LENT SEASON 2021

TODAY'S VERSE: 4/4/21 Happy Easter “Jesus is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples.  He has risen from the dead!” - Matthew 28:6-7   TODAY'S DEVOTION: A few years ago about this time of the year I stopped at a local K-Mart to purchase a couple of photo albums, some film and some batteries for our camera. (This was before the era of smart phones.) We had accumulated quite a stack of pictures and needed to organize them, but we also wanted to be ready for taking more pictures at Easter. I had only been in this store once or twice before and had no clue where to find anything. So, I stopped at the information desk and asked directions. I said to the clerk, “Pardon me, could you please direct me to the area of the store where I can find photo albums, film and batteries?” She stepped out of the aisle where I was standing and pointed all the way down the aisle to the other end of the...

TODAY'S VERSE: 3/4/21 Day 40 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.  Instead be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ Jesus has forgiven you.”  John 1:9   TODAY'S DEVOTION: Desmond Tutu rose to the position of Arch Bishop in the country of South Africa. He led in the struggle against apartheid. One of the positions he held during this time was chairing the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation. “No Future Without Reconciliation” was its slogan. Archbishop Tutu believed in its truth that he made it a title of one of his books. He believed forgiveness to be the most powerful thing in the world. Forgiveness transforms like nothing else. It brings healing. It removes a burden that can crush the life ou...

TODAY'S DEVOTION: 2/4/21 Day 39 Sometimes the simplest reflections are the best. More often than not, the most direct reflections from God’s own words are the most appropriate. On this Good Friday, as we struggle to comprehend the immeasurability of what Jesus has done for us by surrendering His life for ours, let these words from Scripture wash over you in new and fresh ways. “When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive – right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the cross and marched them naked through the streets.” - Colossians 2:13-15 (The Message) “He has forgiven you all your sins: Christ has utterly wiped out all the damning evidence of broken laws and commandments which always hung over our heads and has completely annulled ...

TODAY'S VERSE: 1/4/21 Day 38 “For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” – 1 Corinthians 11:23-25   TODAY'S DEVOTION: “Sorry, I’m too busy.” Have you ever said these words? Yeah, I have too. Sometimes we feel bad for not having the time. At other times, we wear it like a badge of honor. In fact, our society tells us we’re failing if we aren’t busy. We’re told we  should  work more than 40 hours-a-week, prepare organic-made-from-scratch meals for our family, and have our children involved in twelve different activities. If ...

TODAY'S VERSE: 31/3/21 Day 37 “He will wipe every tear form their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:4   TODAY'S DEVOTION: You know that feeling when you wake up from a nightmare? For a moment, you wonder if it’s true – that you’re safe. Within a few seconds, an overwhelming sense of relief rushes through your soul because everything that was true in your nightmare came untrue. J.R.R. Tolkien puts it well in  The Lord of the Rings , when a wizard named Gandalf appears to one of his followers, Sam. Sam can hardly believe it because he watched Gandalf die with his own eyes. When Sam sees his leader… But Sam lay back, and stared with open mouth, and for a moment, between bewilderment and great joy, he could not answer. At last he gasped: ‘Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? God is in the business of making ev...

TODAY'S VERSE: 30/3/21 Day 36 “The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard Jesus’ teaching and began to look for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.” - Mark 11.18   TODAY'S DEVOTION: In divine revelation Jesus poured out teaching after teaching in the temple s they celebrated Passover the entire week. Jesus was on a mission to totally unveil his Lordship as his teaching pointed to his supremacy to define truth and love with justice and redemption in his heart. In this Holy Week we pause to contemplate our lives alongside the chief priests, teachers of the law, and the crowd of Jesus’ day. Where will you find yourself among these people? It’s probably easier for me to think that I would be in the crowd who was amazed at his teaching. But, for a moment, I also might consider if there is any desire within me to have my own sinful way apart from Jesus- and to what extent might fear rise up within me that wo...

TODAY'S VERSE: 29/3/21 Day 35 The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked. And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” Matthew 21:10-11     TODAY'S DEVOTION: As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on what became known as Palm Sunday, no one missed what his actions where saying. Everyone from the religious leaders to the common person laying down palm branches knew that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah referred to in Zechariah 9. This Old Testament text was penned around 500 years before Jesus stepped foot on the planet, and Jesus was fulfilling it before their eyes. Holy Week is all about the same question the people of Jerusalem were asking that day: “Who is this?” Everyone has an opinion about who Jesus really is. Your answer to this question will determine everything for you. So how would you answer the question? No serious scholars and historians believe Jesus never existed. Some people thin...

TODAY'S VERSE: 27/3/21 Day 34 “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But it’s death will produce many new kernels- a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.” John 12:24-26   TODAY'S DEVOTION: Tomorrow marks Palm Sunday, the day when we celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. It’s a strange thing to celebrate the day Jesus enters the city where he will die; but when Jesus entered Jerusalem that day he was welcomed by a crowd who had heard that he had raised Lazarus from the dead after 4 days in the tomb. They desperately wanted to see the man who could do such a thing and find out if he was the one to rescue the nation of Israel from Roman rule. As soon ...

TODAY'S VERSE: 26/3/21 Day 33 “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” - Philippians 1:6   TODAY'S DEVOTION: Spring is here in all of its glory! I love it! I love spring break, spring training, the beginning of baseball, the emergence of green grass, getting to use the deck or patio, the Easter season … all of it! What I don’t love is having to take the time to remove the clutter that has accumulated over the winter. And let me tell you … this year was BAD! This year I spent four whole hours sorting through a massive pile of stuff that had accumulated since last November. There was dirt and grime, things I had been missing (like my son’s bike!) and stuff I didn’t even know we’d collected (apparently we stored someone’s soccer ball all winter). Heck, I even found the wrapping paper from our Christmas gifts that never made its way into the recycling bin. Af...

TODAY'S VERSE: 25/3/21 Day 32 For God in all his fullness     was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled     everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth     by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. - Colossians 1:19-20 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. - Romans 8:1  He personally carried our sins     in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin     and live for what is right. By his wounds     you are healed. Once you were like sheep     who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd,     the Guardian of your souls. - 1 Peter 2:24-25 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. - Luke 14:27   TODAY'S DEVOTION: There is no Christianity where the...

TODAY'S VERSE: 24/3/21 Day 31 “As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” – Luke 9:51   TODAY'S DEVOTION: We are only a few days away from Palm Sunday and the events of Holy Week.  The story is familiar to many of us:  Jesus rides triumphantly into Jerusalem on Sunday and cleanses the Temple on Monday.  He parries questions meant to trap him on Tuesday then on Wednesday, Judas agrees to betray Jesus.  On Thursday, Jesus celebrates the Passover with his disciples, prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, is arrested, and given a sham trial.  On Friday he is crucified and on Sunday he rises from the dead. Did you catch that?  Did any of the story sink in or have we become blind to, complacent with, or even a little bit bored with the story?  Are you going through the motions or are you paying attention? The author Dorothy Sayers wrote, “To make of his (Jesus’) story something that could neithe...

TODAY'S VERSE: 23/3/21 Day 30 “In the beginning the Word already existed.      The Word was with God,      and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him,      and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created,      and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness,      and the darkness can never extinguish it. And the Word became flesh and made his home among us,      full of grace and truth …”  – John 1:1-5, 14   TODAY'S DEVOTION: The Bible begins with three words: “In the beginning.”  A few sentences later there are three more words: “Then God said.” In the beginning. Then God said. And all kinds of stuff started happening. Light and dark, earth and sky, land and water, plants and trees, sun and moon, fish a...