Today's Scriptures: Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 11:29-32
The message that Jonah preached to the Ninevites and that Jesus preached to the crowds is the same one that we as Christians look at during Lent: Repent. Stop doing what you have been doing and change your ways! Sin was a problem in Nineveh. Sin was a problem in Jesus' day and sin is STILL a problem today. The bible teaches us that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Sin has been with us since the Garden of Eden and will be with us until the Lord Jesus returns.
So what can we do about it? It is way too easy to get comfortable with our sins, to say to ourselves that they really don't matter that much. It is easy to wait to deal with them. I'll deal with them tomorrow or next week or sometime in the future.
Today God lays it out plainly for us. When the day of judgment comes, which side will you be on?
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Lenten Lessons--Day 7
Today's Scriptures: Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 6:7-15
The Lord's Prayer (found in our Matthew passage)is not a long and wordy prayer. It is short, simple, and to the point. It is a great example for us to follow in our own prayer lives. You see, it isn't the quantity of our prayers that matter, but the quality. Also, it is important to understand that God doesn't need our prayers to realize our needs.
As we look at the Lord's Prayer, we first see that we need to pray about God's holiness, about the kingdom he has promised us, and about the fulfillment of God's will. You see, prayer isn't about us, it is about God. However, even though our primary focus is on God that doesn't mean we don't pray about ourselves. We need to pray about our dependence on God, for forgiveness, and for the perseverance to keep doing what is good and right in God's eyes. The key idea here is that EVERYTHING that really matters in our lives comes from God.
From Isaiah we learn that no divine word is without its loving effect. That means that if we pray according to the pattern that Jesus gave us, our prayer will never be without results because we are praying in the way God has instructed us to pray. If we do that, our prayer life will come alive and so will we!
The Lord's Prayer (found in our Matthew passage)is not a long and wordy prayer. It is short, simple, and to the point. It is a great example for us to follow in our own prayer lives. You see, it isn't the quantity of our prayers that matter, but the quality. Also, it is important to understand that God doesn't need our prayers to realize our needs.
As we look at the Lord's Prayer, we first see that we need to pray about God's holiness, about the kingdom he has promised us, and about the fulfillment of God's will. You see, prayer isn't about us, it is about God. However, even though our primary focus is on God that doesn't mean we don't pray about ourselves. We need to pray about our dependence on God, for forgiveness, and for the perseverance to keep doing what is good and right in God's eyes. The key idea here is that EVERYTHING that really matters in our lives comes from God.
From Isaiah we learn that no divine word is without its loving effect. That means that if we pray according to the pattern that Jesus gave us, our prayer will never be without results because we are praying in the way God has instructed us to pray. If we do that, our prayer life will come alive and so will we!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Lenten Lessons--Day 6
Today's Scriptures: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18; Mathew 25:31-46
In the Leviticus passage we learn how we are to relate to people. Truthfulness, justice, compassion, and love are the key elements here. But there is a deeper level embedded in this passage--that we do these things, not because of what we are, but because who God is! God is holy and he wants us to be like him--holy.
In the Matthew passage we see that we are to care for people--all people. When we reach out to the "least of these" we are reaching out with Christ's love in the same way Jesus reached out to these people when he walked the earth. No one should be denied our help and our love. NO ONE.
The change of heart that we are called to during Lent is not so much changing who we are as much as it is becoming more of who God has already called us to be. So, let us all take time today for "the least of these" that enter our surroundings today. Reach out with Christ's love and so fulfill what God expects of us!
In the Leviticus passage we learn how we are to relate to people. Truthfulness, justice, compassion, and love are the key elements here. But there is a deeper level embedded in this passage--that we do these things, not because of what we are, but because who God is! God is holy and he wants us to be like him--holy.
In the Matthew passage we see that we are to care for people--all people. When we reach out to the "least of these" we are reaching out with Christ's love in the same way Jesus reached out to these people when he walked the earth. No one should be denied our help and our love. NO ONE.
The change of heart that we are called to during Lent is not so much changing who we are as much as it is becoming more of who God has already called us to be. So, let us all take time today for "the least of these" that enter our surroundings today. Reach out with Christ's love and so fulfill what God expects of us!
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