Saturday, May 2nd
Peter encourages us to look to the living stone, who is Jesus Christ, and then to let ourselves be built into a spiritual house. In short, we are the church. Not a building. Us. In this time of social isolation, I think God is reminding us of that truth. So while buildings are great, and we may miss them, they are not the church. Not really. We are.
Friday, May 1st
Peter says that we should long for God the way newborns long for milk. Having a newborn, I am very familiar with how newborns LONG for milk when hungry. Nothing else will satisfy, no matter what. We’re the same way. We may try to fill our hearts with things of this world, but nothing can fill that spot within us that is made for God, other than God himself. Let us seek God that we may know that joy.
Thursday, April 30th
Peter tells us that the good news he proclaimed is that we are not perishable seed but imperishable. The seed is a long-time image of resurrection because the seed is buried but then from having “died” something new and much, much better results. This is part of our hope – that even though the grass withers and the flower fades, the word of God will last forever, and thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus, we inherit that eternity as well.
Wednesday, April 29th
In the midst of this time, I have to confess – I’m feeling tired. Tired emotionally, physically, and spiritually. But God walks with us in this time as well, and he gives us his peace.
Tuesday, April 28th
It’s natural to want things to be fair. Part of that, often, is that if we do something nice for someone, we kind of expect them to do something nice for us back. But Jesus, in the passage we study today, encourages people not to do good things just to get something in return, but rather to do good simply for goodness’ sake.
Monday, April 27th
The idea of being “holy” might sound beyond us. Or it might sound like something we don’t even want, as we have all these negative images in our minds about those who thought themselves holy. But to be holy means to be set apart, specifically set apart for God. Even if we would never use the word “holy,” we should strive to live in holiness, as we grow in faith and become more and more like Jesus each day.
Sunday, April 26th
Today’s devotional is a bit different, in that I wanted to show you guys things you do not see that are going on behind the scenes in these recordings, in order to then talk about how God is working in ways we do not see. But then, unbeknownst to me until later, everything went wrong with the recording. Rather than re-record it, I decided to show you what this devotional could look like and sound like when things don’t go as planned, to then serve as a larger illustration about the way God works in ways we cannot see.
Saturday, April 25th
Peter writes that people who have not seen Jesus are loving him and because of this, they are experiencing great joy and the outcome of their faith: the salvation of their souls. So often people want to say that seeing is believing, and yet even the harshest skeptic takes many things on faith, choosing to believe in what someone they trust has said (a scientist, a doctor, etc.), even though they have not seen the evidence themselves. For us, faith comes not by seeing, but we do experience the benefits – a peace beyond understanding, indescribable joy, and our very salvation.
Friday, April 24th
Peter starts his epistle with this great exhortation about how we are made into a new creation and will inherit this marvelous inheritance kept in heaven by God for us. The blessings we receive in this life alone are incredible and innumerable, and then to think that this is just the tip of the iceberg, based on what we will receive in heaven, is astounding. May we pursue God wholeheartedly that we may continue to enjoy him in this life and forever.
Thursday, April 23rd
Those who are sick will often call on God for healing. We see this now, as we do in this psalm. Let us then be like the psalmist, who after having been healed and recovering, did not forget the vows he made to God but continued to remember and honor God in his health.
Wednesday, April 22nd
Is it ever ok to ask for signs from God? While there are many ways it’s not the best practice, because signs can be so open to interpretation and superstition, there is a clear scriptural precedent set with this famous story of Gideon’s fleece that sometimes, God will work through signs. I think much of the time it comes down to the heart behind our asking, because God does want us to know him and to be able to follow him and his will.
Tuesday, April 21st
Paul says that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then we are still trapped in our sins and should be the most pitied of people. For some, the resurrection is difficult to believe in, and yet it’s the power of God for us. Because of the resurrection, our sins have been forgiven and death has been defeated. Without a bodily resurrection, our faith is in vain.
Monday, April 20th
Paul said that because he had persecuted the church, he was the least of the apostles, and yet God’s grace to him was never in vain. Paul clearly still experienced regret for when he’d been Saul, the persecutor of the church. And yet how he turned his life around, with God’s help, because the grace of God is never given in vain. Likewise, no matter our mistakes, God is always able to use us in great ways, if we will let him, because it’s not about us – it’s about God’s grace.
Sunday, April 19th
People often think of doubt and faith as if they were enemies, but I think sometimes they can be companions on our spiritual journeys. Doubt can actually serve to bring us closer to God, provided that we address our doubts and do not vanquish them to some dark corner where they hold power over us, as if we are afraid to face them. God is big enough to handle your doubts. So take your doubts to God, investigate them, and grow through them.
Saturday, April 18th
Paul told the Colossians to pray specifically for him that God would open a door for the word, that he would be able to declare the mystery of Christ. When Paul said this, he didn’t mean for the Colossians not to pray things like that for themselves as well, but he asked because Paul was in a different position than they. We too should be praying that God would open doors for us that we could tell others about Jesus.
Friday, April 17th
Paul told the Colossians to devote themselves to prayer, and this is a man who, since he was in prison, had plenty of time to pray. But through that, he must have seen the value in it, learning that prayer is powerful. Let us, likewise, be so devoted to pray that our lives become a prayer lived out to God.
Thursday, April 16th
This psalm is a great start to this morning and any morning, as it reminds us of things that we need to remember: God is good, his steadfast love endures forever, he is our strength and our might, and he is our salvation. May our hearts be filled with this knowledge.
Wednesday, April 15th
Paul gives us a recipe for peace in our lives, though he doesn’t lay it out as such. Nevertheless, in this time when we all could likely use a bit of peace, let us remember to be thankful, to stay rooted in the word, and to sing spiritual songs and hymns, that the spirit of Christ may overflow in us.
Tuesday, April 14th
Looking at the same passage as yesterday, I wanted to talk about what Paul writes at the end – that when we’re wearing the garments of Christ, in his renewal, there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, etc. This makes me think that these labels are the things that divide us still and may be the last things we shed. We see why we shouldn’t have malice in our hearts, but then do we allow nationalities to divide us? Or race? Or creed? We should strive to be one, as Jesus and the Father are one.
Monday, April 13th
On this Easter Monday, maybe we’re enjoying no longer abstaining from things we abstained from during Lent. Some of that can be good. But at the same time, let us not give up all the good habits we worked to implement during Lent, or once again lose ourselves in chocolate, or coffee, or what have you. Rather, cast off the old garments of sin and put on the new clothes of Christ.
Archival access to the 2020 Lenten Devotionals can be found here