a new spring in life, not in the sense that we grow younger or more energetic, but in the sense that in Christ, each new day is a new opportunity for us to come face to face with the glorious mystery that we have been made new. Every spring is a reminder of this joyous reality.

This spring, I encourage you as we march towards the celebration of Resurrection Sunday. As we prepare our hearts and minds to give glory to God for the glorious mystery of life after death. I want to encourage you to look back and see what God has done in this past year. Since the last time we celebrated Christ’s resurrection, what has God brought you through? What has God brought you to? What is it that God has done in these last twelve months, can serve as a reminder of his glorious grace, of his wondrous mercy, of his unending love for each and every one of us.

I think it is a good time to stop to reflect and consider that what God has offered to us is not only better and greater than we could have ever imagined, but it is worth our greatest efforts in order to see it in our lives. God’s purposes for us are always good. His will is perfect, and I encourage you and me to see this for what it is, a truly miraculous gift. A gift that we can receive anew every day and enjoy until we stand before Him in glory.

Lent 2020 | Day 12: “Drink”

In this season of Lent, as we move ever forward towards the resurrection of Jesus, let us take a moment and reflect on what it means to drink. To drink in that which is good, and sometimes to drink in that which is not as good for the sake of others.

One of Jesus’s most famous statements is when he says, “Not my will, but your will be done.”

The context of this statement actually occurs in the Gospel of Matthew (26:42). And in that moment, Jesus is praying that the cup of God’s wrath would pass from him. But Jesus says to the Father, as he prays in the garden of Gethsemane, that if this will not pass without him drinking the cup, then he would drink it. Jesus would submit his will to the Father’s so that the Father’s will would be done.

One of the things that we often fail to see in life is how many times we must drink the bitter water of suffering. Jesus did this as an example to us, of what it would take for us to receive salvation. But there will be times in our lives where we will confronted with the opportunity to drink something that we would rather avoid, but we choose to do it anyway. Knowing that if we do it in righteousness, if we do it as an act of service for others, then we will receive a reward for it.

But there are other times when we must drink that which we would rather not. This may be the result of another’s actions or maybe even our own. But the cup must be emptied. In those instances, it cannot be avoided. The truth is that sometimes regardless of the reason, drinking of the cup is a manifestation of our willingness to surrender our own wills, to the will of God.

What lies before us today is this: there are times we must see our act of drinking as a service to God, or what as an act of service to others. I want to invite you to join me in learning to trust in God ever more deeply so that we might truly enjoy the riches and benefits of the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ regardless of the cup we have to drink.

Lent 2020 | Day 11: “Journey”

Our focus for today will be that of “journey.”

Several years ago, I attended a youth retreat. During one of the breakout sessions, a friend of mine was leading a small group discussion on the idea of “packing for the journey.” It was a reference to preparing to take your faith more seriously. To live it our more intentionally.

I don’t remember everything that he said. But I do remember one of the things that he did. In the middle of the room was a huge tent, one that you would take when you went out camping. And around the tent, he had set up what looked like a campsite, minus the fire. The biggest impression that that example left me was with the idea that the Christian faith is a journey. And as with every journey, we must learn to prepare for what is ahead.

One of the key ideas that we talk about at our local congregation almost every week is the idea that we want to normalize the Christian life. What that means is that we desire for every believer to take into consideration what it is going to take to live a life that is pleasing to God and satisfactory to us.

The journey that we are on as believers in Christ, and as sojourners in this world, waiting for our time to be with God forever, requires us to take into account how we live our faith. We have to take inventory of what we must do in order to live a life that consistently reflects what we believe about God, about the gospel, and about ourselves.

The reality is that the journey that we’re on requires us to take into account the many things that will come across our path. We cannot anticipate everything, but we can prepare for almost anything if we would just consider the way that life is lived.

It is true, that the gospel life that we are called to live is one that is very different from the world around us. And yet there are many things that are consistent, even constant. We must seek every day to be prayerful, to read the Scripture. To be mindful of the fact that the call to worship is not something that merely happens one day a week, but happens every single day. We must learn to engage in this journey actively and not allow this journey to happen to us in some passive sense.

In this season of Lent, as we move diligently and intentionally toward Resurrection Sunday, I encourage you to consider the journey that you’re on and to ask yourself, “Am I doing everything that I can to be prepared for what might come.”

Lent 2020 | 2nd Sunday in Lent: “Celebrate”

Today’s the 2nd Sunday in Lent. Every Sunday in Lent is not technically a part of the season of Lent. It serves as a reminder of the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ because every Sunday is a celebration of what the gospel proclaims. So this Sunday, and every Sunday in the season of Lent, we will celebrate what it means to have been saved. So, rather than an extended devotion, I would like to offer you a song that can help us to focus our attention and to give worship to God for the sacrifice, ministry, mission, and purpose of His Son our Savior, Jesus Christ, as we celebrate the renewed life that we have in him. Let us celebrate today, for He is good and in all things he is faithful to us.

Lent 2020 | Day 10: “Saved”

I think many times in the church, we spend a lot of time telling people that they need to be saved. But we always frame it in the context of being saved from something.

I think there is something not completely consistent underlying this approach. It tends to be easier to cause people to fear, to get them to behave in ways that we may believe are more consistent with what God desires. However, I think this is wrongheaded, and maybe even upside down.

The reality is that we have been saved for something. We have been saved for relationship with God. We have been saved for relationship with one another. We have been saved so that we might do the good works that God has prepared for us (Eph. 2:10). This is why we have been saved.

We are the beneficiaries of a past reality so that we can enjoy a present comfort, and so that we can look forward to a future hope This is the wonder of living in Christ. That we have been saved, while we are being saved, which we properly call sanctification; until we are saved, which is glorification.

We are on a journey. There is no one on this journey who has arrived at their final destination yet. If they still breathe and walk on this earth we are called to continue in faithfulness. So I want to encourage you in this season of Lent, to remember that what we are moving towards is something that has already happened and that the reality of this final act can give us confidence in our daily lives. For who we are supposed to be in Christ is still being worked out by God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s ministry. You have been saved. I have been saved. Let us rejoice in that today!

Lent 2020 | Day 9: “Testify”

What I find interesting is that I do not find it difficult to tell my friends and even perfect strangers to go and try this great restaurant. And yet, I think that there is something in us that keeps us from sharing what we have tasted and seen and experienced, because of Jesus, because of our salvation.

A friend of mine introduced me to a new restaurant in the city where I live. And ever since I had my first meal, I made a decision that I would try ten different things on the menu before I repeated one.

With each new dish I’ve tried I’ve discovered, I have grown to appreciate the flavors and tastes and experience that I have encountered with every meal. What I find interesting is that I do not find it difficult to tell my friends and even perfect strangers to go and try this great restaurant. And yet, I think that there is something in us that keeps us from sharing what we have tasted and seen and experienced, because of Jesus, because of our salvation.

The idea of testifying is something that we can over-spiritualize. It’s something that we may even take for granted. As believers, one of the greatest challenges that we have is overcoming our fear or anxiety with regard to being witnesses to God’s goodness in us and through us. The gospel of Jesus Christ provides us the perfect opportunity to share what we have seen, to share what we have tasted, to share with others who have never had the opportunity to see what we have seen or what we have tasted.

And so I want to encourage you as we move forward in this season of Lent, take some time and find a way and find a way to give testimony to what God has been doing in your life. If we do not take up the challenge of looking back and asking God to reveal what he has done, how in the world will we ever convince anyone else, that God is not only good but that he worthy of our lives.

Lent 2020 | Day 8: “Teacher”

The focus of today is on the idea of a “teacher.”

Over the course of my life, I have realized that my parents were a lot wiser and smarter than I gave them credit for. One of the realities that dawned on me when I became a parent was when I saw how many of the lessons that I had learned. Whether I acknowledge them or not, a lot of what I had been taught had become a part of who I was as an adult, and now as a father.

What I realized was that we don’t really know how well we have learned the lessons until we have to actually apply them. We might have the best teacher, and Jesus is the best teacher of all things that God requires of us, but until we begin to apply those lessons, until we see those lessons as necessary for how we live our lives, we will struggle to determine if we can trust this teacher.

I don’t know when it happened, but I do know that the moment I began to accept that my parents knew more than I did about how to live in this world, the easier it became for me to accept what they were teaching. And I think the same is true of our faith. The faster we can get to the place where we trust what the Scripture teaches us, when we trust what God has revealed in and through Jesus, and when we allow the Holy Spirit to take those lessons and implant them in our hearts and in our minds, we will find ourselves able to live out that which we find throughout Scripture.

We have the world’s greatest teacher. The question is, how well are we at being students?

Lent 2020 | Day 7: “Spirit”

One of the most compelling encounters in Jesus’s ministry, recorded in the Gospel of John chapter 4, is his encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. In it, you find a powerful exchange of God working to reveal himself in Jesus, to someone who had no context and had no real ability to really understand. But Jesus was patient and gracious and demonstrated something about what it means to serve those around us.

One of the things that I find most interesting about this exchange is the way that Jesus describes the reality of worship. In Lent, we spend a lot of time reflecting (and probably fasting) and considering what it means to trust in God in Christ. And what is interesting about these relationships and all of these related topics, is that something else is happening beneath the surface. God is not looking for us to merely conform our behavior to who he is and what he desires for us. God is looking for something else.

In John 4:23-24 Jesus said something that reminds us of realities we often take for granted, or maybe even do not consider at all.

23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (ESV)

The reality is that there is something else going on in our lives beyond the every day. God is spirit, and therefore the way we worship him must reflect who he is, as well as what he is.

God is not interested in our playing at worship. He is not interested in external demonstrations of worship. God is looking for the transformation that comes from the acknowledgment of the truth and how that impacts who we are in our everyday life. Our worship must be grounded in the truth of who God is. And our worship is expressed as we are changed and transformed by this reality.