Day 23: Monday, March 27, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Week 5 Lenten Devotionals
Rev. Sela Finau
Devotion:
As we continue in our journey in Lent, may we be reminded of these words from the prophet Micah, to do justice, to offer kindness, and to be humble people of God.
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Day 22: Saturday, March 25, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Day 22: Saturday, March 25, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau
Scripture: Psalm 133:1 (NIV) How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
Prayer: Gracious God, help us to be good neighbors not only to those in our immediate surroundings but also those who are far away. Help us to open our eyes, mind, and heart to those neighbors we may otherwise miss. Amen
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Day 21: Friday, March 24, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Robin McKinley
Day 20: Thursday, March 23, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Day 20: Thursday, March 23, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau
Devotion: We often hear Jesus saying to love God with all of our hearts, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbor. Jesus also said that loving God and neighbor were the greatest commandments of all. What we don’t often hear is that these words reiterated by Jesus also show up in the Old Testament, in the book of Leviticus: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” Who is our neighbor? Everyone. How we show love to everyone can be challenging, particularly with those whose choices we dislike, whose lifestyles we disapprove of, or anyone that’s too different from us. When we encounter people whose race, culture, religion, or political view are different from our own, the challenge to love them increases. God, who created and loves all people, calls us and empowers us to love one another. We are called to love God with our whole selves, and we do this by loving one another and our neighbors.
C.S. Lewis once said, “Do not waste your time bothering about whether you love your neighbor; act as if you did…When you are behaving as if you love someone, you will presently come to love him.”
In this season of Lent, may we seek God’s guidance in helping us to grow our love for our neighbor.
Day 19: Wednesday, March 22, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Rev. Bob Walker
Day 18: Tuesday, March 21, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Rev. Sela Finau
Prayer: Oh Merciful God, we give you thanks for your love and grace. Help us to show mercy and compassion to others as you show us. Help us to become more like you. Amen.
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Day 17: Monday, March 20, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Rev. Sela Finau
12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 You shall not murder. [c]
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Devotion: Growing up, the Ten Commandments was the rule in our house. In fact, it seemed that my parents added a lot more to the ten found in the books of Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Leviticus. I learned early on that following the rules from the Bible was critical as a Christian. Later, I learned that being a Christian is not just about rules, it was also about accepting the free gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. We rely on God’s power to guide us and we accept God’s grace by keeping the commandments, not out of obligation but out of love. The Ten Commandments are a gift from God that guides us in our life together as God’s people. They are timeless ethical principles and are a part of God’s covenant with us. The Ten Commandments gives us a guideline to our responsibility toward God and one another.
Prayer: Holy God, you have given us a gift of how to live rightly with you and with others. Help us to be faithful followers in both word and deed. Amen
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Sunday, March 19, 2017
Day 16: Saturday, March 18, 2017, #Lent Devotion
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.[a] Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s[b] eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your neighbor,[c] ‘Friend,[d] let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s[e] eye.
Devotion: I know, you are thinking, why did I include so much of the biblical texts? Why did I not just reference it? The truth is I know that you would probably not take the time to look up the passage. Or for some of you, you may even skip through the pasted Scripture text thinking you already know what it says. Who are we kidding? We all do that. But studying and meditating requires that we read and re-read God’s words many times over. Our understanding of Scripture may be different today than a year or two ago, and it may be different a year or two from now. It is not that Scripture have changed, it is us who have hopefully changed as we grow in faith and knowledge of God.
