Considering Truths During Lent
Today's Devotional Thoughts
Last time I wrote about the anniversary of Christians being martyred in Libya. Sorry, but the image of our brothers being brutally beheaded in the name of Allah isn't an easy one for me to shake. And there have been additional terrorist attacks, specifically targeting Christians in the Middle East . . . Africa . . . & elsewhere in the year since.It's easy to feel safe from that kind of violence & persecution here, but I fear that we are growing up in a world much more violently opposed to Jesus than our parents grew up in. And San Bernardino is not too far down the road from some of you. Time out for some words from the Bible.
Today's Scriptural Thoughts
"[Jesus said], "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.' John 15:18-19"[Jesus said], "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor & hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies & pray for those who persecute you . . . " Matthew 5:43-44
Back to Some Devotional Thoughts
Take a look again at Jesus' words in the Gospel of John. Two quick observations.- As a Christian, whether I like it or not, I expect to be hated. I expect my Savior to be mocked. I expect my Christian faith to be ridiculed. It's been happening for some time in our culture, & examples of this prevail in our media.
- Jesus provides us with a Gospel promise in this passage: "I have chosen you out of the world." Any words of Scripture that describe what God has done for us are Words of Gospel Truth, & we can take comfort in such words.
- As I shared last time, I do not especially like these words. These words make me squirm, because my sinful self does NOT naturally want to forgive & love my enemies. I would rather see my enemies punished. Let those who behead my brothers & sisters lose their own heads! And let those who mock my Savior, mock my faith, mock me be mocked with equal severity!
- But I stand convicted, because my Savior--OUR Savior--went the way of Calvary to pay the debt for all His enemies, & that included you & me . . . enemies of God because of our inborn sin . . . because of the sinful acts we commit in rebellion to God's Will every single day of our lives. Don't believe me?
Some Final Scriptural Thoughts
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves & the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8 Those are words of Law, words of condemnation by the way. But St. John doesn't stop there!"If we confess our sins, He is faithful & just & will forgive us our sins & purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 And those are words of Gospel. What God promises to do for us!
And A Final Devotional Thought
So God has chosen us! God's forgiveness is for us! And as Martin Luther supposedly said response to the danger of martyrdom, "You say you can take off my head? I say that I have a God who can give it back to me!"Today's Prayer Thoughts
Give thanks once again for Jesus' great love that forgives us & saves us when we cannot save ourselves. Ask God to deliver those who face severe persecution & comfort those who have lost loved ones because of such persecution.An Aside or Two
I am blessed to be able to tutor one of Lois' 1st graders 3X a week @ CLS in Norfolk. I make it a point to arrive a few minutes before reading class, which follows the 1st graders' lunch & recess time. After she gets them settled, she leads them in "Oh, Give Thanks", followed by a recitation of the Apostles' Creed. So I am doubly blessed, because when I am there, I get to pray along with these young disciples & confess my Christian faith with them. Way cool!Also, this is a devotion I adapted from one I wrote for the Daily Announcements of Lutheran High Northeast in Norfolk, NE on Feb. 24, 2015. I'm grateful if you read this far!
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