Thursday, April 2nd
Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians while he was imprisoned and desperately missing his church family in Philippi. While we’re not imprisoned, I think we can relate to that sense of missing and longing. And so when he couldn’t go out, what did he do? He prayed for people, and he gives us some great guidance on how we can be praying for others as well.
Wednesday, April 1st
Jesus says that everyone who sins is a slave to sin. We tend to rebel against that, but the quickest way to determine if we are a slave to some sin is simply to try to stop; stop, and never do it again. Many of us would find we don’t feel we have the control over ourselves that we’d like to think we do. But in the son, we have freedom.
Tuesday, March 31st
My kids are afraid of the dark. All of us were at some point. But if they can turn on a light, all that fear is suddenly gone. Jesus is the light for our dark lives, and when Jesus shines his light on us, we are able to feel secure and allow all fear to vanish. Let us, in the midst of these trying and difficult times, seek to be guided by the light of Christ in all aspects of our lives.
Monday, March 30th
Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is ourselves. But if we’ve repented and sought to make things right with the person we’ve wronged, and with God, then holding on to guilt and shame can be a dangerous thing. It can cause us to doubt God’s goodness and God’s love, because once God has forgiven us for something, he has erased it from the books. It’s no longer in God’s memory. And so sometimes we too need to hear these words that we are forgiven, so that we may be at peace.
Sunday, March 29th
Upon hearing that Lazarus had died, Jesus mourned, but he also told Lazarus’ sister Martha that he was the resurrection and the life and that those who belong to him, though they die, will never really die. In the midst of the anxiety and uncertainty of these times, those words have been encouraging to me, and I hope they are to you as well.
Saturday, March 28th
The chief priests and authorities were upset that people, even the temple police, were listening to Jesus for themselves, instead of just blindly following what they said to do or to think. Even now, we can often build up our ideas or our faith around what those in authority think. While it is good to listen to those who have studied and may have a different perspective, this is never a substitute for reading scripture on our own and talking to Jesus for ourselves, that we may hear Jesus ourselves and come away convinced that he is who he says he is.
Friday, March 27th
The people thought Jesus couldn’t be the messiah because they knew where he came from. They judged him and discounted him based on that, and thus missed hearing the word of God in their lives. How often do we prejudge others based on where they come from, or based on physical features, or based on their race? God has this tendency to speak through those whom others might not esteem, so that he receives the glory. We must be vigilant to root out any prejudices or judgments from our hearts so that we never miss hearing the word of God spoken to us.
Thursday, March 26th
The life of John the Baptist pointed to Jesus, as John sought to do all he could to make others think more of Jesus. But to whom do our lives point? Do our lives make it easier for people to want to know Jesus more, or do our lives erect road blocks that keep others from seeing Jesus?
Wednesday, March 25th
In the story of Jesus’ conception, the angel Gabriel comes to Mary and announces the Lord’s favor upon her. But what did that favor mean? It meant she got to have a baby out of wedlock, in a way that would always make people suspicious of her. It meant having others potentially think less of her. It meant she would have to sacrifice a life of ease and comfort in order to have a life of meaning. So what about us? Are there ways that we have prioritized the comforts and values of this world over the deeper meaning of life by service in God’s kingdom?
Tuesday, March 24th
Jesus comes to a man who had been sick and begging for 38 years and asks him a question that, in many ways, seems so strange to us: do you want to be made well? How could he ask this? Who wouldn’t want to be made well? And yet, often people are so afraid of change that we would rather live in our unwellness than be forced to grow and change because of the touch of God in our lives. Today, may we examine our own hearts to see if there is any way that we have kept God at arm’s length, not allowing him to make us totally well and totally his, because we fear what ways we may have to change if we do.