STOP OPPRESSION

Isaiah 58:6-9a No, the kind of fast I want is that you stop oppressing those who work for you & treat them fairly & give them what they earn. I want you to share your food with the hungry & bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor & destitute. Clothe those who are cold & don't hide from relatives who need your help. If you do these things, God will shed His own glorious light upon you. He will heal you; your godliness will lead you forward, & goodness will be a shield before you, & the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then, when you call, the Lord will answer, 'Yes, I am here,' He will quickly reply." The Living Bible

VARIETY

"I have learned that when God looks upon His Body, spread like an archipelago throughout the world, He sees the whole thing. And I think He, understanding the cultural backgrounds & true intent of the worshipers, likes the variety He sees." Paul Brand, Men's Devotional Bible

GROWING UP

"But you are not alone. In your Baptism, Jesus exorcized the devil from you & made room for the Holy Spirit. You were marked with the sign of the holy cross on your head & heart & branded with the name of the Triune God . . . The Lord calls you to grow up into the Word. He roots you, builds you up, & establishes you in the faith so that you may withstand the trickery, doubt, & attacks of the devil." Matthew Richard, Minute Messages

IS GOD SLOW?

"If God is slow in bringing to pass one of His promises to you, there's a reason for it. Like a good father who knows what his kids eed & when they need it, the Father above knows exactly what you need & when you need it. Sometimes not getting the thing you want is exactly what you need . . . That's why is should be such a relief to know that you have a Father God who can be trusted. Everything good that you have comes form Him, & everything bad that you have in your life He has allowed in order that it might bring some glory to Him . . . A God guy's faith must be grounded in the kindness & infallibility of the Father. When you can trust Him, then you can be set free. And that freedom will be the doorway to spiritual growth & maturity." Michael DiMarco, Devotions for the God Guy

LIFE THOUGHTS

"The fruits of the ground belong to he Lord (Deut. 26:10); how much more the fruit of the womb! Children aren't ours to do with as we wish. We must treat them even before birth as the Father Almighty wills. He holds every human life precious enough (Rom. 10:12) to meet the needs of all our bodies (Ps. 91:5-6, 12). It's an invitation for us to do the same." Grace Lutheran Church bulletin

PRAYER FOR THE LENTEN SEASON

"Gracious God, Father of my Lord Jesus Christ & also my dear Father, I thank you that you have permitted me to see another Lenten season, during which I am privileged again to meditate on the Cross of Christ with its many comforting spiritual lessons. May this holy season bring me rich personal blessings. Cause the message of the slain Lamb of Gd to impress on my heart & mind the awfulness of my sins & to lead me to Calvary for pardon & eace. Lead me to see that my sins caused His great agony in the Garden; that He was forsaken by His own that I might not be forsaken by You; that He died so that I might not die eternally.

"O Lord Jesus, grant that especially during this sacred season the story of Your wondrous love for me may draw me closer to You so that in gratitude for Your great love I may rejoice in my redemption, walk with You in willing obedience, & follow Your example of love & sacrifice.

"O Holy Spirit, during this Lenten season grant all pastors a double measure of Your outpouring to arouse the indifferent sinners, to stir up the lukewarm, to encourage the timid, to assure the doubting, to calm the disturbed, & to console the sorrowing. May troubled souls everywhere by the message of Lent be led to sincere repentance & trusting faith in the Cross of Calvary, so that, dyingto sin, they may live to You now & forever. In Jesus' name. Amen.  My Prayer Book

A LENTEN HYMN

Christ, the Life of All the Living (LSB #420, Sts. 1, 2, 7)

Christ, the life of all the living, Christ, the death of death, our foe, Who, Thyself for me once giving To the darkest depths of woe:  Through Thy suff'rings, death, & merit I eternal life inherit. Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.

Thou, ah! Thou, hast taken on Thee Bonds & stripes, a cruel rod; Pain & scorn were heaped upon Thee, O Thou sinless Son of God! Thus didst Thou my soul deliver From the bonds of sin forever. Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.

Then, for all that wrought my pardon, For Thy sorrows deep & sore, For Thine anguish in the Garden, I will thank Thee evermore, Thank Thee for Thy groaning, sighing, For Thy bleeding & Thy dying, For that last triumhant cry, And shall praise Thee, Lord, on high.